How do I know if my dishwasher has a manual filter?

If it is quiet and was made in the last fifteen years, it almost certainly does. Look in the tub floor for a twist-lock mesh cylinder.

Can the filter go in the dishwasher?

No — it needs hand scrubbing. Running it through a cycle does nothing, because it is the thing doing the filtering.

What if the filter won't twist out?

It is probably scaled in place. Soak the area with a food-safe descaler and try again; force will crack the plastic.

Parts & Components

The Dishwasher Filter: How It Works and How to Clean It

May 5, 2026 · 6 min read · Dishwasher Cleaning technicians

The filter is the single highest-impact part you can maintain yourself. Most people have never removed theirs.

Short answer

Twist the cylindrical filter counter-clockwise, lift it and the flat screen beneath it out, rinse under hot water and scrub the mesh with a soft brush. Do this monthly, or every two weeks in heavy-use households.

Two filter designs, two maintenance realities

Older and some budget machines use a hard-food disposer — a grinder that pulverizes debris so it can flush down the drain. They are noisy and they self-clean, which is why owners of those machines are often surprised to learn modern dishwashers need manual attention.

Almost every dishwasher sold in the last fifteen years uses a manual filter instead. It is quieter and more water-efficient, but nothing grinds the food: it collects in a mesh cylinder that you are expected to clean. Manufacturers say so in the manual; almost nobody reads it.

Finding and removing yours

Pull out the lower rack. In the floor of the tub, usually at the back or center, you will see a cylindrical mesh assembly, often with an arrow and a lock icon. Twist it counter-clockwise a quarter turn and lift it straight out.

Underneath is a flat, wider mesh screen that usually just lifts away. Some machines require the lower spray arm to come off first; it typically unscrews or pulls straight up.

Cleaning it properly

Rinse both pieces under hot running water. Use a soft brush — an old toothbrush is ideal — with a drop of dish soap to scrub the mesh from both sides. Hold the cylinder up to the light: you should see through the mesh evenly. Grease and starch build an invisible film that blocks flow long before the mesh looks dirty.

Wipe out the well the filter sits in. This recess collects a paste of grease, and it is a primary odor source. Reassemble, and make sure the cylinder locks — an unlocked filter lets debris bypass straight into the pump.

Never use a wire brush or abrasive pad — it damages the mesh permanently.
Never run the machine with the filter removed.
Check the filter immediately after any load where glass broke.
If the mesh is torn or deformed, replace it; a damaged filter is worse than none for the pump.

What a neglected filter costs you

A blocked filter reduces water flow to the spray arms, so wash pressure drops and dishes come out gritty. It holds decomposing food, which is the leading cause of dishwasher odor. And it eventually lets debris migrate to the drain pump, where solids score the impeller and the seal.

Nearly every deep clean we run starts with a filter that has never been touched. Two minutes a month prevents the whole chain.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my dishwasher has a manual filter?: If it is quiet and was made in the last fifteen years, it almost certainly does. Look in the tub floor for a twist-lock mesh cylinder.
Can the filter go in the dishwasher?: No — it needs hand scrubbing. Running it through a cycle does nothing, because it is the thing doing the filtering.
What if the filter won't twist out?: It is probably scaled in place. Soak the area with a food-safe descaler and try again; force will crack the plastic.