Why You Should Put a Towel in the Dishwasher
Having a dishwasher is a game changer, even if it’s tiny : it cuts down on both labor and water consumption. Like the air conditioner, the dishwasher is an all-time great invention that tops the list of modern inventions, with the exception of big ones like electricity and plumbing (both of which necessarily predated the dishwasher). However, there is one drawback: most dishwashers are very good at cleaning dishes, but not so good at drying them.
Viral life hack for drying dishes on TikTok
Try this hack from Babs, the TikTok grandma everyone loves. While she’s had her hits and misses , Babs is generally reliable, but this dish-drying maneuver is a real time-saving trick. In this old video (which has since resurfaced and gone viral for a second time), Babs places a terry cloth tea towel in the dishwasher once the dishes are “ready” (that is, after the wash and dry cycle is complete). She lets it sit for five minutes, then opens the washer to reveal truly dry dishes.
Why the hack works for drying dishes
Touching wet dishes feels gross and drying dishes is boring, so this technique is a winner simply because it eliminates both of those steps. After a quick test it was confirmed that it works well, although not as effective as the video suggests. I washed the dishes, draped them and waited, then opened the dishwasher to find… mostly dry dishes. My plates were completely dry, as were most of the other dishes, but there was still some water left on a few bowls and coffee cups.
Why does this work? The towel absorbs the steam that rises in the washing machine after the wash and automatic drying are completed, and prevents it from condensing on the dishes. Of course, a dish towel, no matter how absorbent, is simply not capable of soaking up a puddle of water from a few inches away, so this trick means a lot less drying, which isn’t Babs’ “no drying” promise, but is still a lot better. than drying each dish.
However, after this post was originally published, several of you pointed out that opening the dishwasher to put a towel in may actually be a key component of what makes it work effectively. Opening the door and letting air in for a while is actually a simple, old-fashioned method that is almost too obvious. This may be why we don’t think about doing it (and also why some new models are opening up). automatically at the end of rinsing). Consider simply opening the door once loading is complete, but not unloading immediately. If you want, you can do this by sticking a towel in there first for a double hit.