How to Use Your Dishwasher So That Your Dishes Get Clean

If you’ve ever opened your dishwasher after it’s been run and have found food particles still on your dishes, you know how frustrating it can be.  It becomes a waste of time for you to have to either wash them by hand or reload them back into the dishwasher.  It’s also a waste of money when you’re having to use more hot water to wash the dishes a second time.  Here are some reasons your dishes may not be getting clean and how to fix it.

1. The dishes are not being rinsed properly.  For most modern dishwashers, you do not have to completely rinse your dishes – doing so is actually a waste of hot water and a waste of your time.  (Isn’t having a dishwasher supposed to save you time?)  That being said, there are a couple of types of food that do need to be completely rinsed off before going into the dishwasher.  Oatmeal, rice, beans – anything in the grain or legume family or dried on dough.  Experience tells me that you can wash a wooden spoon with dough on it 40 times and it still won’t come off.
2. The dishwasher is not being loaded properly.  I saw a picture the other day of someone’s loaded dishwasher.  It looked like she held all of her dishes 10 feet above the rack and just dropped them all in.  There were way too many dishes in the racks and there was no rhyme or reason to how they were in there.  She claims they come clean, but I have my doubts.
   • Don’t overload the dishwasher.  If you have that many dishes, do two loads or wash part of them by hand (or save the leftover dishes for the regular load the next day).
   • Point the dishes toward the center so that the spray can get to them.  Don’t put large items like cutting boards or cookie sheets in the center where they can block the spray.
   • When loading glasses, do not allow them to touch.  This can trap food between them and can also cause them to crack.
   • Point part of your silverware up and part of it down.  This helps keep them from sticking together and trapping food between them.
   • Make sure your items are secure so they don’t tip over during the wash cycle and fill with dirty water.
3. The water is not flowing like it should.  This can be due to the water pressure being too low, blocked holes, the blade not turning, or the water not draining.  A quick visual inspection of the bottom of your dishwasher should let you know if any of these are true.  Check all the holes where water comes in or shoots out of the blade to make sure there is no debris in them.  Also check the very center to make sure the contraption that shoots water onto the upper rack is able to move up,  down, and rotate.  Give the blade a turn and make sure it’s not caught on anything.  Lastly, make sure your drain at the bottom is not clogged, otherwise you make be circulating dirty water.  Clogs can also occur at the drain in your sink where the dishwasher hose is run.
4. The rinse aid is low or missing.  Not all homes will require a rinse aid, but we have hard water here and not using a rinse aid leaves my dishes disgusting.  If you have a dispenser, keep it full.  You can use commercial rinse aids or plain vinegar.  If you do not have a dispenser, you can get little hanging baskets at the store or you can add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Hopefully these little hints will help you to eliminate the need for rewashing dishes that come out of the dishwasher and save some frustration.