Why won’t the dishwasher dry? 5 possible causes

There are a variety of reasons why your dishwasher can leave dishes, glasses, and cutlery wet. It may be a fault, but adding a polishing product is the most common cause.

Possible causes of problems with drying in the dishwasher

1. Dishwasher that does not dry, is it because of the rinse aid?

Rinse aid is important for dishes to dry properly in the dishwasher. This product ensures that the water in the dishes drains away effectively. If you use too little rinse aid, the dishes may remain wet, but if you add too much, streaks may appear on the glassware.

Most dishwashers have a regulator in the rinse aid area that you can use to adjust the amount. While the manufacturer often provides a recommended amount, the actual proper amount may vary.

You have to find the optimal dose of rinse aid by looking at the results you get. There are no drawbacks for using a homemade polish instead of a commercial product; it will be better for the environment.

How to make your own homemade and ecological polish

Ingredients (for 500ml):

300 ml of alcohol at least 40% (vodka and household alcohol are valid) 200 ml of tap water 80 g of citric acid to prevent limescale stains A glass bottle

Elaboration:

Pour all the ingredients into the bottle. The order does not matter.Cover the bottle and shake it vigorously.When the liquid looks smooth and the citric acid has completely dissolved and is no longer recognizable, you can stop shaking.

It’s ready now just put your homemade rinse aid in the appropriate compartment of your dishwasher as usual and use the program you prefer.

2. Using multitabs

Three-in-one dishwasher tablets or multitabs are practical because they They combine the necessary components for dishwashing: detergent, dishwasher salt and rinse aid. So you don’t run the risk of forgetting any of the three components or dosing it incorrectly.

The downside of these dishwasher tablets is that they they often contain very little rinse aid. This causes them to end up seeing drops of water on the dishes that do not disappear when they dry.

Despite being very practical it is better to purchase and use the individual components separately. This will ensure that the correct amount of rinse aid is obtained.

3. Technical defects in the dishwasher

Especially with older devices, it can also happen that the dishwasher no longer dries properly due to a technical defect. For example, a broken heating element may be responsible for the dishwasher not doing its job properly.

If the heating no longer works correctly, the dishwasher does not reach the necessary temperature to dry the dishes completely. In this case, only a technical examination of the heating elements will help you.

In order to measure the temperature of the heater and possibly replace it, the motor and circulation pump must be removed and a multimeter used. Therefore, The help of a specialist is necessary, both to measure and to replace the heater if it is damaged.

Other technical problems for which the dishwasher does not dry they can be the following:

Damaged program switch Control board malfunction Wiring damage

4. Plastic dishes in the dishwasher

Plastic parts do not dry very well in the dishwasher because the material does not retain heat. Water evaporates much worse on plastic than on porcelain. So there are almost always wet spots left on plastic dishes.

You should try to wash plastic dishes by hand. If that’s not possible, a cloth will help you solve the problem. After the wash cycle is complete, place the cloth on the top rack of the dishwasher. In this way the drying cloth will absorb the remaining liquid and shorten the drying time.

5. Dishwasher emptied too soon

After the end of the washing program, the dishes need a certain amount of time to be able to release residual moisture. The best thing you can do, in case the device does not open by itself, is open it and wait half an hour before emptying it. This allows steam to escape and dishes to dry faster.