I tried this TikTok viral dishwasher trend to dry my dishes faster — and I can't believe the results

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Who knew a dish towel could make sure a difference

A door of a dishwasher left cracked open in a kitchen
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

One of the biggest bugbears I have with my dishwasher is when the cycle finishes and I go to remove my dishes, but they're all still wet.

I've always found it incredibly annoying especially when I go to clear away the top rack and find my pots and mugs have water pooled on the top ready to spill everywhere. Move too fast and I usually end up with water on my floor.

According to @drtaniaelliott, there's a simple way to make your dishes dry faster — and all you need is a towel.

She explains: "As soon as you complete the load, take your dish towel and put it halfway inside the dishwasher. Then close it back up."

She then reveals that by doing this, you'll be absorbing the remaining steam from the dishwasher directly into the towel. This then makes your dishes "drier than ever before".

She also adds that this process will reduce the amount of mold inside your dishwasher. And if you're worried about mold, you can use the same hack on your washing machine.

Seeing as Dr. Tania's a board-certified internal medicine specialist and allergist, I felt pretty confident about her advice.

Trying it out

Glasses in dishwasher

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

First things first, I needed to make sure the cycle was done. I used Eco Mode, the overlooked dishwasher setting that lets you slash energy consumption at home, and timed how long it took to complete: around four hours. So, I knew a rough time to return with my towel in hand.

It's a fairly simple hack that meant after my dishwasher popped open, I had to place the towel carefully over the top, making sure a large portion of it was hanging inside ready to absorb the steam, and closed it to work its magic.

Now, Dr. Tania's TikTok didn't tell me how long to leave it, but I did a bit of further research and saw general recommendations of around 20-30 minutes. And after returning to the dishwasher, I was amazed to see that my dishes were bone dry. But, would I add it into my day-to-day routine?

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As I quickly learned with this dishwasher TikTok hack, you're going to need more than one towel to keep in rotation with your dishwasher cycles. So, a four-pack is the perfect solution — and thankfully, it's on sale. It's also great to opt for a 100% cotton terry towel as it's more absorbent and thicker.

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My final verdict

Loading white towels into washing machine

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

I honestly couldn't believe the results considering how easy this hack is. My dishes were dry and, by drying them faster, there wasn't that sometimes unusual smell that comes with dishes that have taken a while to dry.

So, yes, I would try it again. But, there's definitely some reasons I wouldn't do it all the time.

Firstly, I had to make sure I was being vigilant about when my dishwasher had completed its cycle. If I waited too long, the dishes would just dry on their own, albeit over a longer time.

Secondly, once you've used a dish towel, you can't use it again because it'll be wet from the steam. This for me is the main problem with this hack. I'm not sure the sacrifice of a dish towel that then requires washing and replacing is worth the exchange for a dry dish.

But, at the end of the day, it takes out a whole drying step I don't have to do myself. Tupperware is my main nemesis and having to use my dish towel to dry those up can leave it sodden anyway.

So, maybe after all, I would do this step as much as I can. But, if I don't manage to get the towel in at the right time, it's not the end of the world.

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Grace Dean
Grace Dean

Grace is a freelance journalist working across homes, lifestyle, gaming and entertainment. You'll find her writing for Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Space.com, and other sites. If she's not rearranging her furniture, decluttering her home, or relaxing in front of the latest streaming series, she'll be typing fervently about any of her much-loved hobbies and interests. To aid her writing, she loves to head down internet rabbit holes for an unprecedented amount of time.

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