Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It may not be the primary function but getting your plates dry might actually be more difficult for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Crockery and cutlery and glasses have lots of crevices that may collect dishwater preventing it from drying out, plus as your appliance cools water droplets form from the steam.

Different machines also utilize a variety of different means to dry your dishes. Some will employ a heating coil to warm the inside of the machine and assist the water to evaporate, some heat up the water further near the final rinse, certain models have a fan, and certain models use a combination of all of these. There are thus a number of explanations why your dishwasher may not be drying plates fully and a number of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it cools down more quickly hindering the drying process, so it’s worth seeing whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher doesn’t seem to be drying effectively you can enlist the help of a dishwasher repair service or first make use of this troubleshooting guide to help you identify and rectify the problem.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

Few things are more annoying than an 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 plates. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates there are a number of places you can look to help you figure out why.

Not all makes and models are created equal and you will find that some appliances perform to a better standard compared to others. But if if your dishwasher has always dried your crockery and cutlery in the past one of these faults may be the cause.

Inspect the Placement of Your Plates

It might be that there is no fault with the dishwasher. Before assuming the dishwasher is broken you should first check that you haven’t overfilled 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.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your plates and so if you have run out of rinse aid or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can result in wet plates at the end of the cycle.

Visually inspect the rinse aid dispenser for cracks and ensure that there is rinse aid inside.

Check The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your crockery and cutlery so a not working heating element may be the reason your dishwasher is not working as it should. If your plates don’t feel hot to touch when they come out of the machine this can indicate that the heating element isn’t working as it should.

To inspect the heating coil first unplug the dishwasher, then locate the heating element, you may need the instruction manual to do this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your machine getting too hot, regulating the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. However, if it’s broken this can mean your machine doesn’t heat up at all.

If you check the heating coil and do not discover an fault but your appliance isn’t getting hot, then the thermostat could be at fault. Again you can test this using a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Fan and Vent

Many appliances will use a drying fan and vent to suck moist air out of the dishwasher. If either of these elements are faulty then the steam will condense on the crockery and cutlery instead preventing them from drying.

You can utilize your instruction manual to ascertain if your machine uses a fan and locate it. Don’t forget to ensure the machine is unplugged before attempting to access the fan.

First look at the fan and vent to check if anything is blocking it that could prevent it from working as it is supposed to. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Ways to Boost Drying Capability

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

Don’t cram the dishwasher. Overcrowding the appliance stops the circulation of air and water decreasing the effectiveness of your dishwasher when it comes to both cleaning and drying your dishes. It might be appealing to cram everything in but your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave sufficient space so that crockery and cutlery are not touching.
Employ rinse aid. Some detergents already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the appliance won’t hurt. Rinse aid works by breaking the bond between water molecules and your plates, helping water run off quickly, speeding up drying time and giving a spot and streak free finish.
Open the door at the end of the cycle. Some new machines have this as an automatic option, but many do not, thus, opening the dishwasher when the program finishes allows warm air to evaporate thus preventing water droplets forming as the dishwasher cools down.
Have a look to see if your appliance uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the heat the better the drying and you might be able to add more heat at different points in the cycle.
Empty the bottom rack first. This doesn’t affect how effective your machine is, but it prevent and water spilling that has collected in the concave bottoms of cups and glasses.

If this trouble shooting guide hasn’t worked it could be time to phone an engineer or even buy a new dishwasher.