The Tea Towel Hack To Leave Your Dishes Spot-Free Might Be Too Good To Be True

Your dishwasher is supposed to do the majority of the heavy lifting when it comes to cleaning your dishes, so why do you have to rewash or wipe away water stains after some cycles? If you open that fresh steamy machine only to find moisture pooled on your dishware, it might be time to try a simple hack that could help pull off that excess water that leaves behind spots. Instead of grabbing a tea towel to dry everything by hand, take a fresh cloth and open up your dishwasher door, drape it over the top, then push the door back into place. Your towel will help absorb the moisture that escapes for water spot-free dishes!

If your dishes come out spotty, this hack could take a little work off your plate — get it– by enhancing the drying phase. By creating a way for the steam and moisture to escape and absorb, you are helping to pull out all the excess water that will otherwise remain on your dishes and glasses. This hack really is as easy as it gets. Ideally, you want a clean towel to start with, and while the fabric and size don't necessarily matter, a more absorbent material can help absorb and retain more moisture. Make sure to let your dishwasher cycle finish, then open the door a crack and place the towel along the top of the pull-down, so that it's half inside and half outside the door. Leave it for at least five minutes and up to 15.

You can check on your dishes to see how they're drying, and if they need more time, just close the door back up with the towel in place. Opening your dishwasher a crack after a cycle is finished may be common knowledge, but adding the towel to really mitigate excess moisture dripping back onto your items is what makes this really work. To really help this trick, consider loading all of your dishes at an angle to help water flow off and encourage the airflow to do the rest. Having tried the test, much of the water did dissipate, but some cups with deeper indents in the bottoms had a little water after about ten minutes. Overall, the trick seemed to help with excess moisture, and most came out spotless, with the exception of the glass, which needed to be dried a little bit with a towel.

Using products like rinse aids or drying solutions can also keep spots from lingering, and they can be combined with the towel strategy. If you are doing consecutive washes, make sure to swap out for a dry towel after each wash and launder used dishcloths before using them again to ensure any bacteria or mold does not grow. As with any hack, this trick can help, but it is not always foolproof — and it's still worth checking your items when removing them from the dishwasher, using a different cloth to dry any water that may have lingered. 

While this hack can be very helpful, some do recommend checking on your dishwasher and performing regular maintenance, as dishes that don't dry properly can be a sign of an issue. Cracking your door is not detrimental, and when it comes to things you should never do with your dishwasher, leaving it closed 24/7 could be problematic, as it doesn't allow moisture to escape, which could lead to mold. However, excessive water pooling on items could point to a mechanical defect or an older machine with a drying cycle that's beginning to fail.

There are tips and tricks for troubleshooting common dishwasher problems to help ensure it's in good working order, as well as for proper cleaning and performing maintenance when needed. Otherwise, it might be time to replace your unit if your dishes are continually coming out dirty or covered in hard water spots. The towel trick can be a finishing touch, but it's definitely not a catch-all solution to a bigger issue.