Bubble Trouble: Dealing With a Foaming Dishwasher

A foamy, bubbly mess in your dishwasher can be quite a surprise. This unexpected overflow can be caused by a few common culprits. Let's dive into the reasons and solutions to get your dishwasher back to its normal, clean routine.

Stop the dishwasher by opening the door or pressing the stop/cancel button. This will prevent it from creating more sudsy overflow. Don't worry about the inside of the dishwasher right now - it is waterproof.

Grab some towels and dry the floor, making sure to dry along the toekick under the cabinets.

There are a few reasons this could have happened, and I have experienced them all over the years:

• Wrong detergent: Using a detergent designed for hand-washing in the dishwasher. This can be from intentionally using hand detergent as a substitute in a pinch, or from pre-washing dishes with detergent and putting them in the dishwasher with soap remaining on them.
• Blocked drain: I have seen this happen in 3 ways:
• The dishwasher drains into the garbage disposal and food was left in the disposal which prevents draining.
• The filter in the dishwasher needs to be cleaned.
• The garbage disposal plug for the dishwasher drain was not removed, blocking the drain line.
• Dishwasher pump not working: There is a pump that pushes water out of the dishwasher, and if it does not work the water will remain in the dishwasher.

The first problem to resolve is the excess suds:

• Empty the dishes from the dishwasher so you can focus on the suds.
• Generously sprinkle table salt over the suds to suppress the bubbles.
• Put the dishwasher in "cancel" mode and close the door. You will hear the pump running to drain the suds. Run the garbage disposal for a few seconds to make sure the water is draining and then shut it off. Listen for water going down the drain. If water is not draining from the machine, you may need to call for repair service.
• If all of that is working, wait for the dishwasher to run through the cancel cycle and then open the door.
• If suds remain, sprinkle more salt and repeat until the suds are gone. 
• Rinse hand-washing detergent from dishes and reload the machine.

Remember these tips:

• Use a detergent designed for an automatic dishwasher.
• If you pre-wash dishes, ensure that they are rinsed completely before loading the dishwasher.
• Clear the disposal before running the dishwasher.