How We Fixed Our Malfunctioning Kenmore Dishwasher Without Spending a Fortune

Our enemy Murphy (of Murphy’s Law) decided to hover around our house this weekend in the most unwelcoming way. During our regularly scheduled kitchen cleaning, the Kenmore dishwasher decided to act up. It started on Friday when I loaded it up and let it run like normal. All was quiet once it was finished—until it started AGAIN…on its own!

At first, I thought my button-loving toddler had restarted it, but I quickly realized he hadn’t been anywhere near the appliance (insert ghostly music here). I let it run through the cycle, and all seemed fine—until it started itself AGAIN.

Now I was ticked. I like clean dishes, but I also like a low water bill! I pushed the button to stop it, but it didn’t stop. Then all the buttons lit up, then went off, then lit up again…you get the idea. Something was clearly wrong. Suddenly, we had a blinking light, nothing was working, and I had a load full of wet dishes. Grrrr….

The Appliance Curse in Our House

Side note: Apparently, our house is cursed with malfunctioning appliances. In the five years since moving into this brand-new house, we’ve had issues with the washing machine, air conditioners (all three units!), dishwasher, ice maker, and refrigerator. Don’t even get me started on the leaking toilets and ruined hardwood floors.

The Search for Answers

Back to the dishwasher… We managed to get one or two loads done throughout our hectic weekend, but eventually, one of the buttons wouldn’t stop blinking, and the dishwasher refused to start.

First, we hunted for the manual (found every other manual except the one we needed). Next, we looked online (also useless). Finally, I typed into Google, “Kenmore dishwasher quick wash light blinking,” and scrolled through a bunch of sites until I stumbled on AskMeHelpDesk.com. Someone had the exact same problem—different model but same blinking light issue.

The DIY Fix

The solution? Find the two small manufacturer holes on the front panel and blow air into them. Yup, that’s it. The instructions mentioned using compressed air, but we didn’t have any, so we just blew into each hole ourselves.

And you won’t believe it—it worked! My husband reassembled the inside panel, closed the door, and the blinking lights were gone. He loaded up the dishwasher, hit start, and it ran like normal!

Take That, Murphy!

Murphy is such a jerk, but he didn’t win this time. What could have been an expensive repair ended up being a quick, free fix with nothing more than a little breath. Bwahahaha!

Do you have a Murphy story where you kicked him to the curb? Share it below—I’d love to hear it!

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