How to Change Dishwasher Filter: A Complete Guide

Learning how to change dishwasher filter is one of the simplest maintenance jobs on the whole machine, but it’s also one of the most skipped. The filter’s job is to trap food particles before they recirculate back onto your “clean” dishes or clog the drain, and Whirlpool’s own maintenance guide recommends checking it monthly. Left too long, it stops working the way it’s supposed to, and everything downstream, smell, wash quality, drain speed, suffers for it.

Below, we’ll walk through how to change dishwasher filter step by step, when cleaning is enough versus when you actually need a replacement part, and how to tell the two situations apart. This guide applies to standard U.S. dishwashers, including double-drawer models, though exact filter design varies by brand.

Key Takeaways

• Most filters just need a monthly rinse; a full replacement is only needed every six months or so, or when the filter is cracked or won’t seat properly.
• Always unplug the dishwasher rather than just switching it off before you touch the filter, per CPSC guidance on appliance repair safety.
• Bring your old filter to the parts counter or match it by model number online. Filters vary by brand and even by model year, so guessing leads to returns.
• The whole process, cleaning or replacing, takes under 30 minutes with a screwdriver as the only tool most models require.

Signs Your Filter Needs Attention

A few warning signs show up before a filter becomes a real problem. Dishes coming out with visible food debris or a gritty film, even right after a cycle, is the most common one. A lingering smell when you open the door, standing water at the bottom of the tub after a cycle finishes, and a noticeably longer or noisier wash cycle are the others. Any one of these on its own might be something else, but two or more together point straight at the filter.

Tools and Safety First

Most dishwashers only require a Phillips screwdriver, though some filter housings are fully hand-twist and need nothing at all. Before you touch anything, unplug the dishwasher rather than just switching it off at the control panel. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s electrical safety guidance is explicit on this point: switching a device off does not fully de-energize it, and unplugging (or shutting off the breaker if the unit is hardwired) is the only way to remove that risk while you’re working inside the appliance.

Common Mistakes When Changing a Filter

A few missteps account for most of the frustration people run into. Forcing a filter that doesn’t seat properly is the biggest one; if it doesn’t twist or click into place easily, stop and double-check the orientation rather than pushing harder, since cross-threading or forcing it can crack the housing. Ordering a replacement by brand name alone, without checking the model number, is the second most common mistake and the main reason people end up with a part that almost fits but not quite. Skipping the water line check at the bottom of the drain housing is a third: a small leak there won’t show up until after you’ve reassembled everything, and it can slowly damage a brand-new filter. Taking an extra minute at each step of learning how to change dishwasher filter avoids most of these problems before they start.

How to Change Dishwasher Filter: Step by Step

Step 1: Cut the Power

Unplug the dishwasher or switch off its dedicated breaker. This is the step people skip most often, and it’s the one that actually matters for safety.

Step 2: Locate the Filter

Pull out the bottom rack to expose the tub floor. Most filters sit directly under where the lower spray arm meets the tub, usually a round or cylindrical assembly with a twist-lock or push-tab release. Exact location and release mechanism vary by brand, so check your owner’s manual if it’s not immediately obvious. Once you find it, remove it gently, following whatever release method your model uses (twist a quarter turn, lift straight up, or press a center tab, depending on design).

Step 3: Decide Whether to Clean or Replace

Hold the old filter up to the light. If it’s just coated in trapped food and grease, a thorough rinse under warm water with a soft brush is usually enough, and you can skip straight to reinstalling it. If the mesh is torn, the plastic housing is cracked, or it simply won’t seat correctly anymore no matter how clean it is, it’s time for a replacement. Bring the old filter with you when shopping for a new one, or note the exact model number of your dishwasher; filter styles vary enough between brands, and even between model years of the same brand, that guessing by sight often means a return trip.

Step 4: Install the New (or Cleaned) Filter

Set the filter into the drain housing and make sure it seats fully; you should feel or hear it click or lock into place. Before you close everything up, check that the water line at the bottom of the drain housing cup is properly connected and not leaking, since a small leak here can damage a new filter over time. Twist or press the filter until it holds firmly, and refasten any screws if your model uses them.

