We count on our dishwashers to keep all of our essential cutlery, crockery and glassware looking its very best. But, it’s important that you don’t leave your dishwasher to do all of the heavy lifting. To get the best results, you’ll need to load your dishwasher efficiently every time.
But how do you load a dishwasher efficiently? How do you ensure you get the best results while also cutting down on overall energy consumption? To make the most of every wash, there are a few things you should be sure to consider when loading your dishwasher. Join the Reliant experts below to find out how to do it!
Don’t Overfill
It’s crucial to make sure you never overfill your dishwasher. Overcrowding either of the storage racks can make it difficult for water to reach your dishes, which leaves them only half-washed at the end of a cycle. While it might be tempting to stuff two plates in between a single set of tines, to get more done, it will simply result in more hassle later when you have two plates that are still dirty.
Make sure to use the tines in your dishwasher racks to your advantage. Only ever add as many plates, bowls, or cups as there are tines to hold them upright. If you have to stuff two plates awkwardly into place, chances are you’re overcrowding the appliance.
If your dishwasher is often overcrowded, it may be worth upgrading to a larger model. To find a suitable dishwasher, consider the amount of dishes you usually need to wash each day, to ensure there’s space. A larger dishwasher will help you to cut down on repeat cycles, thus saving you plenty of money on monthly bills!
Make Use Of Every Inch Of Space
While it’s important to keep from overloading your dishwasher, you should make sure you’re not underfilling it. Washing a half-load of dishes is simply a waste of water and electricity. The dishwasher will use the same amount of water it would use for a full load just to clean half the amount of dishes.
It’s worth waiting until your dishwasher is full before running a cycle. If you can’t wait around for your dishwasher to fill, it can be worth upgrading to a new model equipped with load sensors. These allow your dishwasher to sense exactly how many dishwashers you’ve dropped into the racks and adjust water levels accordingly.
Don’t Pre-Rinse!
It can be incredibly tempting to pre-rinse your dishes to the dishwasher, to help make the dishwasher’s job easier. However, pre-rinsing your dishes is actually now a very archaic practice.
The earliest home dishwashers once required dishes to be pre-rinsed before loading, in order to keep large pieces of food from clogging the appliance’s drains. However, modern dishwashers are now fully equipped to handle food waste during a cycle, thanks to special filters. As such, pre-rinsing your dishes is nowadays just a waste of water and money. While we would still recommend scraping away large amounts of food waste into the bin, you can also save yourself the hassle of rinsing!
Be Mindful Of Space
When adding any item to your dishwasher, be sure to check it doesn’t impact the appliance’s function. Most importantly, you should make sure that the dishwasher’s spray arms aren’t blocked. Many dishwasher models are equipped with spinning dishwasher arms, so you’ll want to make sure yours aren’t kept from spinning, otherwise the appliance won’t get the chance to work at its very best.
Check What You’re Adding
Keep in mind that certain items aren’t dishwasher safe, such as nonstick pans, cast iron, or fine china. These items can easily be damaged by high temperatures or excessive force. Water jets can very often be too abrasive for these more delicate items.
If you’re ever unsure, you should be careful to check that certain items are dishwasher safe before you drop them in. Most dishwasher-safe dishes will have a dedicated icon printed on them that you can look for to find out what is safe.
Not only can certain items be damaged when inserted in your dishwasher, but certain items can also directly damage your dishwasher. Certain plastic items can melt inside of a dishwasher and then stick to your dishwasher’s storage racks.
Position Dishes Downward
When loading your dishes, make sure that the dirtiest parts are aimed downwards. This is because water jets are aimed to shoot water upward as they clean. It’s especially important to aim bowls downwards, as this keeps them from trapping dirty water during a cycle. So you won’t have any surprises when it’s time to unload the appliance.
Angling your dishes downwards also helps to speed up the drying process, so your dishes will be cupboard-ready as soon as your cycle has wrapped up.
Many modern dishwashers come equipped with special extra storage racks above the top rack. These flat racks are designed to keep cutlery and other flat items stationary throughout a given cycle. They also help to free up space in the bottom rack that would otherwise be dedicated to a cutlery basket. So, more space for that last extra plate!
Use An Eco-Cycle
Many dishwashers are now equipped with a wide array of cycles to choose from. Many of these cycles are specially programmed to use less electricity and water than average. For instance, if your dishwasher has an eco cycle, we strongly recommend taking advantage of it. It will deliver the immense results you expect while keeping energy consumption to an absolute minimum.
It’s perfect for your wallet and it helps to protect the environment!
If your dishwasher does not have a dedicated eco cycle, we recommend manually selecting a low water temperature. Higher temperatures naturally necessitate a higher energy cost.
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