I've been washing my dishes by hand. Sure is nice to take clean dishes and glasses out of the cupboard. I contacted Kitchen Aid asking why the dishes have a film on them and the glasses are cloudy. Here's the reply I got: "We apologize for the situation you are having with your Kitchen Aid dishwasher not cleaning resulting in cloudy glassware and fine grit on your plates. Listed below is information relating to poor dishwashing results. Please review the following checklist to see if any apply to your situation: 1) Water Temperature - Make sure your water temperature is between 120 and 140 degrees. Your water heater should be set no lower than 120 F to obtain the best results from your dishwasher and detergent. Most detergents today will not properly dissolve if the water temperature is too low. The optimum temperature is 140 F. Run the hot water at the kitchen sink before starting the dishwasher to purge cooled water from the supply line or use the temperature boost option (on some models) to increase the water temperature. 2) Water Condition - Verify the water hardness, since the degree of hardness in the water can cause poor cleaning results. If hard water exists, using granular detergent may offer better results; but if you have soft water, liquid detergent is recommended. A general rule-of-thumb is to use one teaspoon of detergent for each grain of hardness. However, in areas where the water hardness is 15 or above, it is almost impossible to obtain good cleaning results. If you have a water softener, run the dishwasher only when the softener is full. If you run the dishwasher after most of the soft water supply has been depleted, the dishes will not get clean, and they may look even dirtier than when they were put in. You also would not want to set the softener on zero grains of hardness, since the detergent needs the minerals in the water to properly activate and break down. 3) Obstruction of Water Flow - If the holes of the spray arms are blocked with any type of debris (broken glass, seeds, plastic, etc.) the water will not be able to spray properly. Remove any visible debris from the spray arms. If a spray arm is stuck in one position due to an obstruction, it will disrupt proper water flow inside the dishwasher during use. Rearrange how the dishes are loaded so that large items, such as baking pans, are not blocking water flow to upper rack or other dishes. Make sure the spray arms can spin freely and the wash tower is not obstructed. Avoid nesting items. Wash Cycle - Heavily soiled dishes may need additional wash time. Make sure you choose the appropriate wash cycle for the dishes being washed. Different wash cycles have longer or shorter wash times. Water Pressure - Make sure you have good water pressure. Sometimes well water may not have strong enough pressure to get the water into the dishwasher. Water pressure should be 20 - 120 pounds per square inch (PSI) for optimal results. Detergent/Rinse Agent - Do not put detergent into the dispenser until you are ready to wash dishes. Powder detergent needs to be kept fresh and dry. It can become stale as it ages or when stored in damp areas. Do not store it under the sink, because this can be a moist area. Before using powder detergent shake the container. If the detergent has clumped together, it may be too old and will not wash well, since old detergent loses power and often will not dissolve. If your dishes are often heavily soiled, you may need to use detergent with a higher phosphate level, if it is available in your area. 7) Also using a rinse aid allows water to flow off dishes quicker than usual, lessens water spotting, and makes drying faster. However, if you are using a detergent that already has a rinse aid in it, we do not recommend using an additional rinse aid. Too much rinse aid could create a film and attract food particles. 8) Phosphates were taken out of detergents for important environmental concerns in July 2010. Consumers are finding a white film on dishes after this change took effect. If you have hard water, we suggest using Finish Glass Magic in the Pre Wash compartment, and regular Cascade detergent in the detergent compartment. The Finish tablets are effective also. In addition, it is important to use powder detergent with a powder pre wash additive, or liquid with liquid. If you have hard water, powdered detergent, or tablets will provide better results. Once you have reviewed the above information and the situation still exists, you may want to consider contacting a Local, Certified Technician for resolution."

I bought the Cascade tablet thingys and my glasses had a film on them. I also noticed that I could feel a film/powdery coating on my flatware. So now I toss in a half cup or so of vinegar in the dishwasher when it's filling up for the rinse cycle. When I remember to that is. I don't use my dishwasher everyday. Sometimes only once a week or so. I usually just wash the few I have by hand.

I've had a fireclay kitchen sink since 2004. I have cleaned it with everything from Bon Ami to dish detergent. The printed material that came with the sink says "for any kind of stain, please use the standard cleaners. In case a stain is not perfectly wiped off, use an abrasive pad. To clean vinegar, mustard or sauce stain just use a sponge with a regular cleaner." The sink was made in France and I have no idea what the French consider to be a "regular cleaner". Since I don't need any abrasion to clean it, lately I have used a chlorine-containing toilet bowl cleaner. Don't wretch -- this one is only used in the kitchen! Just about 1 teaspoon on a sponge does the job and since it's a gel, I can drip a little bit on the area behind the fixtures where the grout gets a bit nasty.

wwu I haven't these accurate measurements but they do comport with my *sense* of things too. Boosting the temp ten degrees did make a big difference empirically from "warm" to "low-hot" inside the DW. I do still, again without rigor, have the sense that using the internal water temp booster adds additional improvement, and that boosting the line temp would too. All the while noticing, again, that things are definitely hotter inside than formerly- that is, the internal coils are working. Yes, I recall upon purchasing the DW that it uses a remarkably little amount of water to clean, really qualitatively different/less than previous generations ... and wondering how that impacts things like internal water temperature piped in. Making sure the water at the tap is hot before running makes a big difference, but if you forget to turn on the machine at dishes-time meaning you have to wait for that water to get hot just by running water uselessly down the drain ... that feels pretty icky! Clothes I wash in tap-cold anyway (another reason the hardness issue might not have been showing up there for me). Seems an open question to me energy-conservation-wise as to whether it's better to boost the water temp specifically in the DW per run or at the insta-hot water machine and lose that extra boost while it travels inline. Probably the DW is less efficient at heating than the water box, but that water has to travel and thereby cool down .... ugh. At some point all this cogitating.... MAybe the "rule" should be if having to run from cold, then boost at the machine, but if you remember to turn on the machine at dishes time, it might not be so necessary ... though this doesn't really gybe with wwu's measurements.... fori - I suspect my upper arm spritzer has some clogging too. In the list of things to do (downstream) to get in there and check, somehow.