If you ask 10 different people how to load a dishwasher you will probably get 10 different answers. Of course there is more than one way to load a dishwasher but there are some rules you should follow and some things that you should not do if you want to get your dishes cleaned properly without breaking any of them. Below are a few rules of thumb that you might want to follow.
Start by scraping off some of the excess food. The manufacturers of newer dishwashers and the companies that make dishwasher detergents tell you that you don’t need to pre-rinse your dishes but you should still scrape off some of the bigger food items before you load the dishes into your dishwasher.
Where you place certain items is very important. It’s obvious where the silverware goes because your dishwasher has a special rack just for silverware. But when it comes to glasses or other delicate items you should never put them on the bottom rack because they would be more likely to break. The top rack of the dishwasher is designed to hold glasses and more delicate items. The bottom rack of the dishwasher is for bigger, heavier dishes. If you are washing any plastic items in your dishwasher they should go on the top rack as well. The water is normally hotter at the bottom of the dishwasher so if you put plastic items on the bottom rack they are in danger of melting.
When loading up the bottom rack of the dishwasher a lot of people like to put their larger dishes on the outside and smaller dishes closer to the middle of the rack. It’s also a good idea to turn the plates and bowls to face the middle of the machine, this way the part of the dishes that hold your food will be facing the water jets and get scrubbed clean.
If you have any delicate or very expensive dishes you may want to go ahead and carefully washed those by hand. Your dishwasher uses high heat and high-pressure water to clean your dishes and you don’t want to risk breaking delicate or expensive items.
I also wanted to include a tip about how much dishwasher detergent you should use. The recommended amount on the packaging is usually a lot more than you actually need. Imagine that, maybe the makers of the dishwasher detergent want you to use more so you have to buy it more often. What you can do is use a little less than the directions on the box say to use and see how your dishes come out. If everything comes out clean you can reduce the amount of detergent again on the next load until you get to the point where you are using less soap but still getting clean dishes.
The tips on this page are not hard and fast rules and everyone seems to have their own way of loading a dishwasher. There are a few tips however that you really should follow to efficiently get your dishes as clean as possible without breaking them.
