hidroman,
Bad link, dude. This looks like a dealer link requiring a login and password. Do you have a link to a page that doesn't require authentication?

As far as getting crap out of the arm, use a toothpick or something to poke the seeds loose and then shake them up and down, working the debris towards the center where the big hole is. Shouldn't be too hard.

As far as sunflower seeds, do you have anybody in your family that eats them? If not, it might be something left over from when the DW was in the store (was it a demo) or the factory? Other than that, blame it on your kids! That always worked for my old man.

Thanks- I think you're correct. My DH cleaned the filter recently and he didn't screw it all the way in. That must be how they got there.

Getting them out hasn't been that easy. Tried twice now and keep missing some, I guess. Let's hope the third time's the charm.

all in all, other than how quiet this Bosch is, we haven't been too impressed with it. Items in the top rack load very poorly (fall over) and stuff really doesn't get very clean at all. (And, yes, we're using the proper rinse agent and liquid detergent...)

It's a SHE43 model.

Try using powdered detergent - most manufactures recommend that - I use Cascade Complete.

Use the small tablets with the red ball along with rinse agent.

Make sure you read your manual. You may be on the low temp drying mode. Some have a 1 or 2 setting.

Yes, the racks are PATHETIC, both bottom and top. Yes, all the items rolls over and fall out of place. And the bottom rack tines fall over (the system to hold them vertical does not work well).

Awful machines. I would stick to the run of the mill machines at 1/3 the cost.

I have been having the same problem --dishwasher worked great for a year, then suddenly dishes have emerged with caked food all over. We did refill the rinse agent, which in the past as solved the problem, but this time it persisted. I followed someone's instructions to check the arms and low and behold, bits of rice, etc, stuck in most of the upper arm spray holes! So how to remove... My method: trying to remove the food just forces it into the arms, which you can't open. So I took off the arm, rinsed as best as i could and then blocked those little holes with my fingers and ran water in from the center hole. Voila, all of the chunks of food float up and out.

I agree they designed the racks poorly, but I love how quiet the dishwasher is and how it generally gets the dishes sparkling clean. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a friend.

Bumping this up, since I am also experiencing this. Any solutions for preventing food from sticking in the spray arms? The filter is correctly installed. We seem to have the most issues with rice and small pieces of vegetables (onions, shredded carrots, etc.). Do we need to just rinse the plates? We scrape, but that may not be enough.

If the filter is installed properly on a Bosch it will filter out coffee grounds. The only way something bigger than a coffee ground can get into the spray arm is if the filter was not fully seated.

Thanks. The filter should be installed properly; it's possible it was loose before, but I didn't think it was. I'll keep an eye on it. I've been pretty disappointed with this dishwasher so far, though.

Having the same issue with mine. The glasses come out with so much food caked on. We rinse before we load. Recently discovered the food trapped in the spray arm. I can't understand how it gets in there..isn't water shooting out of it? Anyway, it seems that the only solution is to clean the entire dishwasher monthly so the dishes get clean. This is very inconvenient. I will never recommend this dishwasher to anyone or buy another Bosch again.

trinafonts - If you follow the tips in this thread, you will solve the problem, unless there's something malfunctioning. I was convinced we'd be in the same situation, and we reinstalled the high loop, cleaned the filter, and made sure it was seated perfectly, and we haven't had a single problem since. The filter does need to be rinsed out periodically (maybe once every 2-3 months, if that), but there has been no food in the spray arms since we followed the tips in this thread.

All ideas you give work somewhat but why doesn't some smart manufacturer sell a dishwasher that has spray arms connected to the main body with a plastic threaded socket. Then you could remove each arm, clean it out with a brush and screw it back into place. Currently, they suggest poking the food back into the arm where can't be removed easily.

The solution to the spray arms getting clogged is a simple one: When the removable filter in the center bottom has been removed for its recommended periodic rinsing/cleaning, be sure to re-seat the cylindrical filter properly during re-installation. There are three cutout little arrows inside the filter holder that show the direction in which to turn it. Push the filter down lightly and turn turn it approximately half a turn until one of the two black inner pointers lines up with the black outer pointer. (If the cylindrical filter is still loose, it has not been re-seated properly. That will allow food to get by into the spray arms. )

It is New Year's Day and I am remembering my dishwashers of past! My old KA with a garborator and no filter was the best! This filter business is the pits! All the pre scrape and rinse. Titrating the rinse aid and balancing the detergent ph. The long cycles and barely dry dishes. Monthly inspections and maintenance. I should just get some Funky dish gloves, turn on some tunes and wash the darn dishes rather than getting face down into a slimy filter or loosing my mind over bits of rice in powerless spray arms.

After reading posts, I am cancelling my service call. The issue in my model SHE43PO2UC year 2000 Bosch dishwasher is the filter unit on the bottom. It is hard to get it to seat properly. I took the fine filter screen off and worked with the Large Object trap until I got it to seat properly. Without the screen pushing against me, I could feel the tight fit. Then I put the screen back in and screwed down the LO trap so that it was well seated. Knowing how it should feel made this an easier task. Here's my beef. Obviously, this is an issue that Bosch should be well aware of. However, when I called their service line, all I got was a "You're out of warrantee so call a local repair person." Contrast this to KitchenAid who spent 20 minutes on the phone with me to figure out how to do a minor repair to a food processor who's lock-out button had worn down and would not let the unit start. And while we are at it, Bosch, put a screw-in plug at the end of the wands so that they can be easily cleaned. And put the utensil basket in the front. MY 2 CENTS.

