Dishwasher tea towel trick gets glasses bone dry and sparkling after cycle

24 February 2024 , 11:00

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Tea towel hack saves time on drying dishwasher load (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images)

You will never have streaks on your glasses again with this hack.

In many respects, dishwashers are one of the kitchen appliances with the biggest impact - freeing up huge amounts of time for those who are lucky enough to have one that would otherwise be spent up to their elbows in hot washing up water.

However, despite how useful it is to have one in your home, the machines still aren't perfect, and almost everyone who owns one knows the frustration of opening it up after a cycle has finished only to see that some of the dishes aren't quite clean, that your glassware has dried with unsightly streaks on it, or hasn't dried properly at all - which is where this useful hack comes in.

The trick requires only one of the most common household items around: the humble tea towel. Now, this does not mean that you need to dry each item inside the dishwasher separately, instead, you can make the best use of your tea towel without using any elbow grease at all, the Daily Record reports.

The expert, Eleanor Potter, head of strategic sourcing at Plumbworld, explained that if you are fed up with opening your dishwasher only to find that everything inside isn't dry yet, "there is a very simple step you can take to conquer this minor issue. Take a tea towel, open the dishwasher, and slide it down, with one end sticking out.

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"Then close the door leaving the tea towel hanging inside. Because dishwashers clean at high temperatures it is the residual steam that forms moisture as it cools down.

"But a tea towel placed inside, even for 10 minutes, will ensure this steam is absorbed and your crockery is dry, so it can be placed straight back into the cupboard."

However, the expert notes that when you try this method out for yourself, "there is one word of warning". She explained: "Because you are opening the door and exposing the seal while the load is still hot, it could encourage a few nasties to form in there.

"This is straightforward to sort out with an old toothbrush and some soapy water. Give it a quick blast once a week to keep it clean and looking good."

To keep your dishwasher in the best condition, you should be cleaning it every three months - according to Finish - and there are dedicated products you should use inside your machine for this purpose, running a cycle that is empty except for the detergent and on a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius.

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Emma Mackenzie