
Why plastic items in a dishwasher take longer to dry than metal,glass or ceramic - bookofjoe
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/science/plastics-dishwasher.html?mabReward=CBMG1&recid=11IEV7gX8LH4kcBab24hP2V8nTh&recp=4&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEngine
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mkempe
I pop open the dishwasher as soon as it's "done" and take plastic items out so
they can air-dry in the regular drying rack next to the sink. This robot
doesn't actually have a drying cycle; just circulating air and venting should
be sufficient, no heating element needed.

Found a good explanation here: [http://dishwashers.reviewed.com/features/why-
doesnt-my-dishw...](http://dishwashers.reviewed.com/features/why-doesnt-my-
dishwasher-dry-dishes)

~~~
joncrane
I wish there was some way to vent the hot, humid air to the outside in the
summer (like a dryer duct) and open the door in the winter.

For my dryer, I have a valve that redirects the hot, humid exhaust back into
the house during winter.

I love opening the dishwasher and that "whoosh" of steam coming off the racks
in the winter.

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royjacobs
Even though it's not needed when you have all-in-one tablets, filling the
rinse aid compartment does wonders for drying. It's a tip I picked up
recently, and it really improves the drying of plastics and things like wine
glasses.

~~~
MrFoof
Yep. This is because rinse aid contain surfactants that lower the surface
tension of the water. The point is so instead of forming droplets, the water
tends to sheet off.

Another thing that helps is getting a dishwasher with a stainless steel
interior. The interior then retains a higher temperature which aids the drying
process (more complete dry, and faster dry).

Last, as mentioned in the article, is to ditch the plastic where possible. For
storage containers, switch to glass (preferably stackable ones) so the
nuisance no longer remains. As someone else mentioned, for any plastic that
remains, get thicker pieces that are designed without ridges, divots or
depressions that can trap water inside them.

\-----

I got a Bosch Benchmark series dishwasher and had it installed in my apartment
when I moved, since I knew the one already installed was going to be a huge
disappointment. Additionally it uses a filter instead of a disposal, so it
runs nearly silent, which is good when you work out of your living room. No
issue save for the plastics, which I replaced with glassware. Never a drop on
anything anymore, even without using the hidden heating element the Bosch has
(a step-up feature in the Benchmark Series). Worth every cent for the 15 years
I'll likely use it before replacing it.

~~~
hammock
The surfactants are also xenoestrogens and probably not good for you..

~~~
milesvp
Also disgusting. I tried a rinse aid on a new washer without a heating
element, and instead of simply covered in water they were now also slick to
the touch. They also stank with a headache inducing chemical smell. I'd end up
having to hand rinse them.

In the end I figured out I needed to move my dishwasher a half inch forward to
make steam ventilation easier. I also try to remember to prop open the door
when the cycle's over to vent even more steam to get top shelf plastic items
dryer than my previous dishwasher with a heating element.

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Scoundreller
Buried deep in the comments from a Wirecutter review:

Before turning on your dishwasher, run your kitchen sink's hot water until its
hot.

Obviously lots of pros and cons, but for me, it's a great tip.

Cons: Takes time. May be completely unnecessary

Pros: Hot water is "free" for me, electricity is not. Cleaner dishes. Shorter
wash cycles.

~~~
cup-of-tea
What? Does your dishwasher have a hot water feed?

~~~
jws
In the United States, dishwashers are typically hooked to the hot water line.
It is common that our water is heated with natural gas, which is significantly
cheaper than the electric heater in the dish washer.

As dishwashers reduced their water consumption, (old ones might be 12 gallons,
new ones are about 4 gallons), the amount of fill water which is "cold, before
the water gets hot" increases. A dishwasher probably adds water at least
twice, so that is two cold flushes in that 4 gallons.

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muxator
tl;dr:

\- plastic is less dense than ceramic or steel, and thus when brought to a
certain temperature it holds less heath. This is true even if plastic's
specific heath (kJ/Kg K) is higher.

\- plastic is hydrophobic, so water does not spread over the surface as a thin
film, but collects in larger drops. These drops have a lower surface/volume
ratio, and so take longer to evaporate

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truculation
Manufacturers can also help by modifying pan lids, handles and some utensils
so than water drains off or out of them more easily.

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rabboRubble
.... or you can just toss the still-wet plastic in a drying rack and forget
the entire problem?

Interesting, but not really a problem that needs solving in daily life.

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devgutt
Is there any way to hide links from walled garden news site like nytimes and
others from HN list? It's kind of spam if you think about, because I can't
read without paying.

~~~
melling
The NYT has a 10 free articles a month.

If the article is good, the discussion on HN can be worth reading. In fact, it
can be more valuable than the story.

~~~
5555624
Delete their cookies and there's no limit.

~~~
pwg
You can even automate deleting their cookies on Firefox (at least) with the
"Cookie AutoDelete" extension:

[https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookie-
autode...](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cookie-autodelete)

