A Spring Cleaning Tip...On the Last Day of August

Using a dishwasher in Southern California is somewhat of a catch 22.   While the dishwasher can save a lot of time, due to our very hard water, it can also make extra work when washing dishes.  Often, the hard water leaves spots and rings on the dishes that end up having to be washed and/or dried again.  Most of the time, it is easier for me to wash and dry the used dishes as they're used and just put them away.  But there are weeks that I get busy and turn to the dishwasher.  The start of the new school year was one of those times, and I noticed that my dishes were coming out exceptionally grungier than before.  I was faced with not just spots or rings but also actual pieces of what looked to be soap or even chalky lime build up.  It didn't seem the Jet Dry was doing its job, and when I tried the Lemi-Shine which is supposed to clear up issues of hard water in the dishwasher AND on the dishes, nothing really changed.  I'm already in the market for a new washer and dryer as mine are on their last legs, so I wondered if a dishwasher would need to be added to the list of needed appliances.
While killing time at a meeting last week, I scrolled through the Holy Grail of Ideas my Pinterest account and decided to search my dishwasher issue.  Now that was eye opening!  So, apparently dishwashers have a filter.  I had no idea!  Now some have garbage disposals built in and others don't.  Mine doesn't, so this info is based on one without as I don't know if it applies to those with disposals. Anyhow, almost everything I read said that if dishes were coming up covered in grunge, cleaning the filter was the first step.  Having no idea where my dishwasher filter nor my dishwasher user manual were, I YouTubed it and found a good video.

This is not my Frigidaire, but it gave me the gist.  And it was THAT easy to find it.  Once I found it and pulled all the pieces out I WAS SHOCKED and had to pull on some rubber gloves to not touch the grossness inside.  I decided against taking any pictures because I didn't think about it it was just too gross - food, dust, dog hair, paper, who knows what, it was all inside my dishwasher filter!  According to my research, all of this debris can keep the water from cleaning off the dishes and therefore leaving gunk all over them.  After dumping out what I could of the above into the trash, the sink was filled up with hot water and dish soap, and all the pieces were left to soak overnight.
The next morning, after pulling the gloves back on, I grabbed my scrub brush and loosened all the nasty bits that were left in the pieces.  Once they were clean, I filled up the sink with water again and a cup of white vinegar and let them soak again for about 20 minutes.  The vinegar is supposed to deodorize the pieces.  I didn't smell them before or after, but figured that step couldn't hurt.
After watching the second part of the video, the pieces were successfully put back into place, the dishes loaded back into the dishwasher, and the cleaning cycle was started.
Even before the load finished I was already thrilled!  About 6 months ago a friend of mine came over and replaced the garbage disposal in my sink because it had stopped working.  The first time I ran the dishwasher after he left, water poured out of the air gap piece into the sink.  When I inquired, he told me that always happens.  Funnily enough, it wasn't happening BEFORE the disposal repair, but beggars can't be choosers.  So I resealed the sink to keep the water that was pouring out from pouring into the cupboard under my sink.
But I digress, absolutely NO WATER came out of the air gap piece during this first wash after cleaning the dishwasher filter.  Already a success!
The success continued when cleaning out the dishwasher after the cycle, things were as clean as a whistle.  There was still a spot or two, but nothing like I was getting over the last couple of months.  Truly a successful DIY!!!
I sent the info to my closest friends and family as a tip.  Each and every person responded with surprise.  No one else had ever heard of such a tip either.  Use as you wish!