Your dishwasher is supposed to clean your dishes; but when it stops producing sparkle and shine--what do you do?

If your dishwasher has only recently stopped performing, you might look at the machine itself. Give your dishwasher a good cleaning of it's interior by running it empty with half of a container of Tang. The citric acid will remove much of the buildup in your dishwasher that could be keeping it from working properly. There are also commercial cleaners in small bottles made to put in your dishwasher (opening down--without removing the wax plug on the container) that profess to do the same thing. If you have neither of these, you can try running a cycle of vinegar with some baking soda in the pre-wash cup. And if you try the first two and your interior isn't glistening, then run a subsequent cycle with the vinegar and baking soda to top it off.

Be sure to remove the silverware tray if it's attached to the door or anything else removable and clean behind there by hand. Clean the areas where the inside of the dishwasher meets the outside--especially the seal. If you have a rinse agent dispenser, open that up and clean it out. Same goes for where the steam is released from the dishwasher: see if that can be cleaned out.

Once the dishwasher is clean, run it with a load of dishes and see if this has done the trick. If it has, then you know you just need to occasionally clean your dishwasher. If it has not, here are your next steps...

Have you recently changed the temperature on your hot water heater such that the water is no longer getting hot enough to do it's job in the dishwasher? It may need to be adjusted back. Or have you had plumbing work done in your house that affects how long it takes for hot water to get to your kitchen sink? If so, you may have to run the kitchen sink's water until it's hot and then immediately run the dishwasher.

Are you washing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? Some people do this because they use the dishwasher for sanitizing more than cleaning. Even if you're just giving them a rinse in soapy water--stop. Or rinse them under water without dish soap. The dish soap isn't made for dishwashers and will build up and prevent your dishwasher from working properly.

Do you have a water softener? The dishwasher is often the first place to give you a symptom that the water softener has a problem. Check to see that your softener has enough salt, doesn't have a salt dam, or is recharging regularly.

Have you changed dishwashing detergents recently? You may need to try another one. And if you haven't changed detergents, maybe the manufacturer of your tried-and-true detergent has changed formulations--and you need to try a new one. This can be a bit of trial and error. You could attempt calling their customer service line to see if they know about a formulation change before spending money on trying new brands.

Last, if you know you have a hard water problem (mineral buildup on your faucets and around the ring of your toilets are good indicators) but don't have a water softener, add a half-cup of vinegar to the dishwasher at the beginning of each cycle. If that doesn't do the trick, increase it to a cup (which should be enough). This should soften your water enough to keep the haze off of your dishes.

These are the major culprits of dishwasher problems. Hopefully, one of them has solved yours!