If you’ve had a Bosch or Kenmore dishwasher, or know someone who has, you may have said or heard that it doesn’t dry dishes properly. When lots of people say a machine doesn’t work properly, the cause usually comes down to one of two possibilities: the machine doesn’t work properly, or the machine isn’t being used properly. While it’s not impossible for the machine to work incorrectly, we always want to eliminate the human factor. And, in this case, it’s almost always the human factor. If you are using a new dishwasher, it may work for years without showing a fault.
American dishwashers use a heating element to blast dishes with heat when the rinse is over. The dishes get hot, and the water radiates away as steam.
European dishwashers don’t work this way. For a European dishwasher like a Bosch to dry properly, there are three important things that must be done.
If your Bosch Dishwasher not Drying then follow below solutions
1: ALWAYS use rinse-aid, like Finish Jet-Dry or similar products. Rinse-aids decrease the surface tension of water to allow for effective sheeting and reduced spotting. If your detergent has a rinse-aid built into it, like Finish Powerball tablets or Cascade Platinum Pacs, there is no need for a separate rinse-aid to be used.
2: ALWAYS use the Auto Wash cycle. This cycle tends to be longer than the time-based cycles, which will keep the dishes hotter for longer.
3: ALWAYS use the Sanitizing Rinse option. This will spray the dishes with an extra-hot batch of water at the end of the rinse cycle to leave the dishes as hot as possible for drying.
Why do we have to always – ALWAYS – do these things? It has to do with how these dishwashers dry the dishes. The heating element isn’t exposed like it is on an American dishwasher. Instead, the element is below the floor of the tub, where the water is heated. This means the element can’t be used to heat the dishes to dry them. So, how do they dry? Condensation.
After the three “ALWAYS” steps are followed, the tub will cool before the contents. The water on the hot dishes will radiate to the cooler walls where it will condense and drain out of the dishwasher. Without using all three “ALWAYS” steps, the water won’t leave the dishes as easily, or they won’t be hot enough to allow for the water to radiate off the dishes. When the three “ALWAYS” steps are done regularly, there is no issue with drying in a Bosch dishwasher. On my honor, I promise! 🙂
In the extremely rare case, you’re following these basic steps but continue to have drying issues with your Bosch dishwasher, I recommend having a technician examine your dishwasher. But, definitely make sure these three “ALWAYS” steps are being done first. It’s much easier to use it properly (and MUCH cheaper) than to have someone come out to say the same thing.
4: ALWAYS keep the dishwasher-less crowded. Your Bosch dishwasher doesn’t completely dry your dishes because you add too many dishes inside the dishwasher. The hot air needs enough room to flow effectively and make each dish dry. But having too many cups, plates, cutleries, and other dishes inside the dishwasher doesn’t allow the hot air to reach every dish item properly. Therefore, it is recommended not to add too many items on both the top and bottom brackets of the dishwasher.
5: ALWAYS start unloading the dishwasher from the bottom rack. When you take off your dishes from the top rack first, any remaining waterfalls from the top dishes to the bottom. This makes your bottom dishes wet. Therefore, starting from the bottom rack is advisable so that all your dishes can stay dry.
After the five “always” steps are followed
Without using all five “always” steps
When the five “always” steps are done regularly
But, definitely make sure these five “always” steps.
All right, the above things are related to operational and usage patterns. What to do if your dishwasher isn’t drying even after doing everything in the right way and exactly as discussed above and recommended by Bosch. This calls for a component checkup.
The drying system in your Bosch dishwasher is made of tiny components that may go bad for several reasons. A power short circuit or fluctuation or an old machine can be the reason behind your Bosch dishwasher not drying properly.
More Bosch dishwasher errors and their solutions:
Let’s check all the other reasons that may hamper the drying process.
Power Issues
Your dishwasher will not run/dry properly if the power fluctuates or the dishwasher is losing power during a cycle. A bad cable or a bad wall socket can be the reasons behind your dishwasher not working properly.
Remove the power plug and inspect the socket and the power cable to check if this is the issue. Check for any damages, blackening, or burning smells. Check the socket by running any other appliance on it like your phone’s charger. It will indicate whether there is any power loss occurring or not.
Also, check the circuit breaker and fuse. A damaged fuse usually has broken wires, or it has gone black.
Dishwasher Heating Element Issues
Older Bosch dishwashers come with a heating element that is responsible for drying the dishes and heating water for washing. Power off your dishwasher and pull out the bottom rack to check if the heating element has gone bad.
The heating element is located at the bottom of the dishwasher. You will be able to access the heating element after removing the bottom rack. Inspect it; a burned-out heating element has white or black spots on it, and it may give a burning smell if it was recently burned. Contact Bosch and arrange for replacement parts.
Please note that only older Bosch dishwashers have a heating element. The latest models come with a condensation drying process. You don’t have to inspect the heating element if you recently bought a Bosch dishwasher that is not drying properly.
Dishwasher Drying Fan & Thermostat
The other components to check are the drying fan and thermostat.
The drying fan moves air around dishes to speed up the drying process. If the fan isn’t working properly, the dishwasher will fail to dry the dishes. You will need to examine the fan to ensure that it is working properly.
Unplug the dishwasher and remove the main housing. Move the fan with your hands to ensure that it is spinning freely. Inspect the blades to see if they are broken, tilted, or damaged. Replace the fan with a compatible one. Don’t try repairing it, as a repaired dishwasher fan doesn’t work too long, and you’ll have to go through all the hassle all over.
