Why is there white residue on my dishes after washing?

Updated : 23rd September, 2026
White residue.

If white residue is being left on your dishes and other items after washing them in your Samsung dishwasher, it may be caused by hard water or excessive quantities of detergent. Hard water contains minerals that can leave stains on your dishes. You can use a rinse aid, adjust your dishwasher’s water softener settings or even reduce the amount of detergent to prevent residue from appearing on your dishes.

Please note: Make sure the salt reservoir indicator and the water softener settings are correct according to the water hardness in your area. Your local water supplier can provide information about the hardness level of your water.

You need to manually adjust the water hardness level of your dishwasher based on the water in your area and fill the salt reservoir (see more information below). Your dish washer will optimize the specific amount of dish washer salt needed according to the water hardness level. To ensure proper settings, contact your local water supplier for information about the hardness level of your water supply.

Please note: The following instructions may vary depending on your dish washer model. For specific steps for your model, refer to its user manual.

DW60B* models except DW60BB89*:

Hygiene Plus and Program buttons. Hygiene Plus and Program buttons.
Hygiene Plus button Hygiene Plus button
Delay Start button. Delay Start button.
1 Press the Hygiene Plus and Delay Start buttons at the same time for at least 3 seconds
2 Press Hygiene Plus until “L0”, “L1”, “L2”, “L3”, “L4” or “L5” appears on the screen
3 Press Delay Start to access the submenu
Hygiene Plus button Hygiene Plus button
Delay Start button. Delay Start button.
4 Press Hygiene Plus to select a new setting. You can choose from L0 (for soft water) to L5 (for hard water)
5 Press Delay Start to save the new water hardness level setting

For DW60BB89* models only:

Settings button. Settings button.
Left and Right buttons. Left and Right buttons.
Start button. Start button.
1 Turn on the dishwasher and then press the Settings button
2 Navigate to the Water Hardness option using the Left and Right buttons
3 Press the Start button to enter the submenu
Left or Right buttons. Left or Right buttons.
Start button. Start button.
4 Using the Left or Right buttons, select the water hardness level for your area from Level 0 (for soft water) to Level 5 (for hard water)
5 Press the Start button to save the new setting

DW60A80* and DW60R70* models:

Auto Cycle button. Auto Cycle button.
Delay Start button. Delay Start button.
Current setting: H3 or H4. Current setting: H3 or H4.
1 Turn on your dishwasher and press and hold the Auto Cycle button for at least 5 seconds. The screen will display “0:00” to indicate you are in the Setup mode
2 Press the Delay Start button to open the water hardness level settings menu
3 The screen will show the code for the current setting (the default setting is H3 or H4)
Auto Cycle button. Auto Cycle button.
4 Press the Auto Cycle button to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) to H6 (for hard water). Then, wait 5 seconds for the appliance to save the setting

Model DW60A60*:

AUTO or Program button. AUTO or Program button.
Self Clean or Sanitize button. Self Clean or Sanitize button.
Current setting: H3. Current setting: H3.
1 Press and hold the AUTO or Program button for at least 5 seconds
2 Press the Self Clean or Sanitize button to open the water hardness level settings menu
3 The screen will show the current setting (the default setting is H3)
AUTO or Program button. AUTO or Program button.
4 Press the AUTO or Program button to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) to H6 (for hard water)

Models DW60M6043F* and DW5043F*:

Program button. Program button.
Hygiene button. Hygiene button.
Current setting: H3. Current setting: H3.
1 Turn on the Dish Washer and press and hold the Program button for 5 seconds. The screen will display “0:00” to let you know it is in setup mode
2 Press the Hygiene button to open the water hardness level settings menu
3 The screen will show the current setting (the default setting is H3)
Program button. Program button.
4 Press the Program button to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) to H6 (for hard water). Then, wait 5 seconds for the appliance to save the setting

For models DW60M5042F* only:

Program button. Program button.
Default setting: H3. Default setting: H3.
Program button. Program button.
1 Turn on the dishwasher and press and hold the Program button for 5 seconds to open the water hardness level settings menu
2 The default setting is H3
3 Press the Program button to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) to H6 (for hard water). Then, wait 5 seconds for the appliance to save the setting

Models DW50R40*:

AUTO or Cycle buttons. AUTO or Cycle buttons.
Delay Start button. Delay Start button.
Current setting: H4. Current setting: H4.
1 Turn on the dishwasher and then press and hold the AUTO or Cycle button for 5 seconds. The screen will show "0:00" when it enters setup mode
2 Press the Delayed Start button to open the water hardness level adjustment menu
3 Press the Program button to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) to H6 (for hard water). Then, wait 5 seconds for the appliance to save the setting

