The Knowhow
The main rule is to make sure all your dirty plates and cutlery are positioned in a way which gets them soaked by the sprayers; so it is a good idea to look at your machine and find out where the sprayers and other moving parts are so you get a sense of how to fill it for maximum effect. Do not overload the machine as it may result in partial cleaning that’s harder to wash off than if you’d washed items by hand.
Top rack:
The top of your dishwasher generally holds your:
- Cups
- Glasses
- Dishwasher safe plastic (only use with a low heat of drying cycle to avoid melting or warping)
- Bowls
When loading:
- Place all the cups upside down at an angle so the sprayer can spray inside them as it works
- Leave a space between glasses and cups so they don’t bang together and chip as they wash
- Face bowls inwards towards the centre of the dishwasher and leave a space between them; ideally they should be slanted down or laid down flat.
- Restrain smaller items like egg cups and baby bottle lids to prevent them slipping between the cracks and falling to the bottom of the dishwasher.
Bottom rack:
The lower rack is closer to the heating elements and is for sturdier items like:
- Plates
- Pots and pans
- Trays
When loading:
- Scrape off large food particles first to avoid the filter becoming blocked
- Face the plates to the centre of the dishwasher to get the most spray
- Place cookware face down for the most intense pressure washing
- Be careful not to place any tall items in the way of the spraying spinner
- Place larger items at the back and sides to avoid covering the sprayers
Cutlery tray:
Cutlery comes out dirty when silverware, especially spoons ’nest’ together and the spray can’t clean them.
- Alternate how you put in the forks and spoons - some up and some down to avoid nesting
- Face knifes downwards for safety
- lay down long pieces of cutlery in the upper basket to avoid blocking the spray arm
When unloading the dishwasher empty the bottom rack first. The glasses and cups on the top rack will often drip as you are unloading them and you won’t get the plates on the bottom wet if you have already unloaded them first.
Dirty dishes done! Now you know some guidelines on a good way to fill your dishwasher you can choose other things to argue about at home - like who is actually going to load it.