The drying thermostat in your Bosch dishwasher is responsible for setting the drying temperature. Your dishwasher will not fail to dry dishes if the thermostat is not working properly. The best solution is to replace the thermostat rather than fix it.
Faulty Condensation Vent
The Latest Bosch dishwashers come with condensation drying technology. This technology uses vents to condense the water vapors and then remove them. The condensation vent can stop working, and the drying process may be affected.
If you have a dishwasher with condensation drying, you should contact Bosch customer service.
Defective Control Board
The control board on your dishwasher is the brain behind the machine’s working. If this goes bad, your dishwasher can stop working altogether or disturb some functions.
Control boards are often misdiagnosed. Hence, you must check other components before moving to complex repair/replacements like control boards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which drying technology the Bosch dishwasher uses?
PureDry is the condensation drying process used by all dishwashers from Bosch. It is a closed drying system that is energy efficient and gives great cleaning and drying results.
Why my plastic items remain wet in the Bosch Dishwasher?
The problem with plastic is that it fails to retain heat, and that’s why you see your plastic dishes wet in the Bosch dishwasher. Here, the extra dry function of the dishwasher comes in handy. It makes the plastic utensils dry. Also, never put the plastic dishes on the top bracket; instead, put them on the bottom rack to avoid any damage.
What is the correct way of loading dishes into the dishwasher?
The size of the dishes matters a lot when loading them into the dishwasher. Make sure to put small plates, cups, and dishes on the top rack and large items such as bowls, pans, and pots on the bottom rack.
Also, when loading dishes, make sure there is no food left in any of the dishes. There is no need to pre-rinse them. All you need is to remove the remains.
Does the Bosch dishwasher offer hygienic washing and drying?
Yes, the Bosch dishwasher has a Hygiene Plus option. It means you can also put those things in the dishwasher that require a hygienic wash. The water temperature goes above 75 degrees at the end of the washing cycle for 10 minutes, killing the germs and bacteria.
Is it necessary to clean the filter regularly?
Yes, it is necessary to check and clean the filter of your Bosch dishwasher on a regular basis. This will help you achieve the desired results.
I have done all those things yet it still has not even once dries my dishes.
In case nothing is working for you, check the user manual. If that doesn’t reap any fruits, contact Bosch customer service.
Thanks so much for the thorough explanation. That is very helpful for folks like me who feel the need to understand how and why the dishwasher does what it does.
Would not buy again. Makes work instead of saving time which is the whole object of having a dishwasher!
Sorry to hear about your ordeal. We recommend that you contact Bosch customer service to sort out the problem.
Dishwasher does not dry no matter what you do, ironically I have had Bosch in the past and it use to vent from front lower panel and it did dry. Newer model do not
Many brands have drying problems. If you have tried fixing your machine and it is still creating issues, contact Bosch. They will help you out.
I have owned my Bosch dishwasher for about 6 months. It is the most awful dishwasher I have ever owned. I have a long list of things I so dislike about this machine. It is extremely hard to load. The bottom rack is not set up to accommodate much other than plates. Good heavens! I can get a pot or two in the remaining space but that is about it. The rack for glasses isn’t great either. I have normal sized drinking glasses and can’t get in a day’s worth of them. If I could get my money back towards a different brand of dishwasher I would do it in a second. I hate how it doesn’t dry-altho I have read now why, it doesn’t clean like my other dishwashers, I can barely get much into it as bad rack design, it stinks and I can’t get rid of the odor. I could go on-so is there anything you can do for me??? I won’t recommend this brand ever, as there are other machines that will do so much better for a much better price. My favorites are Maytag and KitchenAid, in case you might wonder. I am also am a professional food person-college degree, so not stupid. Except to buy this machine.
I hate my new Bosch dishwasher o can’t believe it’s is so o much more work having yo dry my dishes. I’m a natural person who does not want to use a rinse aid on my dishes. So disappointed wish I kept my ok’d dishwasher.
I have a Bosch and I do like it, though it took some getting used to. I don’t feel like my dishes are any less dry than they were with my old dishwasher with the heated drying cycle. It might be a model thing, but my bottom rack has tines that fold down to allow different size pots, etc. I use a high-end detergent containing rinse aid plus extra rinse aid, and have found that just the detergent containing rinse aid alone was not enough. For Lisa P., I successfully used the Seventh Generation rinse aid. Some things that help me is if I know I need to do another load right away, I open the door right as soon as it finishes, that seems to speed up the drying. If I have plastics in there and I’m not in a hurry, I do open the door at some point and let it air out. In terms of the smell, I’ve noticed this too and it has helped me to either run it right after putting the dishes in or if it’s going to sit a few days with dirty dishes in it that get put in when wet/damp, I keep it cracked open to prevent mold growing. My old dishwasher didn’t have this problem, so I assume it has to do with the insulation for quiet running (my old dishwasher was cheap and loud). I run one of the dishwasher cleaning bottles through it every 6 months or so.
Overall, I’m happy with the purchase, but I did go into it with my eyes open about the drying differences. I find that the much higher quality of the cleaning for me outweighs the drying issue.
Newer model does not dry the dishes at all. The older models did and dish not require the rinse aid put into them to work properly. The quality of this machine has truly diminished in my opinion and I have always recommended it….no more. Address this issue with a redesign back to the old style where it actually dried the dishes, then we’ll see.
Hello. Recently purchased a Bosch dishwasher. I found myself drying my dishes this morning. I thought the dishwasher was supposed to do that. I will try your five “always” steps and hope that works. If not I will be greatly disappointed. Time will tell.