Your dishwasher finishes its cycle. You open the door. Everything is soaking wet. Plastic containers have pools of water on top. Your dishes have been clean for hours but are still dripping. The drying cycle has failed.

How Dishwasher Drying Works (Two Methods)

Heated drying: A heating element at the bottom raises the temperature during the final rinse, causing water to evaporate. Condensation drying: A cold water rinse causes moisture to condense on stainless steel interior walls.

Why Your Dishes Aren't Drying

• Rinse aid empty (most common): Rinse aid breaks water surface tension so water sheets off dishes. Check the rinse aid dispenser.
• Heating element failed: If the element doesn't glow red during the dry cycle, it's dead.
• You opened the door too early: Drying requires the full cycle plus 15-30 minutes of cool-down.

The Free Fix: Use Rinse Aid

Fill the rinse aid dispenser (usually next to the detergent compartment). If you've never used rinse aid, your dishes will never dry properly. Cost: KSh 300-600 per bottle, lasts 2-3 months.

Heating Element Replacement Cost

If rinse aid doesn't help and the element is dead: replacement costs KSh 2,500-5,000 including labor. A new dishwasher costs KSh 25,000+.

"My dishes were always wet. I thought my dishwasher was broken. Repair Ready told me to buy rinse aid for KSh 400. Problem solved instantly." — Michael, Lang'ata

📞 Call 0707 790 099 if rinse aid doesn't solve the drying problem.