Avoid These 7 Dishwasher Mistakes

Posted on May 20th, 2020

You may think you know how to properly load your dishwasher but it’s likely there are a few mistakes you are making. Avoid the following mistakes and find out how to properly load your dishwasher.

1. Pre-Rinsing Dishes

If you are pre-rinsing your dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, you could be wasting time, energy, and water, and could even be causing more damage to your dishwasher than good. Rinsing alone can use up to 6 gallons of hot water and can also confuse your dishwasher’s sensor. Any unit built within the last 5 years has a dirty water sensor that tells the dishwasher what type of load to use. If the sensor detects little or no debris, it gives the dishwashers a lighter wash that may leave your dishes with food stuck to them. So instead of pre-rinsing, scrape leftover food off the dishes and leave the rest for the dishwasher to handle.

2. Putting Glassware Over The Tines

A common mistake is putting glassware over the tines instead of between them. Those tines are actually there to keep your upper rack items away from each other to prevent cracks or chips that can happen when they rattle or bump up against each other.

3. Loading Plates In The Same Direction

Loading your plates in the same direction can cause some plates to not get the full cleaning power they need. As with all lower rack items, you want your plates to all face the center to provide better access for water and soap.

4. Overfilling

Just like your washing machine, an overloaded dishwasher can make it difficult for soap and water to evenly move throughout your unit, causing detergent buildup and insufficient cleaning. Dishes may come out looking cloudy and with food stuck on them. Instead, load your dishwasher ensuring each item has sufficient space and access to the spray arms and jets.

5. Putting Cups On Lower Rack

It may be tempting to put glassware and cups on your bottom rack once your upper rack is full. However, the upper rack was designed specifically for these more delicate items and gives them the gentler wash they need. The wash the lower rack provides could be to harsh on your glassware and could actually damage them.

6. Bowls Overlapping

Your dishwasher has specific tines in the upper rack for your bowls to neatly stack at an angle to help water run off them without puddling up. However, you may need to leave 2-3 tines between each bowl to make sure they’re not overlapping at the top. Overlapping can make it difficult for water to reach the entire inside of the bowl.

7. Large Items Facing Towards Front

When loading your bottom rack, consider the location of your spray arm and detergent dispenser. For large items like casserole dishes and pans, be sure to load them to the side or the back of the lower rack. If you load them in the front of the lower rack, you could be blocking the detergent dispenser and the detergent won’t be able to reach the rest of your dishes.

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