If you have already unloaded a dishwasher and found everything that is dry sparkling, except for this plastic container which always clings to a puddle, well, you are not alone. One of those everyday mysteries feel that it should not be so difficult to solve. But in fact, there is a very real science in the reasons why plastics do not dry as well as your plates and glasses.
Everything comes down to two main things, explained researcher Kamil Zuber in a Post subject to The conversation. These two things are the properties of materials and surface energy.
A key problem is that plastic simply does not keep heat as well as materials such as ceramics or metal. Your dishwasher is based on heat to accelerate evaporation in the drying cycle, but as plastics remain cooler, water on them dwells longer. This is a great reason why plastics do not dry so quickly – even if everything else comes out of the bones.
But there is another factor that helps to explain why plastics do not dry as well, and it is surface energy. Plastics tend to be hydrophobic, which means that they repel water. Instead, water spreads in a thin layer that can easily evaporate, it pearls in droplets. These droplets remained obstinately, while waiting for the moment when a towel.
Ceramics and metals, on the other hand, are generally more hydrophilic. The water spreads over them, forming thin films that evaporate more quickly. This is why your cups and pans are generally dry and ready to accumulate while your Tupperware holds a small indoor pool.
Dish detergents help, in particular during the main washing cycle, because they contain surfactants, which reduces the tension of the surface of the water and helps it to spread more easily. And if you use a Rinse help, you are already taking an additional step towards better drying. Rinse aids make water plastics more effectively by further refining surface tension.
However, no drying method is perfect for plastic. The best tip, says Zuber, is to open the dishwasher door at the end of the cycle. Let this vapor escape help avoid the condensation that covers everything. It does not magic your plastic containers, but it can make a big difference.
So, the next time you look at a soggy cover while your plates are dry like the desert, know that it is not only the drying cycle of your dishwasher. It is a pure and stubborn science. Perhaps one day, they will make plastic which can hold its heat as self-heating fabric. Or, we will abandon everything and brake it Our problem of growing plastic waste once and for all.