To clean a dishwasher filter, pull out the bottom rack, twist the filter counterclockwise and lift it out, rinse it under warm running water, then twist it back until it locks. Whirlpool puts the whole job at a few minutes.
How to clean dishwasher filter parts properly comes down to your brand. The turn, the number of pieces and whether you can use a brush all change from one maker to the next, and so does how often they want it done.
When I took service calls on Whirlpool, Maytag and KitchenAid dishwashers that washed poorly, the filter came out before I touched the pump. It’s the free check. You can do it yourself tonight.
The basic steps for every brand
Every filter covered here sits in the bottom of the tub, under the lower rack. You’ll need a sink, warm water, a little dish soap and a sponge.
- Pull the bottom rack all the way out and set it aside.
- Find the round filter at the bottom of the tub, at the base of the lower spray arm or in a back corner.
- Twist it counterclockwise and lift it out. On Whirlpool-family models that’s a quarter turn.
- Pull any separate pieces apart, such as a screen or a lower filter.
- Rinse every piece under warm running water until no food is left on the mesh.
- Put it back and twist clockwise until it stops turning.
Don’t skip that last check.
Whirlpool says that if the filter still turns freely, it isn’t seated, and a loose filter could damage your dishwasher. The arrows on the upper and lower pieces don’t have to line up perfectly. What counts is that it’s locked before you run a cycle.
How the filter comes out, brand by brand
The steps above fit most machines, but each maker words the details differently. Here’s what each one’s support page tells you.
Bosch
Bosch’s filter steps have you rotate the filter knob to the left and lift it straight up. Then you separate the filter from the screen under it and clean the pieces one at a time with warm, soapy water and a scrub brush. Dry the filter and set it securely back in place.
Bosch’s US page recommends cleaning every few months.
GE
Newer GE dishwashers have two filters, and you take them out in order.
- Twist the Ultra Fine Filter counterclockwise and lift it out.
- Find the Fine Filter under it, a mesh plate held by two retaining posts toward the back of the tub.
- Twist each post counterclockwise and lift the plate.
When you put the Ultra Fine Filter back, use the arrow embossed in the Fine Filter to line it up, then twist clockwise. Lock the two posts the same way. GE says to inspect and clean both every other month, or more often if you run a lot of loads.
Frigidaire
Frigidaire calls its main piece the Cylinder Fine Filter, and it’s there to catch big items like broken glass, bones and pits. Rotate it counterclockwise, lift it out and empty it into the trash.
With the cylinder out, lift the Coarse Filter from the tub bottom and flush it under running water. Frigidaire recommends cleaning the filter and glass trap every 2 to 3 months.
Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Maytag
Whirlpool and KitchenAid publish the same steps. Turn the upper filter assembly a quarter turn counterclockwise, lift it out, then gently pull the assembly apart. Rinse it under running water, and use a soft brush only if hard-water deposits won’t rinse off.
If your model has a Clean Filter light, hold the Clean Filter button for 3 seconds after the filter is back in. Then open and close the door. Whirlpool’s product help says that clears the reminder.
Brush, sponge or soak
Here the makers don’t agree, so match the tool to your filter.
- GE: a sponge. GE’s filter cleaning article says scouring pads or brushes can damage the Ultra Fine Filter. A soft brush or sponge is allowed on the Fine Filter for calcium deposits.
- Whirlpool and KitchenAid: running water first, then a soft brush if soils or calcium won’t come off. Whirlpool rules out a wire brush, a scouring pad or anything rough.
- Bosch: warm, soapy water and a scrub brush.
- Frigidaire: running water, plus a sponge or bottle brush for food that hangs on.
If you don’t know which filter you have, use a sponge. GE and Frigidaire name one, and Whirlpool lists it in its supplies. None of these makers tells you to soak the filter in vinegar; their own steps use warm, soapy water.
How often to clean it
How often to clean a dishwasher filter depends on how you load the machine. Whirlpool publishes a schedule based on how much food goes in with the dishes and how many loads you run each week.
| How you load | Loads per week | Clean the filter |
|---|---|---|
| Wash dishes before loading | Up to 14 | Once a year |
| Scrape and rinse | 1 to 7 | Once a year |
| Scrape and rinse | 8 to 14 | Twice a year |
| Scrape only | 1 to 7 | Twice a year |
| Scrape only | 8 to 14 | Every three months |
| No scraping or rinsing | 1 to 3 | Every two months |
| No scraping or rinsing | 4 to 7 | Once a month |
| No scraping or rinsing | 8 to 12 | Every two weeks |
| No scraping or rinsing | 13 to 14 | Once a week |
The other makers give one interval each: Bosch says every few months, GE every other month or more, Frigidaire every 2 to 3 months. Whichever you go by, clean it sooner if your dishes come out gritty or food is still stuck on them.
Don’t fix it by washing everything before it goes in. Whirlpool says pre-washed dishes can pick up a white etching from the detergent, and that etching is permanent. Scrape the plates, load them, and let the filter do its job.
Dishwashers with no filter to pull
Can’t find a filter? You may not have one to clean.
GE says older GE dishwashers and some current models use self-cleaning filtration with no removable filter.
On Whirlpool-family models with a maintenance-free filter system, the pump is protected by a foreign object cup at the front, below the lower rack. Press the tab in the middle, pull the cup up, empty it and push it back down until it locks. That’s the only part on those models you’re meant to clean out.
Some machines grind food instead of filtering it. One r/Appliances commenter put it plainly: “It has a hard-food disposer built-in instead of a filter.” Your owner’s manual settles it, so check there before you take the lower tub apart looking for a filter that isn’t there.
When the filter keeps getting dirty or the tub holds water
A filter that’s full again after every load is catching the same thing every time. In one r/appliancerepair thread about a filter coated after every wash, the top answer was grease.
“Are you washing very greasy pots? Wiping them out with a paper towel will save not only this but your plumbing as well.”
– r/appliancerepair, February 2026 (41 upvotes)
That’s scraping, not pre-washing, so it fits Whirlpool’s advice too.
Water still sitting in the tub after a clean filter means the filter wasn’t the whole problem. Start with our dishwasher not draining guide, which sorts it by the pump sound. The brand pages go further for GE, Whirlpool and Frigidaire, along with our Bosch dishwasher not draining fixes.
Questions about how to clean dishwasher filter parts
Can you soak a dishwasher filter in vinegar?
None of the maker pages here say to; they use warm, soapy water. Frigidaire does use vinegar for the tub: 1 cup of white vinegar poured into the empty tub and run on a cycle with no detergent, every 3 months.
How can you tell the filter is clogged?
Dishes come out gritty, food stays stuck on them, or you can see soil on the filter itself. GE and Whirlpool both list gritty dishes as the sign to clean it.
Where is the filter on a KitchenAid dishwasher?
It’s in the bottom of the tub under the lower rack. KitchenAid’s help page has you turn the upper filter assembly a quarter turn counterclockwise to lift it out.
