It may not be the primary function but drying your crockery and cutlery could in actual fact be harder for your dishwasher than cleaning them. Crockery and cutlery and glassware have multiple crevices that may trap water making it more difficult for it to evaporate, and as your machine loses heat water condenses from the humid air.

Dishwashers also employ a number of different methods to get your plates dry. Certain models will have a heating element to warm the inside of the machine and help the water to evaporate, some warm the water more near the final rinse, others have a fan, and others employ a combination of all three. There are thus a number of reasons why your machine could not be drying plates fully and a variety of options to rectify the situation.

Plastic is more difficult to dry than glass or ceramics as it doesn’t retain heat in the same way which helps with the drying process, so it’s worth noting whether the items that aren’t drying are predominantly plastic items.

If dishes are coming out wet you can hire 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

Few things are more irritating than an appliance that doesn’t work 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 few troubleshooting tips to help you figure out the problem.

Not all appliances are created equal and some makes and models perform to a superior standard compared to others. But if you notice a change in how well your dishwasher is working one of these issues could be the problem.

Have a Look at the Placement of Your Dishes

It might be that there is no fault with the appliance. 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. It’s also worth noting that plastic items are more difficult to dry than metal, glass or ceramics.

Have a Look at The Rinse Aid Dispenser

Your dishwasher needs rinse aid to properly dry your plates thus, if you’ve forgotten to top up or the rinse aid dispenser is broken this can stop your crockery and cutlery coming out properly dry.

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

Inspect The Heating Element

Heat is essential for drying your dishes so a not working heating coil could be the reason your appliance is not drying crockery and cutlery. If your crockery and cutlery aren’t hot to touch at the end of the cycle this can be a good indicator that the heating coil is faulty.

To check the heating element you will need to disconnect the dishwasher, find the heating element, you might need the owners manual for this, then check for continuity using a multimeter.

Inspect the Thermostat

The thermostat prevents your machine overheating, determining the heat of the water and air during drying. However, if it’s broken this can result in your machine not reaching a high enough temperature.

If you check the heating coil and do not uncover an issue but there’s still no heat, then the thermostat may be at fault. Again you can make sure with the help of a multimeter.

Have a Look at The Drying Fan and Vent

Many machines will utilize a drying fan and vent to suck moist air from the machine. If the fan isn’t operating as is should or the vent is blocked then the hot air will condense on the crockery and cutlery instead leaving them wet.

You can use your instruction manual to find out if your machine has a fan and locate it. Again you need to make sure the machine is unplugged before trying to make repairs.

First visually inspect the fan and vent to check if there is anything lodged that could prevent it from functioning as it is supposed to. If there is nothing obvious you can then test for continuity using a multimeter.

Tips to Increase Drying Power

There are a variety of things you can do to improve how well your machine dries your dishes and prevent you needing to dry them by hand as infrequently as possible.

Allow ample space between dishes. Overloading the machine stops the flow of both water and air decreasing the effectiveness of your appliance when it comes to both washing and drying your dishes. Although it’s appealing to try and cram everything in, your dishwasher will be more effective if you leave enough space so that plates are not touching.
Make use of rinse aid. Some dishwasher tablets already have this but even if the brand you use says it does, adding a little extra to the dishwasher won’t hurt. Rinse aid helps reduce spotting and gives your glasses a streak-free finish but it also breaks the bond between water molecules and your dishes helping the water to run off them and therefore making them dry more quickly and evenly.
Open your machine as soon as the cycle has ended. Some new dishwashers have this as an automatic function, but if yours doesn’t, opening the machine at the end of the program can help allow the water to evaporate thus stopping water condensing on the plates as the machine cools down.
Find out if your dishwasher uses a heat feature and use it. The higher the heat the better the drying and it could be possible to choose which points in the cycle you add more heat.
Think about how you empty your dishwasher. This doesn’t affect how effective your dishwasher is, but it does stop water from cups and glasses falling on dishes below.

If you have checked all the above it could be a good idea to call in the professionals or even buy a new machine.

Is Your Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes?