Dishwasher not drying dishes: causes and safe checks

Usually simple

Quick answer

Wet dishes are often a loading or rinse-aid issue rather than a fault. Leave space between items, use rinse aid even with all-in-one tablets, and pick a more intensive drying programme if your model has one. Plastics stay wet because they don’t hold heat. If the water doesn’t heat at all, book an engineer.

Also covers: dishes wet after dishwasher · dishwasher not drying plastics.

This can be normal

Bosch notes that plastic items don’t dry well in any dishwasher because the material doesn’t retain heat.

Likely causes

What you can safely check yourself

Stop and call a qualified engineer if:
  • It still doesn’t heat after the checks. Heating faults need an engineer.
  • The code or problem comes back after you’ve done the safe checks on this page.
  • The next step would mean removing a cover or panel, or working on the pump, valves, heater, motor, door lock or wiring. That is a job for a qualified engineer.

Work through these in order. Stop as soon as one of the signs above applies.

Check the loading

  1. Make sure nothing stops the spray arms turning or blocks the detergent compartment lid.
  2. Leave space between items so water and heat reach every surface.
  3. Put heavily soiled pans in the lower basket, and cups and glasses in the upper basket.
  4. Scrape food off plates before loading.

Top up dishwasher salt and rinse aid

  1. If the salt indicator is on, fill the salt reservoir in the base of the tub with dishwasher salt and screw the cap back on firmly.
  2. Fill the rinse aid dispenser. Manufacturers recommend rinse aid even if your tablets contain it.
  3. Set the water hardness on the dishwasher to match your local water. Your manual explains how.

Never use table salt, sea salt or cooking salt in the reservoir.

Showing an error code?

These codes are related to this problem. Codes differ by brand, so pick yours:

Related problems

Brand guides: Bosch, Samsung. More dishwasher problems and codes, or use the fault finder.

Sources

Last checked against these sources: .

We write every page in our own words from manufacturer guidance and check it against the sources above. If your manual says something different, follow your manual. How we check.