Tips on How to Load a Dishwasher

Loading a dishwasher seems easy enough; you just put dishes in, add the detergent, shut and lock the door, and turn it on right? Wrong. There is an art to loading the dishwasher that has been passed down from…well, it isn’t an old art. But there is a technique to it nonetheless. Some dishes should be placed on the top rack, some on the bottom. There is a specific way to load everything so that they are capable of receiving optimal water exposure, while also taking your safety and the dishes safety into mind.

Plastics such as Tupperware and plastic utensils, if you reuse them, should be placed on the top rack because the water can melt the plastic. A lot of small utensils will fall through the slots of the rack though, so if you have no choice because they are just too small for the top rack, then put them in the divided basket on the bottom rack.

For the sake of energy efficiency and to get the most use out of your detergent, try to fill the dishwasher instead of just putting in one meal’s worth of dishes and running it so that you’re “all caught up”. It is too wasteful and if you load the dishwasher, then your dishes are out of sigh any way. Do not stuff it though; put one dish in one slot and that should be it because if you stuff too many in, then they are too close together and the water and spray doesn’t reach all of the dish’s surfaces.

Pots and pans should go on the lower rack because they can handle the heat and often require the strongest water pressure and heat to clean.

Mugs, glasses and cups should be loaded on the prongs; this holds them in place so that they will not break. If you have fragile stemware, delicate china or anything else that is really fragile, do not risk putting them in the dishwasher. Items shift in the dishwasher and it is never worth the risk of breaking something nice. Use hot water and soap from your faucet and do it the safer way.

Plates and bowls should be placed on the lower rack along the sides between the holders, one dish per holder. They should also face towards the center of the dishwasher so that they dirtiest part of the dish is the one most exposed to the water source.

Flatware should be divided by type into the basket; knives with knives, spoons with spoons and so on. Alternate each piece with one being up and one being down in order to prevent them from “spooning” and sticking together, preventing them from getting cleaned. Do not alternate the knives though, as whoever empties the dishwasher might accidentally stab their hand while trying to grab the flatware. All knives should face down.

Large cookie sheets and platters can be loading like plates (on the sides of the dishwasher with the dirtiest side facing the center. However, unlike dishes, they can be placed on the upper or lower racks if they fit. Make sure they are placed behind smaller items though, because you do not want them to block the water and soap to the dishes around it.

All right, now you know how to load a dishwasher, so you’ll have to come up with another excuse for why you can’t do it.