Skip Navigation

How Long Dishwashers Run

How Long Dishwashers Run

Is your dishwasher running longer than usual? It could be one of these common reasons.

Dishwashers help a household save time and energy in keeping the dishes clean and sanitized. Using the dishwasher has notable benefits over handwashing them, such as deep sanitization. One must not underestimate the power of a dishwasher’s cleaning cycle. However, sometimes it may seem like the dishwasher cycle is longer than it should be. Is something wrong with your appliance? Here’s how long dishwashers run normally.

How Long Dishwashers Run

Dishwashers can run anywhere between one and half hours and four hours. It mainly depends on what cycle you are using. One should refer to the dishwasher’s manual to see how long each cycle should last as well as when to use each cycle. Your dishwasher manual is the best place to go to get exact information on your particular model.

Old vs. New

Perhaps you’ve noticed that the new dishwashers run a lot slower than the older ones you used to have. Is that a downside of the new appliance, or is there something wrong with it? Not at all. Overall, new dishwashers use less water and power than older models, allowing you to save. They adhere to stricter federal guidelines as well, so no model you buy will be less energy-efficient than what you had before. 

Because newer dishwashers use less water and energy, it means that they need to run longer in order to achieve a thorough cleaning of your dishware. Even so, the dishwasher cycles will still likely last somewhere between the average 1.5 to 4 hours.

Other Reasons It Might Take Longer

The dishwasher might seem to run far longer than normal during its first cycle. It may be that the dishwasher is calibrating its sensors for the first time, a process you don’t want to interrupt. Especially during its first run, you will just want to relax and let it run its course.

If you’ve used yours for a while and it seems to suddenly run a lot longer than usual, it could be that your dishes are a lot dirtier than usual. If you remember putting in a load of heavily soiled cups, plates, etc., the machine might have defaulted to a longer cycle.

Moreover, using hard water could cause dishwashers to run longer, as deposit buildup could mess with the sensors. One should use a dishwasher cleaning tablet every month to eliminate this problem.

Contact Landers Appliance Today!



Contact Us


Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM

Saturday 8:30 AM - 1 PM

Sunday Closed

Delivery Area

Baltimore County, Baltimore City,
Harford County, Howard County,
Anne Arundel County, Carroll County