11 tips to make your dishwasher clean better
<p>You may not pay too much attention to how you stack your dishwasher, but you should. A simple yet logical method of organisation and optimisation could mean the difference between sparkling clean plates or chipped glasses and crusty lasagne residue. Don’t just throw things in willy-nilly. Everyone has a strong opinion as to the best loading (and unloading) technique – and here’s ours. May it settle those household dinner party debates once and for all.</p>
<p><strong>1. Don’t bother pre-washing</strong></p>
<p>The dishwasher is one of your kitchen’s biggest time-saving luxuries, so why do so many people insist on pre-rinsing before stacking? Today’s models are powerful enough to handle the gunk. Washing before loading is therefore a waste of time, water and energy. In fact, most dishwashers and detergents actually do a better job if they have something to hold onto and remove. If there isn’t any food, it can go after glasses and make them cloudy.</p>
<p><strong>2. Do away with food scraps</strong></p>
<p>That said, do scrub off any large food scraps before they harden, paying special attention to baked-on bits, proteins such as eggs and cheese, which have a tendency to cling on, and starches that have dried on to the dish.</p>
<p><strong>3. Don’t throw just anything in</strong></p>
<p>Certain items should never be put in the dishwasher. Wooden boards and utensils, non-dishwasher-safe plastic, reactive metals (including iron, pewter or bronze), anything non-stick, anything cast iron, sharp knives and anything you’re too precious about should be washed by hand instead. Dishwasher-safe plastic should be placed on the top shelf, as far away as possible from the heating coil, which may cause it to melt or warp.</p>
<p><strong>4. Do place items at an angle</strong></p>
<p>Place your plates on the bottom rack, making sure they’re facing the centre. If they lean, they should lean inward and downward to get the most from the water spray. Alternate between large and small plates and stagger them as much as possible, to keep surfaces separated and accessible. Bowls should also be stacked on a slight angle, faced down so they’ll drain. Larger items, such as fry pans and chopping boards, ought to be placed around the outer edges of the bottom rack. Your pots and pans can go down here as well.</p>
<p><strong>5. Do take extra precautions with glassware</strong></p>
<p>Exhausted from having hosted that dinner party? Too sloshed to bother washing your delicate stemware? There’s a hack for that! Simply place your glasses on the top rack and stretch a rubber band around the stems and over the spokes, tethering the glasses securely to the machine. This stops them from knocking and vibrating against one another. No breakage!</p>
<p><strong>6. Do load cutlery up and down</strong></p>
<p>For cutlery, face the handles down and spread them out throughout the basket, ensuring they’re not resting against each other. This leaves their most germ-riddled regions exposed for a thorough clean. The exception here is knives, which should have their handle pointing up. The last thing you want to do is stab yourself while unloading! Also, tall utensils can get caught on rotating devices, so place things such as tongs and serving spoons laid down, on their sides, on the top rack.</p>
<p><strong>7. Do use it for other household items</strong></p>
<p>There’s room in your dishwasher for more than just your dishes. If you’ve got plastic or steel knobs on your cooker or washing machine that have become caked with grease, remove them and place them in the cutlery basket of your dishwasher. This saves you from having to wipe them down by hand! You can also do the same for shower heads, tap handles, sink plugs, vent covers, dust pans and microwave trays.</p>
<p><strong>8. Don’t ever use dish soap</strong></p>
<p>When you’re stacked and ready to go, fill the soap container with powdered dishwasher detergent or a dishwasher pellet. Never use regular dish soap – unless you want a very sudsy kitchen floor. If you have hard water and want a rinse agent, you can always use white vinegar, which can be just as effective as the commercial stuff in preventing water streaks and cloudy glasses.</p>
<p><strong>9. Do a final check</strong></p>
<p>Before you close the door and turn it on, check the spray arms are able to spin freely and that there’s nothing obstructing the tubes. Then run hot water into your kitchen sink. This ensures that first fill cycle will be hot, making for a much more effective clean.</p>
<p><strong>10. Do regularly clean</strong></p>
<p>Heard stories of bacterial nasties growing inside the belly of your dishwasher? Get hit by a poof of rotten air every time you open her up? Limit the risk of fungi growth by making sure your dishwasher dries out thoroughly between cycles and wiping the seal with a cloth. You can also clean it by running an empty dishwasher with a cup of white vinegar on the bottom rack.</p>
<p><strong>11. Don’t overcrowd</strong></p>
<p>If necessary, wash large items by hand or run the dishwasher a second time.</p>
<p>Do you prefer using the dishwasher, or hand washing your dishes? Let us know in the comments below.</p>
<p><em>Written by Kathleen Lee-Joe. First appeared on <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Domain.com.au.</span></strong></a></em></p>
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