Models DW50R40*:

AUTO or Cycle buttons. AUTO or Cycle buttons.
Delay Start button. Delay Start button.
Current setting: H4. Current setting: H4.
1 Turn on the dishwasher and then press and hold the AUTO or Cycle button for 5 seconds. The screen will show "0:00" when it enters setup mode
2 Press the Delayed Start button to open the water hardness level adjustment menu
3 The screen will display the current setting (the default setting is H4)
AUTO button or Normal cycle. AUTO button or Normal cycle.
4 Press the AUTO button or Normal cycle to change the setting. You can select from H1 (for soft water) up to H6 (for hard water). Then, wait 5 seconds for the setting to be saved.

See below for information and instructions on filling the salt storage container.

Please note:

  • If the supplied water hardness level is unstable, set the dish washer to the highest reading. For example, if the water hardness reading ranges from 6.7 mmol/l to 9.0 mmol/l, set the dish washer to 9.0 mmol/l.
  • The default water hardness level for the dish washer is 3 (2.1-3.0 mmol/l). If this setting matches the water hardness level in your area, you do not need to change it.

Please note: The following instructions may vary depending on your dish washer model. Refer to your dishwasher user manual for specific information.

1 Open the door of your dishwasher
2 Turn the salt container cap counterclockwise to open it
Turn the cap.

Please note: When opening the cap, clean water stored inside may spill out. You can add salt to prevent water from leaking.

3 Next, fill the salt storage container with water

Please note: This step is only necessary when using the dishwasher for the first time.

4 Add dish washer salt. Depending on the grain size, the salt may take a while to dissolve before the indicator turns off
Add the salt.
5 Turn the salt storage cap clockwise to close it
6 If you need to clean salt or salty water from the dish washer, you can run a Quick cycle
7 If there is not enough salt in the container, the salt indicator will turn on. Repeat the previous steps to add more salt to the storage container

Precautions and notes for using the salt storage container:

  • Use only salt specifically for dish washers. Do not use any other type of salt or solvent, as they may damage the salt container and the descaling system.
  • The maximum salt capacity is approximately 1 kg. Do not exceed this amount. Otherwise, it may affect the operation of the dish washer.
  • To prevent corrosion caused by excessive salt or salty water, always fill the salt container before starting a cycle.
  • Make sure the salt container cap is properly closed and tightened.

After setting the water hardness level on your dishwasher, you can then fill the salt storage container. Please use the following steps:

Please note: The following instructions may differ depending on your dishwasher model. Please check your dishwasher’s user manual for specific information.

1 Open the dishwasher door
2 Turn the salt storage cap anticlockwise to open it
Turn the cap.

Please note: When opening the cap, clean water that has been stored may run out. You can add salt to prevent the water from leaking.

3 Fill the salt storage container with water

Please note: This is only required when using the dishwasher for the first time.

4 Apply the dishwasher salt. Depending on the size of the salt grains, it may take a while for the salt to dissolve and the indicator to turn off
Add the salt.
5 Turn the salt storage cap clockwise to close it
6 If you need to clean salt or salt water from the dishwasher, you can run a Quick cycle
7 If there is not enough salt in the storage container, the salt indicator will turn on. Please repeat the previous steps to add more salt to the storage container

Precautions and notes for using rinse aid:

  • Use dishwasher-specific salt only. Do not use any other type of salt or solvent, as they may damage the salt storage and the water softening system.
  • The maximum salt capacity is about 1 kg. Do not exceed this amount. Doing so may affect the dishwasher’s performance.
  • To prevent corrosion caused by an excessive amount of salt or salty water, always fill the salt storage before beginning a cycle.
  • Make sure the salt storage cap is correctly fastened and tightened.

How to use rinse aid.

Using a rinse aid will improve the drying performance of your Dish Washer. You can also try using less detergent and increasing the amount of rinse aid. When you're ready to add rinse aid, follow the steps below:

1 Open the dishwasher door, then open the rinse aid dispenser cap
Open the rinse aid dispenser cap.
2 Fill the rinse aid dispenser with your preferred rinse aid
3 Close the rinse aid dispenser cap

Precautions and notes for using rinse aid:

  • We recommend using only liquid rinse aid. Powdered rinse aid can clog the dispenser opening and cause the Dish Washer to malfunction.
  • Avoid overfilling the rinse aid dispenser, as it may overflow during a cycle.
  • Do not put detergent in the rinse aid dispenser.

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