Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry could really be more difficult for your machine than getting them clean. Plates and glasses have lots of nooks and crannies that may pool dishwater stopping it from drying out, thus as your machine loses heat water condenses out of the humid air.

Dishwashers also make use of a number of different methods to dry your crockery and cutlery. Some will employ a heating element to heat up the air in the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some warm the water more near the final rinse, some employ a fan, and some have a mix of all of these. There are therefore a variety of reasons why your dishwasher might not be drying plates optimally and a variety of options to improve the situation.

Plastic items are less likely to dry fully than other materials as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth taking note whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If dishes are coming out wet you can call a dishwasher repair service or first utilize this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the issue is and with any luck fix it.

Top Explanations Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Plates

There is nothing more frustrating than a home appliance that isn’t working as it should, whether that’s a smartphone that really isn’t being that smart, a washing machine that’s churning out dirty clothes, or a dishwasher that is either not removing the dirt from or drying your dishes. If you open the dishwasher to wet plates here are a few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out why.

Not all makes and models are created equal and some appliances perform to a better standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how well your machine is working one of these faults may be the cause.

Inspect How Your Machine Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the machine. Before assuming the machine is not working you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Check The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your machine needs rinse aid to properly dry your plates thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is faulty this can stop your dishes coming out properly dry.

The best thing to do is inspect the dispenser for damage and ensure that there is rinse aid inside.

Check The Heating Element

Without enough heat your crockery and cutlery will not dry so a faulty heating element might be the reason your dishwasher is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your dishes don’t feel hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can mean that the heating element is broken.

To check the heating element you will need to disconnect the dishwasher, locate the heating element, you might need the manual to do this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your dishwasher doesn’t get too hot, determining the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. However, if it’s broken this can result in your appliance not heating up at all.

If you check the heating element and do not discover an issue but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat could be at fault. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Check The Fan and Vent

Many dishwashers will use a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the dishwasher. If either of these elements are faulty then the steam will remain in the machine preventing the plates from drying.

You can make use of your user manual to ascertain if your appliance has a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to make sure the machine is unplugged before trying to make repairs.

First look at the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that would prevent it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Ability

There are a number of things you can do to increase your appliances drying ability and ensure you need to get the drying up cloth out as infrequently as possible.

Don’t cram the machine. Overloading the appliance limits the flow of air and water making cleaning and drying your dishes more difficult. Although it’s appealing to try and stuff everything in, you will get better results if you leave enough space so that plates are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even so, adding a separate rinse aid to the appliance will do no harm. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your crockery and cutlery helping the water to run off them and thus making them dry more quickly and evenly.
Open your dishwasher as soon as the program has ended. Some newer dishwashers have this as an automatic option, but many do not, thus, opening the machine at the end of the program can help allow the water to evaporate and prevent water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Check if your machine employs a heat feature and make use of it. Setting a higher heat will mean better drying times and it might be possible to choose which points in the program you add more heat.
Unload the bottom rack first. This is simply because cups and glasses that are upside down on the top shelf often have a concave bottom where water can pool. Emptying the bottom rack first stops you spilling this water onto the dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it might be necessary to call in the professionals or perhaps buy a new machine.