Why Is My Dishwasher Not Drying Dishes? 5 Fixes to Try First

Your dishwasher is not drying: at the end of the cycle the dishes are still wet, drops cover the plastic and water sits in the bottom of the cups. The first suspect is the rinse aid, either an empty dispenser or a dose set too low. The cycle, the way you load and the filter come next; cold dishes mean the water is no longer heating.

Common symptoms and causes

• Wet dishes, with water drops on plastic items.
• Water left in the dip of cups, bowls and mugs.
• Cold dishes at the end of the cycle: the water may no longer be heating.
• Empty rinse aid dispenser, or a dose set too low.
• Eco or quick cycle, which cuts the heat and the drying time.
• A load that traps water: nested bowls, cups lying flat, items packed tight.
• Plastic, which holds little heat and naturally dries poorly.
• Filter clogged with food residue.

Before you start

Warning: unplug the dishwasher, or switch off its circuit breaker, before opening anything and before reaching the filter or the bottom of the tub. Never work on a machine that is plugged in, and do not take out the heating element (the part that heats the water). In some appliances the capacitors stay charged after unplugging: do not touch them.

Warning: at the end of a cycle, the water and steam that come out of the door are hot. Open the door and stand back.

Warning: opening the appliance can void the warranty, so check when it expires first. Household products such as white vinegar are not recommended: they can damage the machine and put the warranty at risk.

Keep the manual for your model within reach: cycle names and the rinse aid setting differ from one brand to another. Also note the model number and serial number, printed on the data plate on the door frame.

Solution 1: fill and adjust the rinse aid

Rinse aid lowers the surface tension of the water, so drops slide off instead of clinging. You still need it even if your detergent already contains some.

1. Find the rinse aid dispenser in the door, next to the detergent compartment.
2. Look at the control panel: the refill indicator lights up when about two washes are left.
3. Open the dispenser cap.
4. Pour in the rinse aid up to the fill mark.
5. Wipe up any spill, which would make suds during the wash.
6. Close the cap.
7. Check the dosage on the dispenser dial: on a Bosch, it is set to level 2 by default, and the manual lists the other values.
8. After a cycle, look at the dishes: white limescale marks mean you should raise the dose by one notch; rainbow or bluish streaks mean you should lower it.
9. Run another cycle and compare. Whirlpool advises going up one notch at a time and testing again, with a higher setting if your water is hard.

Dishes should come out without drops on the glass and stainless steel, and without streaks.

Good to know: all-in-one tablets and pods release their rinse agent in a different way and do not replace rinse aid. Add rinse aid if your water is hard, and do not swap the tablet for liquid.

Solution 2: pick a cycle that dries better

Eco and quick cycles use less heat and dry for a shorter time. Names and durations depend on the model, and your manual lists them.

1. Avoid the Eco and quick cycles when you want dry dishes.
2. Choose a more intensive drying cycle if your model offers one.
3. Turn on the extra drying option if your machine has one. Its name depends on the brand, so check your manual.
4. For a plastic-heavy load, turn on the PerfectDry option if your Bosch has it.
5. Add the higher-temperature rinse option if your machine offers it: it heats the final rinse more. Its name varies by brand.

At the end of the cycle, the dishes should feel hot and the tub should give off some steam.

Solution 3: load so the water runs off

A cup sitting flat keeps its water. Tilted, it lets it run out.

1. Put large items in the bottom rack: plates, serving bowls, pans.
2. Leave space between items.
3. Stand serving dishes and cutting boards at the side, without blocking the spray arms.
4. Do not nest bowls inside one another.
5. Tilt cups, bowls and mugs so the water runs out.
6. Put plastic items in the top rack, tilted as well.
7. Secure small plastic items with the rack clips.
8. Mix stainless steel and plastic, and alternate the cutlery, handles down. Knives go point down.

The dip of cups and bowls should come out free of water. Plastic may keep a few drops. It holds little heat and naturally dries poorly.

Tip: empty the bottom rack first. Otherwise, water left on the cups above drips onto the dry dishes below.

Good to know: according to our research, not rechecked on the manufacturer’s page, waiting about 30 minutes after the end of the cycle gives the dishes time to finish drying.

Solution 4: clean the filter and maintain the machine

A filter clogged with food residue disrupts the whole cycle. Plan on monthly maintenance.

Warning: unplug the dishwasher or switch off its circuit breaker before touching the filter at the bottom of the tub.

1. Scrape large food scraps off plates before loading them: they clog the filter.
2. Clean the filter every month, following your manual for how to remove it.
3. Run a cycle with a dishwasher cleaner every month to remove mineral deposits.

The filter should be clean, with no greasy film, and the tub free of white marks.

Good to know: the manufacturer pages we consulted do not detail dishwasher salt, descaling or cleaning the spray arms. Follow your model’s manual for these.

Solution 5: dishwasher not heating, run the test

Cold dishes at the end of the cycle point to a heating problem: the heating element or another part of the circuit. Diagnosing it is a repair technician’s job. This test tells you whether to call one.

1. Run a cycle with heated drying.
2. At the end of the cycle, open the door carefully: a warm tub and a little steam show that the machine is heating.
3. If nothing is hot, switch the dishwasher off at the circuit breaker for one minute, then restore power.
4. Run the same cycle again and repeat the test.
5. If the breaker trips, if the water still does not heat or if an error code appears, stop there and write down the exact code.

The tub should be warm at the end of the cycle. If it stays cold, the fix goes through the manufacturer’s service.

If nothing works

Stop trying if the breaker trips, if the water does not heat or if an error code stays on the display. Do not remove the heating element yourself: contact the brand’s customer service or a repair technician.

Have this information ready before you call:

• the model number and serial number, on the data plate on the door frame;
• the cycle you used and the temperature you noticed at the end of it;
• the error code or codes shown.

Contact the brand’s customer service through its website. A filter that needs cleaning shows up on other appliances too: see our guide to a washing machine that won’t drain, and for another device in the house, the one on a Roomba that won’t charge on its dock.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my new dishwasher not drying?

A new dishwasher that does not dry is not necessarily faulty. First check that the rinse aid dispenser is full and its dose is set; on a Bosch, level 2 is the factory setting. Then check the cycle: Eco and quick cycles dry less.

Why do plastic dishes stay wet?

Plastic holds little heat, so it naturally dries poorly. Place it tilted in the top rack, secure small items with the clips and mix it with stainless steel. If your Bosch has the PerfectDry option, turn it on for these loads.

Does rinse aid help with drying?

Yes: it lowers the surface tension of the water, which slides off instead of forming drops. Use it even with all-in-one tablets, which do not replace it. Adjust the dose according to the marks: white, raise it; rainbow, lower it.

How can I tell if the dishwasher’s heating element is dead?

Run a cycle with heated drying and touch the tub at the end: warm with a little steam means the machine is heating. If everything stays cold after one minute off at the circuit breaker, or if an error code appears, call the manufacturer’s service. Do not remove the heating element yourself.