No kitchen appliance works harder than the dishwasher during party season. From nibble bowls to side plates, dessert coupes and lots (and we mean, lots) of glasses, if you’re hosting friends or family over the next couple of weeks, chances are you’re running more than one load per evening.
To ensure all your dishes and glassware come out as clean as possible (because there truly is nothing more frustrating than having to handwash something after it’s been in the machine), stacking your dishwasher properly is key.
Yes, there is a correct way to load a dishwasher
Andrew Laughlin, dishwasher expert at Which? shared his tips over on TikTok (click here for the video). His general advice is simple to follow: ‘Make sure everything’s spaced. Big items at the back, away from the middle. Plates facing inward. And make sure no tall items are blocking the spray arms.’
So let’s get into the specifics.
How to load a dishwasher
1. Never rinse the plates
‘Just scrape the food waste into the bin and stack [the dishes] in the machine,’ says Laughlin. ‘It’ll pre-wash as part of its cycle, so washing [dishes] by hand is just a waste of water.’
2. Make sure water can circulate
As the spray arm is located underneath the bottom rack, Laughlin recommends loading plates into the dishwasher with the dirty side facing inwards, and bowls and pans facing down.
‘I make sure there’s room between each item so the water can circulate,’ he adds. ‘Alternating between big and small items can help with this.’
If you’re using a cutlery basket, make sure the items are not ‘nesting’ (i.e. packing the basket so tightly there’s no room for water to get in between the items).
3. Place the dirtiest dishes on the bottom rack
‘Always put the most dirty stuff, like roasting trays, on the lower rack because that’s where the water pressure and temperature is the highest,’ he explains.
However, if you’ve got a mix of really dirty items and only mildly dirty stuff, Laughlin suggests giving the really dirty items their own wash using an intensive cycle, which bumps the temperature up to 70 degrees, and usually increases the water pressure too.
4. Glasses, cups and tupperware go on the top rack
Because the top rack is cooler, he recommends using it for glasses, mugs and tupperware (‘the lower temperature means the tupperware has less chance of warping in the heat’).
Ideally, mugs should be placed in the middle and glasses along the side supports because that’s where the jets are most powerful. For bigger glasses, or ones with a long stem, ‘adjust the top rack to its lower setting,’ says Laughlin.
Glasses should be place along the side supports
5. Overloading is a big no-no
While it’s encouraged to load the dishwasher fully before using it, overloading it is ‘a big no-no’.
Instead, Laughlin suggests running either the half load or soak option. ‘If you load your dishwasher over a few days but don’t want to put the machine on, [the latter option] will soak the dishes to make sure they don’t smell.’
6. Be smart about knives
Sharp everyday knives can go in the cutlery basket facing down, so you don’t cut yourself when you’re unloading the dishwasher. That being said, Laughlin advises ‘really sharp carving knives should be hand washed instead, as the machine can dull the blade.’