Step 5: Replace the Cover

Snap the filter cover back into place over the drain cup, making sure it’s oriented the same way it came out. If screws secured the housing originally, put them back now.

Step 6: Test It

Restore power, then run a normal cycle with a few lightly soiled dishes. If they come out clean with no leftover residue and the cycle runs at its usual length without unusual noise, the filter is seated correctly and doing its job.

Watch: Removing and Replacing a Dishwasher Filter

If you’d like to see the removal and reinstall process in action before you start, this video walks through it.

Cleaning vs. Replacing: How to Decide

Not every maintenance session means learning how to change dishwasher filter with a brand-new part. Most of the time, cleaning the existing filter is all that’s needed, and a full swap is more the exception than the rule. Clean the filter monthly (rinse, soft brush, reinstall) as routine upkeep. Replace it when you notice physical damage, when it’s been cleaned repeatedly but performance still hasn’t improved, or roughly every six months as preventive maintenance even if it still looks intact, since the mesh does wear down with repeated use and cleaning cycles.

Buying the Right Replacement Filter

Dishwasher filters aren’t universal. Some brands use fine mesh filters, others use triple-layer or helix-style designs, and a part that fits one model year of a brand may not fit the next. The most reliable approach is to remove your old filter and either bring it to a parts counter for a direct match, or look up the exact part number using your dishwasher’s model number, usually printed on a sticker along the door frame or the inside edge of the tub. Ordering by dishwasher brand name alone is the most common way people end up with the wrong part. If you’re ordering online, cross-check the listed part number against your model number rather than relying on a photo match, since visually similar filters sometimes have different mounting dimensions that won’t seat correctly even though they look identical at a glance.

How Often Should You Change a Dishwasher Filter?

How often you should clean or change the filter comes down to how hard your dishwasher works. A household running it daily should clean the filter monthly at minimum and consider replacement every six months. Lighter use can stretch both intervals somewhat, but it’s worth checking on a set schedule rather than waiting for a smell or dirty dishes to remind you, since by that point food debris has usually already made its way further into the pump or spray arms. Households with hard water may also want to inspect more frequently, since mineral deposits can build up on the mesh alongside food debris and make the filter harder to clean thoroughly with just a rinse.

Why This Maintenance Actually Matters

A clean, properly functioning filter does more than keep your dishes free of stray food bits. It protects the pump from clogging or damage caused by food debris that would otherwise circulate through it, and pump repairs or replacements cost far more than a filter ever will. It stops food particles from redepositing onto dishes mid-cycle, which is the difference between dishes that look clean and dishes that actually are clean. It’s one of the biggest factors in whether your dishwasher smells fresh or musty between washes, since trapped, decaying food is one of the most common odor sources. If you’re dealing with a persistent smell even after cleaning the filter, our guide on how to keep the dishwasher from smelling between washes covers the other likely causes. And a clean filter also keeps the dishwasher running efficiently, since the pump and spray arms aren’t working against a partial blockage, which matters for both wash performance and energy use over the life of the machine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run my dishwasher without a filter installed?

No. Running it without the filter, or with one that isn’t seated properly, lets food debris reach the pump and recirculate onto your dishes. Always confirm the filter clicks or locks fully into place before starting a cycle.

How do I know what type of filter my dishwasher uses?

Check your owner’s manual, or look up your model number online through the manufacturer’s parts page. Filters generally fall into manual-clean types (which you remove and rinse) and self-cleaning types with a built-in grinder, and the two aren’t interchangeable.

What tools do I need to change a dishwasher filter?

A Phillips screwdriver covers most models, since some filter housings are secured with a screw or two. Many modern filters are fully hand-twist and need no tools at all.

My dishwasher still smells bad after I changed the filter. What else could it be?

A clogged drain hose downstream of the filter is a common next suspect. Our guide on how to clean a dishwasher drain hose covers that process, including a no-removal method if you’re short on time.

Once you’ve gone through the process of learning how to change dishwasher filter, the maintenance itself becomes routine: a monthly rinse, a replacement every six months or so, and a quick check whenever dishes start coming out less than spotless. It’s a small, inexpensive habit that protects the rest of the machine, including the pump and spray arms, from wear that’s far more expensive to fix.