KitchenAid dishwashers are very handy kitchen appliances that make cleaning up very easy.
While these appliances simplify the tedious job of dishwashing, most users are concerned about their run time because of the common assumption that run times are linked to water and electricity consumption.
So, how long do KitchenAid dishwashers run?
The Run-Time of KitchenAid Dishwashers Explained
Like most modern dishwashers, modern KitchenAid dishwasher models are more energy-efficient than older models.
Due to design changes and the use of newer technology, they use less energy and water.
However, the caveat is that these design changes result in a longer run time.
Depending on the cycle set, KitchenAid dishwashers can take anywhere between 1.5 hours to 4 hours for an entire cycle. Longer run times are also linked to pre-wash, sanitize, and drying cycles.
Let’s now look at some practical ways to shorten the run-time of KitchenAid dishwashers.
8 Practical Ways to Shorten the Run-Time of KitchenAid Dishwashers
A normal wash cycle on a KitchenAid dishwasher takes nearly 2.25 hours.
Meanwhile, a rinse cycle or quick wash cycle takes less than an hour.
So the typical cycle length of a KitchenAid dishwasher will depend on the cycle setting that is enabled.
Here are some practical ways to shave off a few precious minutes and get your dishwashing done a little faster.
1. Skip the Pre-Wash Cycle
KitchenAid dishwashers have a pre-wash cycle option.
When you enable this setting, the appliance soaks the dishes for a few minutes before washing them.
However, soaking isn’t necessary unless the dishes are extremely soiled and need extra elbow grease for thorough cleaning.
You can safely skip this step and easily save six to eight minutes. In this case, directly start with the wash cycle.
Alternatively, if the dishes are dirty, you can quickly pre-rinse them in the sink to get rid of any food residue before loading them into the dishwasher.
2. Skip the Sanitize Cycle
The sanitizing cycle washes dishes at a high temperature to get rid of bacteria and germs.
It helps with cleaning baby bottles and chopping boards or dishes that have been in contact with raw meat.
While the sanitize cycle ensures proper sanitization, it’s not always necessary.
This cycle will add almost 1.5 hours of extra time to a regular dishwasher cycle.
You can skip it unless the load has containers used to feed infants or sick people or any of the utensils held raw meat or other ingredients with a high contamination risk.
3. Choose the Normal Wash Setting for Regular Loads
Most daily washing needs are easily met by the normal wash cycle.
This cycle eliminates all food residues and does a thorough job of cleaning dishes that aren’t extremely soiled.
In the normal KitchenAid dishwasher cycle, water is heated to a temperature of 130°F to 140°F.
It runs for 2.25 hours and has three wash and rinse cycles.
This is usually enough to disinfect the dishes thoroughly.
Use this default setting for cleaning normal loads regularly because it’s optimized and doesn’t take too long.
Recommended Reading: 9 Ways to Last Kitchenaid Dishwashers Longer | 5 Reasons Dishwashers Catch Fire
4. Avoid Drying Cycles
KitchenAid dishwashers come with special settings for drying dishes.
When you run the dishwasher on this setting, it will dry the dishes and save you the trouble of hand-drying them later.
However, enabling a drying cycle with increase the length of the dishwasher cycle drastically.
A typical drying cycle can add a whole extra hour or more to a regular cycle.
If you are looking to save time on your dishwashing, skip the drying setting.
You can air-dry the dishes after the dishwashing process or hand-dry them for similar results.
5. Remove Any Stuck Food Bits Before Loading the Dishwasher
It’s a common practice to choose the default auto-sensor setting on advanced models of KitchenAid dishwashers.
This saves us the trouble of evaluating the load and manually choosing a suitable setting that will deliver clean results.
In this auto-sense setting, the dishwasher uses sensors to determine the load size and default to a suitable cycle.
Now, if the dishes are terribly soiled, the dishwasher will choose a longer setting.
Most often, this happens because you haven’t emptied the dishes properly before loading the dishwasher.
You can save several minutes by simply getting rid of any stuck food bits from the surface of the dishes before loading them in the dishwasher.
Scrape off any stuck food bits and get rid of any bones or sticky food from the surfaces.
This will help the sensor default to a shorter cycle setting.
6. Check the Water Temperature
Normal KitchenAid dishwasher cycles require water at a temperature of 130°F to 140°F for operation.
Additional hot water cycles and sanitize cycles are also available. These operate at even higher temperatures.
If the water isn’t warm enough, the dishwasher waits for a long time to start the washing process.
You can reduce this delay by ensuring that the water entering the dishwasher is already warm.
Run hot water in your sink before starting the dishwasher to give it a head start.
If the dishwasher takes a long time to start filling with water, get your thermostat checked.
You may have to increase the thermostat setting to ensure that water quickly reaches the desired temperature and that the dishwasher can begin functioning without any delay.
7. Clean the Filter Unit
The KitchenAid dishwasher has an efficient filtration system to trap residual food and gunk.
However, it gets clogged over time, which affects its operational quality.
If your KitchenAid dishwasher seems to be running for longer than usual, it’s a good idea to inspect the filters.
Remove the filter from its location and get rid of any debris and sticky waste stuck to it.
You can clean the filter unit with soapy water to remove any build-up efficiently.
Once the filter is clean, it’s once again equipped to trap the residual waste in dishwashing loads.
This will reduce the run time significantly.
We recommend cleaning the filter unit every few weeks or at least once a month to keep the dishwasher operating in top condition.
Interesting Further Reading: How Long Do Bosch Dishwashers Run? | How Long Do Whirlpool Dishwashers Take?
8. Check the Air Vent and Sprinklers for Obstructions
You may also want to inspect the air vent and sprinkler hoses for potential obstructions that can slow down a dishwasher.
Food and debris inside the dishwasher can fall and get trapped in the air vent and block the flow of air.
This will reduce the operational efficiency of the dishwasher and slow it down.
Similarly, the dishwasher can become slow and run longer if food gets trapped in the nozzles of the spraying arms.
These spray nozzles move around the dishes, spraying water from different directions to remove the food waste and for rinsing the dishes.
When they get clogged, the force of water reduces, and it takes longer for dishes to get cleaned.
So check the spray nozzles for trapped food to overcome the problem.
Gently dislodge any such obstructions and rinse them to reverse the problem.
When cleaning the spray nozzles, make sure that you don’t use sharp objects that can make the nozzle misshapen.
