When you open the dishwasher to unload it, do the cups have water puddled on them? And even when you do your best to carefully dump the water out in the dishwasher or sink, the puddle still flings on the other dishes, the floor, or even on you? And even when you’re able to get most of the water off the cup, there are always droplets that leave a ring on the bottom of your cup cabinet?
You are not alone!
Even with the “dry” setting on most dishwashers, there seems to always be water left on top (well, technically the bottom) of cups, glasses, and even plastic containers. Surely one of these days someone will invent a dishwasher that drys all the water. Until then, here’s a little tip to use when unloading your dishwasher.
How to Quickly Remove Puddled Water from Cups and Glasses
Seeing water rings in a kitchen cabinet immediately makes the cabinet look dirty, even when it’s not. So here’s a quick way to remove excess water from cups and prevent water rings on your kitchen cabinets.
Before unloading the dishwasher, pull out a drying mat or dishcloth and place it on the counter between your dishwasher and cup cabinet. As you pull each cup or glass out of the dishwasher, flip it over and run it across the drying mat to remove the excess water, then place in the cabinet.
Simple, right?
You may have thought about doing this before but never took the time to implement. Try it today! It takes about 1 extra second per glass when unloading the dishwasher but it’s well worth the time to eliminate the frustration that comes with wet glasses. Plus, it helps you keep your cabinets in tip-top condition!
How do you deal with puddled water left on your cups and glasses when you unload the dishwasher?
iDreamOfClean
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I do one of two things to get rid of the water puddled in the tops (bottoms) of cups and glasses:
1. When I notice that my dishwasher has entered the drying cycle, I open it, quickly flip the offending items open, close the dishwasher and hit start again to continue the drying. Now everything will be dry and puddle free when the cycle ends
2. If I miss the dry cycle, I dump the water and then leave the dishwasher open for 30 minutes or so and let everything air dry.
Thanks for your tip. I will try it tonight. Those puddles drive me NUTS!
There are two ways I have tackled this problem in the past.
a) load everything that has puddles on the top rack. After the cycle is done, empty the bottom rack, then jiggle the puddly cups and plastic ware a bit. The water drips down on an empty rack.
b) open the dishwasher a couple of minutes before the drying cycle is done. You are greeted by a blast of steam and the puddles on the hot cups and saucers dry themselves off in a couple of minutes when exposed to the open air. If I leave the dishwasher unopened overnight or until the dishwasher is cool, the steam settles in the puddly bits, as condensate.
That steam is a nice way to get a facial too, right? :)
You can also use a dish towel or paper towel and simply wipe it off the top of the dishes.
That’s what I do, Maureen. I thought it was common practice until I was observed doing it that way and two women commented on what a brilliant idea it was. ha
Simple. Great tip!
I always empty the bottom rack first, then lay a dish-towel over everything on top and blot.
Linda
Easy peasy! Love it!
Yup, I do what Linda does.
I have zero clue how people use the “power-saving” option. I really don’t. I hate drying dishes too much!
I’m with ya there!
Ditto on the blotting the drips with a dish towel.
I like the new green titles. :)
:)
Lisa
Why, thank you! The ol’ blog needed a little freshening up :)
I agree, the water left on the top of glasses, mugs, etc. after the dishwasher has completed its cycle is annoying. I like your tip of having a place to temporarily dry the tops by placing them on the cloth! Although we have a water softener, our country water is still quite “hard”, so ANY water marks, left anywhere, dry as a whitish mark!
Thanks for the tip!
useing the drying cycle is a complete waste of non-renewable resources. you are all whining about a little water. i load my dishwasher at night. in the morning i unload it. the dishes are dry except the little puddles. i just take a dish towel and quickly mop off the top of the dishes and put them away. do you not understand why we have had such a mild winter? we are living with the greenhouse effect. if everyone doesn’t start doing there part we are going to be in serious trouble. you don’t use electricity unless it is necessary. the drying cycle on your dishwasher is not. while your at it why don’t you think about putting up a clothesline. look it up. see how much eletricity your clothes drier uses. it will amaze you.
I use a variation of this idea. I have a drying mat on counter; when the dishes come out of the dishwasher, they sit on the drying mat a little while until they finish drying. That way they are completely dry when they go in the cabinet.