My dishwasher is leaving dishes with a white film. How can I make them come out clean?

I just got a new dishwasher. I'm from the US, and I'm not used to the hard water here in Europe. I cannot get my dishes clean no matter what I do. They have a white film all over them. I've made sure that the dishwasher has salt and rinse agent, and that it is maintained correctly. When the dishwasher was brand new, the dishes came out clean, and after a few washes, they don't come out clean anymore. I need some help from someone who knows about dishwashers in Europe. I must point out to any of you stupid americans that think you know everything there is to know about the world, that in Europe, the dishwashers are much different from dishwashers in the US, and if you have never used a dishwasher in Europe, you are not really in a place to answer this question.

Public Comments

1. Have you set the water hardness control? A good dishwasher will have a hardness adjustment control. If you have soft water you will need less salt. Have a look in your instruction/installation booklet or speak to the manufacturer of your machine.
2. Maybe it has a blockage in the water pipes, where grease and gunk can build up, they sell dishwasher cleaner in most supermarkets, you just put it in your cutlery drawer when the dishwasher is empty and put it on a cycle. Hope this helps.
3. We English learned that to achieve clean dishes from a machine.One has to insert a dwarf to assist.
4. Hi First you need to find out what your hardness or softness your water is, you can find that out by contacting your water supplier. Then a just your dishwasher to that what your water is. It should say how to do this in your instruction book, If you do not have a instruction book download from the internet. Hope this helps Ian
5. 20 Mule Team Borax Add a small scoop to each load. It acts as a softening agent and boosts the cleaning. It will remove the film and prevent it in the future.
6. Try setting your water heater to a higher temp. Also run vinegar through your rinse water to help eliminate the water spots/film. I would think too much salt in itself would cause a film on dishes, since I accidentally spilled some in my dishpan and the dishes got cloudy and I had to rewash them.
7. Go to your water companies website, they will give you your water hardness. Then, set up your dishwasher according to the book, and you should be ok. How old is the Dishwasher? Still under Warranty? If you are still in trouble, and under warranty, call the service guy out.By the way, is it using salt...does the salt level go down????