I think this depends on the model as we just had to replace our dish washer and we got one without the heating element and it does a better job drying than our previous one with the heating element.

Also they still make both and the models with the heating element aren't hard to find.

> You’re supposed to top them up CONSTANTLY with Jet Dry

THANK YOU, I had no idea why my dish washer seems to go through jetdry like it was water!

What's jet dry? Literally never heard about the term.

For anyone else who was confused - it seems to be a different name for rinse aid.

It is a surfactant (breaks surface tension). I am not an American and I had to Google it a few months ago to figure out what it was. I think it is avaliable here in New Zealand but I have never ever seen anyone use it.

Yeah, it's called rinse aid elsewhere - I'm surprised anyone still uses it, as multitabs have replaced all the separate detergents used(remember having to add salt to your dishwasher?). In fact my dishwasher has a separate setting that you need to enable if you aren't using multitabs, then it will start consuming rinse aid from a separate container. By default it doesn't use any.

> anything plastic is absolutely dripping wet, even after it’s been drying overnight (or rather, actively drying for a couple hours and then just sitting there)

How is that possible? Even when I hand wash plastic items they'll usually dry within a few hours, at worst overnight.

Because the water stays on these items, the inside of the dishwasher stays very humid, and basically none of the moisture can actually dissipate. So unless you leave the dishwasher cracked half-open after its done, all your plastic items end up still wet the next day. And even if you do leave it half-open, without active circulation, it can still take a very long time to dry items.

Our solution: Put away the dry porcelain/glass/stoneware pieces, and let the plastic cups and containers dry in a drying rack.

This is more or less what I do -- I leave the door cracked open for an hour or two, and then put away all the actually dry dishes. Everything else goes into the drying rack for a finishing dry.

The biggest problem with this is some of the not dry items have so much water on them they end up getting everything wet again when you even so much as slide out the dishwasher racks.

But mine is a cheap samsung dishwasher provided by the landlord, so I don't expect it to be terribly effective. Mainly I use the dishwasher when I forgot to do the dishes and need to start cooking and need the sink. It's basically an overflow sink for me.

This is why I will never ever again have another Bosch dishwasher. I don’t care what Consumer Reports says about it being the quietest dishwasher and therefore the best, it doesn’t fucking get the dishes clean and then properly dry.

Never ever again.

I have the exact opposite experience. Got the Bosch Series 6 dishwasher few months ago and it's the best dishwasher I've ever had. Everything is always perfectly clean no matter which program I pick, and if you select "Extra Dry" then everything is actually dry - apparently it's the moisture absorbing zeolite that they are using.

Ahhh, yeah, I do crack the dishwasher open a bit after it's done to let the steam out and get some drier air in there. I -- perhaps incorrectly -- assumed this was a normal thing to do!

Just use white vinegar instead of jetdry. It works as well and is much cheaper.

I've read this is bad for the seals. Use citric acid (the main component of jetdry) dissolved in water instead. Haven't tested this effect but it's plausible, given that acetic acid is itself a solvent and can diffuse into some rubbers.