Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?

It turns out getting your crockery and cutlery dry could in actual fact be more difficult for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Plates and glassware have multiple nooks and crannies that may pool water stopping it from evaporating, thus as your machine loses heat water condenses out of the steam.

Different machines also make use of a variety of different approaches to dry your crockery and cutlery. Certain models will employ a heating element to heat up the inside of the machine and assist with evaporation, some heat up the water more near the final rinse, others have a fan, and some have a mix of all three. There are thus a variety of explanations why your machine could not be drying plates fully and a number of things you can do 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 noting whether the drying issue is related to the material rather than the machine.

If your dishwasher isn’t drying properly you can call a dishwasher repair service or first employ this troubleshooting guide to figure out what the problem is and with any luck fix it.

Top Reasons Your Dishwasher Isn’t Drying Dishes

There is nothing more annoying 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 cleaning or drying your plates. If you open your dishwasher to discover wet plates here are a number of places you can look to help you figure out the issue.

Not all dishwashers are created equal and you will find that some makes and models perform to a superior standard compared to others. However, if if your dishwasher has always dried your dishes in the past one of these areas could be the problem.

Have a Look at How Your Dishwasher Has Been Loaded

Sometimes there is nothing actually wrong with the dishwasher. Before assuming the machine is broken you should first check that you haven’t overloaded it or accidentally stacked items one inside the other. Also be aware that plastic items don’t dry as well as metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Rinse aid plays a key role in drying your crockery and cutlery thus, if you have run out of rinse aid or your rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your plates coming out properly dry.

The best thing to do is check the rinse aid dispenser for cracks and check that it’s full.

Have a Look at The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a broken heating coil could be the explanation your machine is not drying plates. If your dishes aren’t hot when they come out of the machine this can mean that the heating coil isn’t working as it should.

To check the heating element first unplug the machine, then find the heating coil, you might need the manual for this, and check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat ensures your machine doesn’t overheat, adjusting the temperature of the water and the drying part of the cycle. Therefore, if it’s not working this can result in your appliance not heating up at all.

If the heating coil seems to be in working order but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat might be the problem. Once again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Fan and Vent

Many machines will make use of a fan and vent to suck moist air from the appliance. If either of these elements are broken then the water vapor will condense on the plates instead preventing them from drying.

You can use your user manual to check if your appliance uses a fan and find its location. Don’t forget to make sure the appliance is unplugged before attempting to make repairs.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that could stop it from functioning correctly. And again testing for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Boost Drying Power

There are a variety of methods you can use to boost your dishwashers effectiveness at drying and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow sufficient space between crockery and cutlery. Overcrowding the appliance limits the circulation of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your dishwasher when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. It might be tempting to stuff everything in but you will get better results if you leave sufficient space so that water and air can circulate freely.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a separate rinse aid to the dishwasher will do no harm. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glassware in particular a streak-free shine but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your dishes helping the water to run off them and consequently making them dry more quickly and evenly.
Open your appliance as soon as the cycle has ended. Some newer models have this as an automatic option, but if yours doesn’t, opening the door when the cycle completes can help allow the water to evaporate thus stopping water condensing on the contents as the machine cools down.
Check if your appliance uses a heat feature and make sure it’s turned on. The higher the temperature the better the drying and you could be able to add more heat at different points in the program.
Think about how you empty your machine. 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 you have checked all the above it may be a good idea to call in an engineer or even buy a new dishwasher.