BrainStuff Classics: Is There a Best Way to Load the Dishwasher?

Which way should the plates face? What about the silverware -- handles up or down? Do you need to pre-rinse? Learn how to make your dishwashing machine work its best in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://home.howstuffworks.com/best-way-to-load-dishwasher.htm

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,
I'm Lauren Vogelbomb, and this is another classic episode of
the podcast. In this one, we dig into what science
has to say about how to load a dishwasher. Not
that we can tell you what to do. We would
never presume. Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and look,

(00:26):
I'm not here to start any fights among your family.
Many people have very strong ideas about how to best
tetris a load of dishes into a dishwasher, but I
am here to give you some scientific advice because if
the dishes are not coming out of your dishwasher as
clean as you'd like, you might be tempted to blame
the appliance or you're a brand of detergent, but the
problem might just be what and how you're stacking in

(00:47):
the machine. When you're loading in, it's first important to
consider what's dishwasher safe and what isn't. Some of the
items on the no fly list are fairly obvious. A
cast iron will rest and lose seasoning if placed in
a machine. A fine china and crystal can't handle the
intense heat, but you should also leave out insulated travel mugs,
the high heat of the machine can ruin the vacuum

(01:08):
seal and reduce the mug's ability to retain heat. Aluminum
pots are very prone to scratching and can develop a
dull finish or turn a blackish color in the wash,
and wooden spoons or cutting boards can crack from the
heat and humidity, allowing germs to set up shop. Also,
although most nonstick pans on the market today are dishwasher safe,
check the washing instructions first and limit dishwasher time. Even

(01:29):
if it is allowed. Frequent high temperature washes can cause
the coating to wear off. Secondly, either rinse all of
your dishes before stacking them or none at all. Most
modern dishwashers come with a sensor that evaluates the water
to determine how long the cycle should be and how
much water is necessary to produce a thorough clean. During

(01:49):
an initial rinse cycle, it'll measure how cloudy the water
is and run more or less thorough wash cycles Accordingly,
if only some of your dishes are rinsed, it won't
be able to properly evaluate how to run its wash cycle.
A plus on the side of not hand rinsing first
at all. The dish detergent you use likely has compounds
in it that are specifically designed to break up food particles. Basically,

(02:12):
the companies that make those detergents assume you won't pre wash.
If you do, those compounds may leave a powdery residue
on your dishes. Because of that, we'd recommend that users
of modern dishwashers and commercial detergents scrape off chunks or
anything that might clog the machine, but not be fussed
about rinsing sauces or crumbs. A Third, you want to

(02:32):
fill the machine to your best advantage, load the dishes
to face the center of the machine. The spray arms
sprays out in a circular motion, so plates that aren't
facing the center will get a heavy cleaning on the
wrong side. Also, because the heating unit is located on
the bottom of most machines, heat sensitive plastics should go
on the top rack to avoid risk of melting. Forks

(02:54):
and spoons should face up to minimize the risk of
nesting inside a packed utensil basket. This also keeps the
basket from getting in the way of the wash, making
sure the head of the utensils gets nice and clean.
If you have a ton of silverware to wash, try
to spread out similar pieces to avoid nesting, or alternate
them head down head up along the same lines. Resist
the urge to overload the dishwasher. In general, if one

(03:17):
item is completely blocking another, neither will get truly clean. Finally,
you should run occasional maintenance on your machine. Your dishwasher
likely has a filter that needs to be removed and
cleaned out on occasion. Most soils like saucer crumbs will
slip right through the filter, but any aerrant chunks of
food will get caught and clog it up. To clean,
simply remove and rinse with a little bit of dish soap.

(03:39):
Be sure to rinse it completely or it will cause
sudzing during the next cycle. Also, lime scale, especially in
areas with hard water and grease, can build up in
these spray arms and filter over time. To prevent any
problems from escalating, it's a good idea to clean your
machine about once a month. There are dishwasher specific cleansers
on the market, or you can google to learn how
to run a cleansing cycle with vinegar. Today's episode is

(04:05):
based on the article What's the best way to load
a Dishwasher, unhostuffworks dot Com written by Leah Hoyt. Brain
Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with howstuffwork dot
Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts
from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows.