Are You Loading Your Dishwasher Wrong?

@Clean That Up here's a tip to share with everyone. Run hot water in the sink that feeds the dishwasher prior to starting the cleaning cycle. It cuts down on the cycle time and should ultimately prolong the life of the heating element by not working as hard to bring the water up to temperature.

If you are happy with the results load any way you like. Far easier to rinse a dish before you put it in than go to the hassle of emptying the filter.

Some brands of dishwasher specifically recommend not pre rinsing the dishes. The detergent actually works better if you just scrape them prior to loading. We have a Bosch dishwasher and this is in the instructions.

Excellent. I do all the things🙌 except one thing— I’m a housekeeper for a home that holds large parties so if I need to Tetris the dishwasher, I rinse them first. That way they’re still getting sanitized but I can fit way more in there without worrying about food particles.

I believe you about not needing to rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. The problem is that I LITERALLY cannot put dishes in the dishwasher with food on them LOL.

All these years and I didn’t know about facing items in on bottom rack. Sometimes it’s the simple things!

That pod with the dissolvable membrane is the number one reason dishwashers break. The gunk accumulates at the drain and it eventually clogs. Always use dry/solid detergent.

I have used apartment sized dishwashers and older dishwashers. I rinse because both these types need all the help they can get (and somethings just get hand washed because they are an “easy clean” and it just prolongs the life of the tool). Sometimes water heat in an apartment complex can be variable and we don’t know when the older dishwasher (age unknown-came with house) is going to “pop its cogs”. Additionally, since it is just my husband and I, we often do not run the dishwasher every night since it is no where near full and would be a waste of water, energy and wear and tear on the older dishwasher. Pots and pans get washed up by hand as do other items that would not fair well in the dishwasher to prolong their life and avoid cuts and abrasions from known suspects (paring knives). Now…about the upper rack… I load the back first moving toward the front so that I can get taller objects in without performing contortions to do so. Additionally, the heavier glass and china go at the back and plastics at the front…this is due to something the apartment dishwasher rack did…the non-adjustable attachments at the front side of rack “sliders” fell apart on one side and if I had not caught the rack, there would have been broken shards all over the ceramic tile floor (That floor was unforgiving and did not care what it broke.) and I was barefoot. I learned that it is not a good idea to put stress on the upper rack when it is in a fully extended position. Yes…there was a quick unload of that rack to any surface nearby, I observed/fixed and a house rule was made about what is placed in the upper rack and how/where it is placed. I did not want to encounter that stressful moment ever again. Frequent discussions are usually held between the husband and myself regarding where the eating utensils go. He sticks them in randomly and when the area gets full, you can’t find a free slot. I like to put them in from front to back, far to near side (slots are set at angle) in order to fit things in, filling all slots in sequence, then there is always room. Paring knives go in their own area. Chef’s knives get hand washed to help maintain the blade and protect the handle (some are wood). And cheese…oh god! (I use hot water to soak that as it loosens grease and then I allow it to cool completely and the “cheese goo” will rub right off. I know that cold water is recommended for soaking dairy but I find that the “goo” will be clinging to the dishes for dear life requiring more effort if you don’t do hot water first and then let it cool.) About burnt on stuff…you have to soak and scrub with the appropriate tool…dishwasher was not invented for those cooking mishaps. You mess up in the kitchen, you clean that up…and it will remind you not to turn your back on that recipe again.

It really depends on your dishwasher. I feel like people assume everyone has the same dishwasher. If I don't rinse my dishes they come out dirty. You can tell me not to all you want. But it's just not true for my dishwasher. I've tried

Some dishwashers, such as Bosch, do not have exposed heating elements. I can put plastics anywhere in my Bosch which makes it really easy for larger plastic items.

The best way to learn how best to use your dishwasher is to read the manual. You can look up everything on the internet! This is how I learned that my dishwasher has a unique “turbo zone” that I can use to super scrub large items like cutting boards and pans and in order to use the turbo zone I have to make it face the back wall where there are jets. I’d never heard of such a thing before and still have yet to see a washer like it. I also learned how to maintain it, how much soap to use, best loading practices and all kinds of settings. Now I need to find my refrigerator manual…

Useful tips. You mentioned putting dirty plates facing the middle. My dishwasher rack is designed to have the plates facing forward. 😊

Wow! Thank you for all this great Info! I am going to go load my dishwasher right now… The right way! 😆

It's best to use powder and not the pods so that some soap is available in pre-rinse. The pods also usually have too much soap for a given load. See technology connections for his series on dishwashers

Thank you so much for this video. Never knew I could adjust the top rack and place the dishes facing the middle.

I also load forks points down. I’ve jabbed myself a few times and once got a tine deep under the finger nail. They’re sharper than I expected.

Extremely helpful video as always!

I'm so excited to load my dishwasher after this video! Lotsa helpful tips

Thanks for this one. It's good to know that I passed the being dishwasher savvy lessons with flying colours. I always do all the things you mentioned. This must be a first for me. haha

Thank you very much for that very interesting and helpful tutorial. Several things you mentioned I had no idea about, especially the filter and the flatware separators! Wow, learn something new every day. All very logical, useful info. Much appreciated