LG dishwasher filter cleaning is a short job: pull out the bottom rack, lift out the cylindrical sump filter at the bottom of the tub, rinse off food, glass and label scraps under the tap, check the mesh for a film of grease and put it back. Do it about once a month. A clogged filter is the most common finding on a machine that has stopped cleaning, and it is also the first suspect for a drain error. The steps below are for the filter only; they do not involve opening any panel.
Where is the filter in an LG dishwasher?
It sits at the bottom of the tub, under the lower rack, in the sump. Our LG dishwasher maintenance guide describes it as the cylindrical sump filter you reach after you take out the bottom rack. All six LG dishwashers listed on this site are 24-inch built-in models with QuadWash multi-motion arms, and all of them move water through a filter, a pump and spray arms, so the location logic is the same. The exact way the filter is released differs by model, so check your owner’s manual before you twist or pull anything hard.
How do you clean an LG dishwasher filter?
Start with an empty, cool dishwasher and the power off at the control. Slide out the bottom rack and set it aside. Lift out the cylindrical sump filter assembly at the bottom of the tub, following the manual for how it releases. Hold it under running tap water and rinse away food, glass and label scraps. Rinse the mesh, then run a fingertip over it: our maintenance pages point out that a filter can look clean and still be sealed by a layer of grease you notice only by touch. Use a soft brush or a sponge with a little dish soap if there is film. Handle the filter with care, because broken glass is one of the things it collects.
Put the filter back exactly as it came out, seat it fully and replace the rack. Put the filter back before the next cycle, and follow your owner’s manual on running the machine with the filter out.
Why does a clogged filter matter?
A clogged filter recirculates the debris it should be holding, and no spray pattern survives that. Our LG dishwasher not cleaning guide lists the filter first when dishes come out gritty. It also restricts drainage: water leaves the tub through the sump filter, the drain pump and the drain hose, so a restriction anywhere in that chain can trigger an OE code. Clear the easy items first, then book a technician if OE returns. See the page for the LG dishwasher OE code and our guide to a dishwasher that is not draining for the next checks.
A neglected filter also explains persistent odor and cloudy glassware. If those are your symptoms, do the filter, then the spray arms and the gasket together.
Making the monthly filter check a habit, on the same day you take out the trash for example, is the simplest way to avoid all of this.
What else should you clean at the same time?
While the rack is out, take the spray arms off from time to time and hold each jet up to the light. A toothpick clears the ones that have taken a seed or a chip of label. Wipe the door gasket and the edge of the tub to clear residue and mildew. Run a dishwasher-cleaner cycle periodically, especially in a hard-water area, because scale dulls the wash. Our QuadWash guide explains how the arms work if you want to know what the jets are doing.
What if the filter is clean and the problem remains?
Move one step along the path. If water still stands in the tub after the filter and the drain hose are clear, check whether a disposer knockout plug was never removed at installation, and check the air gap. If OE stays after cleaning, the drain pump needs testing by a technician. If one rack stays dirty after the arms and filter are cleared, the cause may be a wash pump or a diverter. Those jobs need the machine pulled out and the panel off, which is not an owner job. Do not open panels or reach into the pump area yourself.
If water is visible on the floor, stop the cycle and switch the dishwasher off at the breaker while standing on a dry floor. Do not pull a plug from a wet outlet. Read about our LG dishwasher repair visits to see what is checked.
