Air drying your dishes is becoming more and more common these days as dishwashers often don’t do a great job of completely drying dishes. And drying racks are becoming more and more common as stylish kitchen decorations.
In the following article, we’re going to cover the full topic of air drying your dishes, why it’s important, and what you need to know.
But first, let’s start by answering the question of should you air dry your dishes and why.
Should I Air Dry My Dishes
Air drying your dishes is one of the better ways to ensure your dishes will be both dry and clean. If you want to air dry your dishes and you have a drying rack, then go for it.
While drying your dishes may sound like a simple task and you’re wondering why anyone would even ask, there’s actually a few important things to know.
Some ways of drying dishes are more likely to harbor bacteria. And other ways can be more effective at fully sanitizing dirty dishes. After all, just because a dish looks clean doesn’t mean it’s actually free of bacteria and other germs.
We’ve written about ways to limit the growth of bacteria before and the number one way to do that is to avoid water. Water always leads to bacteria eventually.
Let’s talk about a few other ways to dry your dishes.
Best Ways to Dry Dishes
There is never one way to do everything. In fact, for any task there’s probably at least a few different ways to get it done. And drying your dishes is no different. So let’s go over the different options now.
Here are the best way to dry your dishes in order:
- Dishwasher with sanitizing option (if available)
- Air drying
- Hand drying with paper towels
- Hand drying with reusable towel
Let’s talk about our preferred way to dry dishes first.
Should I Air Dry My Dishes in Dishwasher?
The first and most effective way to dry your dishes is using your dishwasher. This is the preferred way because dishwashers use high heat and sometimes even a fully sanitizing option to clean dishes of bacteria.
After all, the main purpose of washing your dishes isn’t getting them to look clean, but you actually want to rid them of bacteria and other germs.
High heat for a sustained period of time is a great way of doing that.
Should I Air Dry or Hand Dry My Dishes?
If you don’t have a dishwasher, most people think the second option is usually a toss up between air drying and hand drying your dishes. It usually comes down to, “do I have time to let them air dry or should I dry them with a towel now?”
The answer is that you should always air dry your dishes and never hand dry them with a reusable towel if possible.
The reason being that hand drying your dishes is normally done with a kitchen towel. And that kitchen towel is used over and over again. That means that germs and bacteria can build up and live on that towel, even if it looks clean.
Then when you take that towel and dry your dishes, you’re actually spreading those germs and bacteria all over your newly clean dish.
Gross, right?
But is air drying your dishes unsanitary? This is a common question so let’s answer that now.
Is Air Drying Dishes Unsanitary?
This is a great question and one that is often asked. But no need to worry about air drying your dishes since it’s one of the most sanitary options.
No, air drying your dishes is not unsanitary in and of itself, but you should always keep your drying rack clean to avoid mold buildup.
However, there are a few things you should know to make it as clean a process as possible.
First, make sure your drying rack is cleaned often. There is no problem with air drying your dishes, but if your drying rack is dirty or often wet, that can lead to mold and that mold will just walk on right over to your dishes.
As a result, it’s best to clean your drying rack often and ensure it’s dry after each set of air drying dishes.
And the next thing you’ll want to do is avoid having those dishes stacked on top of each other. Let’s talk about that now.
Can Air Drying Dishes Sit on Top of Each Other?
No, air drying dishes should not sit on top of each other. When they do, the water can get trapped and cause mold or other bacteria to multiply and thrive.
Make sure your dishes can get enough air to fully dry without having any trapped water that can lead to mold or bacteria.
This is why you should always have your dishes lay vertical in your drying rack so the water can fall down. Any cups or bowls should be upside down to avoid having that water sit in the area. You don’t want any water to remain on the dishes.
That standing water can lead to bacteria, which can ultimately make your dishes smell bad and leads us right into our next section.
Why Do My Air Dry Dishes Have a Bad Smell?
If your air drying dishes smell bad, then there’s a few things that are likely causing that. Here is what you can do to avoid bad smelling dishes.
Clean Your Drying Rack
It’s not very often that the drying rack gets cleaned. After all, most people just think it sits there and doesn’t get dirty. While that is true, the water that falls off the dishes can accumulate or seep into the drying rack and cause a bad smell.
That smell permeates to your clean dishes that are sitting there just trying to get dry.
As a result, you should clean your drying rack at least once a week if you are using it regularly. If you don’t use it regularly, you can clean it once every 2 weeks, but never go more than a month without cleaning.
Also, try to avoid your drying rack sitting wet for extended periods of time. Any water buildup will eventually start to smell and transfer over to your clean dishes.
Avoid Water Build up in the Drying Dishes
The second way to avoid bad smells is to avoid any water build up in the drying dishes. As mentioned earlier, if you have a bowl or cup and there’s water sitting in it, you’re going to have a bad smell.
That water will start to collect bacteria and germs from the air and seep into the dishes. That bacteria is what causes the bad smell.
As a result, it’s best to flip over all your cups, bowls, plates, refillable Keurig cups, and more to ensure the water completely falls out of any reservoirs and onto the drying rack of sink. Don’t let any water sit in the dishes otherwise you might end up with a bad smell.
How Long Does it Take Most Dishes to Air Dry
This is a great question and one that really matters. After all, you don’t want to be waiting days for your dishes to air dry on the counter. Lucky for you, it won’t take that long.
It should take no longer than 8 – 12 hours for most dishes to air dry.
Generally, you’re not going to be waiting days for your dishes to air dry. In fact, you shouldn’t have to wait more than 8 – 12 hours for your dishes to dry, even the most complex shapes or designs.
If you don’t have the patience, a good course of action is to do your dishes at night, let them air dry over night, and then put them away in the morning.
You also don’t want to leave your dishes out on the drying rack for longer than they have to. As soon as they are dry, you will want to put them away so they don’t collect any bacteria or bad smells permeating from the drying rack or sink.
Conclusion
And there you have it! In this article, we covered the best way to air dry your dishes to keep them clean and sanitary. There’s a lot more that goes into air drying dishes than you may have thought, but hopefully this article was helpful in knowing the best practices.
Remember, air drying is a great way to dry your dishes, but if you have the option of a dishwasher with a sanitizing option, you should go with that first.
And always avoid drying your dishes with a kitchen towel. Those are usually covered in bacteria and germs and can just spread around the bacteria. If you must, use single use paper towels to hand dry.
