Loading Tricks for Cleaner Dishes in Dishwasher

We’re all guilty of opening the dishwasher door and shoving the dirty dishes and glasses in willy-nilly. We’ve all had those same dishes and glasses come out with food debris still on them because of the haphazard way we placed them in the dishwasher. Get the most out of your dishwasher and get all of your dishes clean the first time they’re washed by using these simple loading tricks.

Drinking Glasses

Drinking glasses (glass or dishwasher safe plastic) should be placed in the top rack between the tines. When glasses are placed over the tines, they rattle during the washing cycles and can bump together and break. The glasses may also come out of the machine with time marks.

Plates and Saucers

Should always be staked facing the center. This allows the water from the center spray arm to jet more water onto them and get them cleaner.

Bowls

Place bowls on the top rack along with drinking glasses. Place bowls in te front facing the rear, and bowls in the back of the rack should be facing towards the front so their interior surface will be exposed to more water.

Large Bowls and Casseroles

Large mixing bowl, serving bowls, casseroles or pots should be placed on the bottom rack at a sight angle. If they are turned upside down,, they will block the flow of water to the top rack and the items on the upper rack will not get clean.

Platters and Baking Pans

Large, flat items like platters, baking pans or dishwasher-safe cutting boards should be placed around the outer edges of the bottom rack so they don’t block water and detergent from other items in the dishwasher.

Spoons, Forks and Butter Knives

To ensure flatware gets clean,, place some spoons and forks with their business end down and some with them up. This way the flatware won’t nestle into each other and not get clean. Butter knives are best placed with their business end down, intermingled with other flatware, just for safety-sake.

Serving Utensils

Long-handled serving utensils will get cleanest when laid horizontally on the top rack. Place serving spoons facedown so they won’t collect dirt wash water in their bowls.

Plastics

Baby bottles, sippy cups, lunchmeat container, takeout cups and the like should not be washed in the dishwasher. The thin plastic may warp or melt when exposed to the heat of the dishwasher and some plastics (marked with a 7 or PC) contain the chemical BPA which may leach out when the plastic is heated.