Don’t Try This Viral Dishwasher Hack — An Appliance Pro Says These Tricks Are So Much Better

If you’ve ever lived without a dishwasher, then you know that it’s the MVP of the kitchen. Who wouldn’t want clean dishes without having to wash them yourself by hand? But anyone who’s used the appliance knows that annoying feeling of opening the dishwasher door, pulling out the top rack, and having mini pools of water on all the cups, glasses, and bowls. 

Luckily, there are plenty of ways to help curb this inconvenience — including a feature that might be hiding in your dishwasher. Here’s how to find out if your dishwasher has this feature — and if it’s safe to use, according to an appliance repair professional.

In many dishwashers, you can tilt your top rack to one side so the angle allows water to run off of dishware. In this Instagram Reel from digital creators Jeff and Liz Richards, at first you can see water pooled at the bottom of mugs on the dishwasher’s top rack. Then a lever on the right side of the rack is pressed, which causes the rack to lock in at a slight angle and helps the water drain off the dishes. Before you know it, you see a top rack filled with clean, water-free dishes.

Naturally, I checked the video’s comments and was surprised by all the chatter. Some people thought it was brilliant and said it worked perfectly for them, but others wondered if changing the top rack, even slightly, could cause damage to the appliance itself. So I did some digging to figure it out. 

Andrei Suprunov, a licensed appliance technician and owner of FixitBay LLC Appliance Repair, says that while this trick won’t break your dishwasher and technically keeps water from pooling on your dishes, it can have its downsides — like affecting how clean your dishes actually get. “The top rack of a dishwasher holds the upper spray arm, and that spray arm has a seat that connects it to the water line coming from the circulation pump on the back wall,” Suprunov says. “When you lift one edge of the rack, you tilt that connecting part, and it might not sit properly against the water line on the back wall.”  

He adds that this could cause the water pressure in the spray arm to drop, which can limit how clean the dishes get on both the top and bottom racks — especially if the spray arm sprays both racks. Remember: Not all dishwashers even have an adjustable top rack, so check your dishwasher manual before trying anything. 

While you can certainly try this hack in your dishwasher, Suprunov says there are other ways to prevent water from collecting on your favorite coffee mug or cereal bowl in the dishwasher, including the following: 

• Tilting your mugs and bowls when loading your dishwasher
• Using a rinse aid
• Turning on a drying cycle
• Cracking the door open after the cycle ends to let excess steam out 

If you want to try this hack, have at it and see if it works — but do so at your own risk. Be aware of how it can affect your dishwasher, and keep an eye on the cleanliness of your dishes. Don’t sacrifice the core functionality of your dishwasher to solve a minor irritation!