December 01, 2025

Notify me when the dishwasher is done

Get alerted when dishes are clean and ready to be put away. This clever temperature-based method detects the heat from the drying cycle.

Use cases

Efficiency

Prompt Dish Removal - Empty dishwasher right when cycle ends
Kitchen Cleanup - Know when you can run another load
Track Dish Status - Dashboard showing clean/dirty

Convenience

Prevent Dishes Sitting - Don't let clean dishes sit too long
Multi-Tasking - Get alerted while doing other things

Products needed

Essential Equipment - Option 1: Temperature Sensor (Clever!)

Multi-Purpose Sensor or Temperature Sensor

Popular brands: Aeotec, SmartThings, Zigbee multi-sensors
Temperature detection • Contact/tilt sensor • Mount on side or top of dishwasher door
Detects heat from drying cycle - very clever and reliable!

Essential Equipment - Option 2: Power Monitoring (Traditional)

Power Metering Smart Plug

15A rated minimum • Plug dishwasher into smart plug
Use same technique as washer automation

Optional Enhancements

Dashboard Tile

Showing clean/dirty status

Smart Light

In kitchen for visual alert

Voice Announcement

Via smart speaker when dishes are clean

Automation setup - Temperature method

IF temperature > 90°F AND door closed for 60 minutes AND dishwasher running THEN send notification "Dishwasher done!" AND set dishwasher_clean to true

💡 Sensor Placement & Temperature Patterns

Mounting: On side or top of dishwasher door. Position to detect heat from drying cycle vent. May require experimentation to find best spot (usually near top of door or side vent).
Contact Sensor: Register as "tilt sensor" or "garage door sensor" so it only triggers "open" when door is fully horizontal (open), not just cracked.
Temperature Pattern: Normal: 68-75°F (room temp) • Drying cycle: 90-120°F • After cycle: Gradually cools over 30-60 minutes

Automation: Detect Dishwasher Done

Triggers

Temperature rises above 90°F (32°C)

Conditions

Contact/tilt sensor has been closed for 60 minutes (ensures it's the drying cycle, not just running/wash cycle)
Dishwasher in use (based on time of day or manual indicator)

Actions

Send notification: "Dishwasher is done!"
Turn on dashboard tile showing "clean"
Optional: Flash kitchen light

Auto-Reset: Door Opens

Triggers

Contact/tilt sensor opens (door opened)

Actions

Turn off dashboard tile
Reset variable
Assumes dishwasher emptied when door opened

Platform-specific examples

Home Assistant

Start Door closes → Turn on "dishwasher_running"

Done Temp > 90°F AND door closed 60min AND running

Action Notify, Turn off running, Turn on clean

Reset: Door opens → Turn off both booleans

SmartThings

Routine 1 Temp > 90°F AND door closed 60+ min

Actions Notify, Turn on virtual switch "Dishwasher Clean"

Routine 2: Door opens → Turn off virtual switch

Hubitat

Start Door closes → Set "running" variable

Done Temp > 90°F AND door closed 60min → Notify

Setup: Use Rule Machine with temperature sensor

Apple HomeKit

When Temperature sensor above 90°F

Condition Contact sensor closed for 60+ minutes

Do Send notification

Alexa

When Temperature sensor value above 90°F

Condition Contact sensor closed

Actions Send notification, Alexa announces

Google Home

Limitation Limited native support for temperature triggers

Workaround Use Home Assistant or IFTTT for logic

Power monitoring method

If temperature method doesn’t work, use power monitoring:

Setup:

Plug dishwasher into power monitoring smart plug
Monitor power consumption during full cycle
Note idle (<10W), running (500-1500W), and done (<10W) levels

Automation:

Start detection: Power above 100W
Done detection: Power below 20W for 5 minutes after running

See Washer Done Notification for detailed power monitoring setup.

Advanced features

Clean/dirty dashboard

Visual indicator on dashboard:

Create template sensor that displays:

“Clean - Ready to Empty” with alert icon (when dishwasher_clean is on)
“Running” with running icon (when dishwasher_running is on)
“Dirty - Ready for Dishes” with off icon (when both are off)

Manual status control

Add buttons to manually set clean/dirty:

Create two scripts:

Mark Dishwasher Dirty: Turn off both dishwasher_clean and dishwasher_running booleans
Mark Dishwasher Clean: Turn on dishwasher_clean, turn off dishwasher_running

Troubleshooting

Issue: Temperature never rises enough

Causes:

Sensor not positioned near heat vent
Dishwasher doesn’t have heated dry
Sensor too far from heat source
Threshold too high

Solutions: ✅ Reposition sensor closer to drying vent/exhaust ✅ Lower temperature threshold (try 85°F instead of 90°F) ✅ Check if dishwasher has heated dry option enabled ✅ Test with thermometer to find hottest spot on door ✅ Use power monitoring method instead

Issue: False notifications

Causes:

Temperature rises from nearby heat source (oven, sun)
Door opened mid-cycle
Minimum closed time too short

Check:

✅ Increase required door closed time (90 minutes instead of 60)
✅ Position sensor away from other heat sources
✅ Add time-based condition (only during typical dishwasher hours)
✅ Combine with other detection methods

Fix:

Add conditions to automation:

Only trigger during typical dishwasher hours (after meals: 7-9am or 7-11pm)
Require door closed for 90 minutes instead of 60

Issue: No notification when done

Causes:

Sensor battery dead
Sensor fell off dishwasher
Door opened before drying cycle started
Temperature threshold never reached

Solutions: ✅ Check sensor battery level ✅ Verify sensor still attached securely ✅ Monitor temperature during actual cycle ✅ Adjust threshold based on actual readings ✅ Switch to power monitoring method if temperature unreliable

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