Really informative thread, thanks. One idea I stumbled onto that no one else has mentioned: I have these plastic toothpick things from CVS - "interdental brush & toothpick". I used the brush end and was able to fish out bits of food stuck in the arm holes much better than previous efforts using a pipe cleaner and various other implements. Sometimes you just need the right tool.

I will never buy or recommend a Bosch again. My upper arm is always clogged. I had a Maytag for 25 years that cleaned perfectly every time. Bosch is a poor product and try to get someone to help. Forget it.

Hi, I'm struggling with same issue of food getting stuck in sprayer arms and dishes coming out with a dryer thin layer of food on them. I have been trying to get food out of spraying arms with a needle and clean filter at least once a week. We had an old Bosch and never experienced these problems. Seems like a construction defect?

I called Bosch and the told me to run dishwasher empty three times. Then to run once with a special dishwasher cleaner. After that they told me to stop using tablets and to use one tsp of Pulver detergent. This has mostly taken care of the dirty film, but food keep getting stuck in the arms... not sure what to change. Any advice?

Frustrated because use such an expensive dishwasher!

The spray arms will clog if the bottom filters are not properly seated. They must fit tightly. Failure to get the lower filters properly seated lets excess food spray up into the arms, both upper and lower, where they stick.

Katarina Stahl,

Seems unlikely that 1 tsp of detergent is sufficient unless you're pre-rinsing to the point that essentially clean dishware is running through the machine.

Use the Cascade complete pods and the Automatic cycle. (there are several posts on this)

As mentioned previously if you have food in the arms it's because the filters were not locked in properly.

I have a Bosch dishwasher and it's what i recommend to my customers.

I hate Bosh dishwashers. There was one when I bought the house. Terrible! We remodeled, I we got Bosh again, thinking this new one will be better, had great reviews. We regularly clean spray arms and filter, and still find food on dishes that we rinse before we put it. My two good friends have the same problems with their Bosh dishwahers.

Any make/model recommendations for a dishwasher that gets dishes & glasses sparkling clean?

. Wicked disappointed. Tried everything on this thread. Nothing works constantly. Never again.

Take the flat bottom screen out. Put the upright filter cylinder into it's proper space. Jiggle until you feel it drop into its proper seating. Twist to feel how it locks. Unlock it. Replace flat screen. Now, knowing how it feels to properly seat, put cylinder in and feel it drop in place, then twist to lock. Once you feel the correct position, you will know how to get it locked. I scrape, not rinse, and don't add extras. As long as that cylinder is correctly seated, no bits get into the arms - not once in the past year.

I have the same issue, but with a Maytag machine which I loved until six months after using gel-pods. I believe they almost destroyed my dishwasher. My machine began making a horrible noise. I searched and discovered it could be the pods. When I cleaned my filter, I found an undissolved gel substance. I started using the Sanitize Cycle which has the hottest water. After six months now the machine is as quiet as new. I have cleaned the filter. I had never noticed food scraps in the arms, but now thanks to these suggestions it may be an improperly replaced filter.

The upper spray arm on my GE Profile DW frequently gets clogged at one or both ends, which means the arm does not spin. I know the food, eggshells, over even broken glass pieces are getting past the filter, which I will work on. But the design of the spray arm means it cannot be opened up to clean. From the posts here seems Bosch and most every other DW has the same design flaw. After trying toothpicks, tweezers, wood skewers, etc, which just push the particle back into the arm, I followed the suggestion to remove the arm, and use my sink sprayer to force water from the tip back to the center hole. After some rinsing and shaking, the piece of broken glass was dislodged and removed. Back in Business!!

I found one technique for removing loose particles inside a spray arm on a Whirlpool dishwasher. It works when there is a small vertical displacement between the center hole in the sprayer and the smaller holes in the arm. It requires a bathtub or large basin with several inches of water so the spayer can be completely immersed while it is horizontal. Holding the sprayer flat, with the large hole in the center of the sprayer facing the ceiling, slowly lower it into the tub/basin. Water flows through the smaller holes in the arm-pushing debris to the center hole. The center hole submerges last. After the spray arm is completely immersed, turn over the arm, keeping it completely under water, so the large hole is facing the floor of the tub. Still holding it flat, lift up slowly. The smaller holes in the spray arms will break the surface first allowing air inside so water and debris drain through the large opening into the tub. I usually repeat this a few times.

Brilliant! Worked great. Thank you.

I does not matter that the filter cylinder is inserted properly. That cylinder has a large opening in it, it does not make sense to have such a fine screen on the filter but a large opening in the cylinder. I found that a 1.5-in Stainless Steel Strainer Basket, Lowe's item #30505Model #89049X, will fit inside the cylinder. It has much smaller holes and works very well at keeping the food out. You just have to remove it when emptying the filter into the trash so that it does not get thrown away.

Thank you Michael Brown and Kathy Conway!! After 9 years of trying to clean sunflower seeds out of the spray arms on my Bosch, I have high hopes that I will never have to do it again!

I found the easiest way to get out gunk from the dishwasher arm is to remove the plastic connector then put the metal arm into the oven for 10 minutes on 150c. It shrinks the seeds etc and they then can be shaken out when the arm cools.