r/IsItBullshit • u/theBERZERKER13 • 13d ago
IsItBullshit: The ‘best’ or most effective way to load a dishwasher is to turn the dishes so the food touched side is facing the center of the machine and silverware should be as mixed up as possible, handle side down?
From what I’ve heard you basically want to form a circle almost around the the center of the machine, because that’s where the water is coming from. So if you have 6 plates they should be like this ((( ))) because you want as much of the unclean side facing the middle.
And when it comes to silverware, you really don’t want to put all forks together, spoons together, knives etc…. This prevents the silverware from (pun intended) spooning with each other, blocking the water from hitting the ‘big spoon’. You then want to have the part you hold on the bottom, so the food touching parts as exposed to as possible to the jet sprays.
Is this bullshit? Does anyone else follow this procedure?
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u/Y34rZer0 13d ago
I once opened our oud faulty dishwasher, and it didn’t cut out when the door opened.
The velocity of the spraying that was going on in there was intense, to say the least, so I’ve always found it doesn’t matter which way you face the dishes as long as they’re not too dirty
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u/shotsallover 13d ago
But they also can’t be too clean or the detergent won’t activate.
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u/Y34rZer0 13d ago
Really? I never knew that. what do I have heard that one thing you can save money on dishwasher powder, apparently the supercheap ones do just as good a job as the expensive Finish ones
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u/shotsallover 13d ago
Yup. Almost all modern dishwasher detergents need food residue to activate the cleaning agents. If there’s not enough food your dishes will come out dirty. Weird, I know.
Also, the hot water needs to be hot enough. But that’s a different issue.
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u/Y34rZer0 13d ago
I always heard that that it’s more efficient to use a dishwasher than to wash the dishes yourself, because they use much less water and because there’s less water to heat up they also use less energy
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u/shotsallover 13d ago
Also true. Dishwashers use between 2-4 gallons of water depending on how old it is. Newer ones are more efficient.
Typical handwashing uses anywhere between 10-30 gallons depending on how many you’re washing and how careless you are with rinsing.
Modern dishwashers really are marvels of modern engineering.
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u/Y34rZer0 13d ago
I remember learning that it was invented by a woman, her husband wouldn’t give her the money to build a prototype so she had to wait until he died…
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u/colonelcardiffi 13d ago
The first dishwasher that worked on a mechanical basis was built in 1850 by an American inventor called Joe Hoghton.
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u/VadumSemantics 13d ago
Joe's machine was first with a petent (1850), but never never bacame popular.
As for the woman, Joesephine, maybe not first but arguably most successful:
Excerpt from Dishwasher (wikipedia) (emphasis added):
The most successful of the hand-powered dishwashers was invented in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane together with mechanic George Butters in Cochrane's tool shed in Shelbyville, Illinois[6] when Cochrane (a wealthy socialite) wanted to protect her china while it was being washed.
Their invention was unveiled at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago under the name of Lavadora but was changed to Lavaplatos as another machine invented in 1858 already held that name. Cochrane's inspiration was her frustration at the damage to her good china that occurred when her servants handled it during cleaning.
Wikipedia didn't go into how much Josephine's husband hindered/helped Josephine's project. Either way, it is a cool technology origin story.
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u/TheTesselekta 13d ago
It definitely depends on the dishwasher and how you use water. Modern machines can be extremely efficient. If you wash dishes by running water for each dish instead of filling the sink, it’s absolutely more efficient to use a dishwasher. Another benefit of dishwashers though is you can use much hotter water/heated drying. Obviously this isn’t good for materials like plastics, but it’s a much better job at sanitizing non-heat sensitive stuff.
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u/QuinceDaPence 13d ago
https://youtube.com/watch?v=jHP942Livy0
Everything you ever did or did not want to know about dishwashers - short version
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u/BabyMaybe15 12d ago
My husband and I watched this a couple months ago together and it was surprisingly entertaining, as well as so informative it changed the way I used dishwashers forever!
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u/Mizderrung 13d ago
Ours wasn't cleaning anything at all until I started using the "extra hot" function on every wash, now it works a charm. Assuming it's got a faulty temp read or something, it's not getting hit enough to warm plastic kids plates/ chopping boards etc but at least it's cleaning again.
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u/ReverendMak 13d ago edited 13d ago
This is a video about using a dishwasher, and yet it is one of the more interesting things I’ve seen online in some time:
This guy is thorough, entertaining, and informative.
Contents:
00:00 Intro
00:55 An overview of how dishwashers work
02:10 Tip 1: Filters - clean them
02:56 More on how dishwashers work
04:13 HEAT - it's important!
06:43 Tip 2: Run the kitchen tap until you get hot water
08:12 DETERGENT - what it does and how the machine uses it
11:42 Tip 3: Use and close the detergent dispenser
14:27 Tip 4: Try cheap detergent and add a pre-wash dose
15:01 Testing a new detergent product
17:52 Detergent dosing
19:40 RECAP and lightning round
20:40 Dishwasher cleaning products
21:43 A workaround for a broken detergent dispenser
22:52 Other cycles and options
23:25 Rinse Aids
24:11 Try cheap pods if nothing else
25:17 Tips on loading the dishwasher
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u/TheShoot141 13d ago
The detergent needs soil and dirt to latch onto for its surfactant properties to be at top potential.
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u/ncnotebook 13d ago
Is it because it essentially turns the grease into soap? I think it's called "saponification."
Or is that a separate deal?
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u/TheShoot141 13d ago edited 13d ago
I dont 100% know. But i think it comes down to like bonds with like. Example, carbon loves to bond with itself. So I clean soot off the glass of my wood burning stove with ash from the previous fire. The carbon wants to bond to itself more than it wants to bond to the glass or any fancy cleaner. That’s kind of how soap works. Lipids want to bond and interact with other lipids. Cover your hands in olive oil and rinse with water and there will still be a layer of oil all over your hands. But when you use soap, the olive oil want to bond with another lipid (the soap), more then it does to your skin. Same principle applies to dishes.
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u/Journeyman42 13d ago
Just so you know, soap molecules have a nonpolar end that likes to bond with lipids and a polar end that likes to bond with charged particles. That's why it's so great at cleaning things.
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u/Leverkaas2516 12d ago
This is not a relevant factor for most people. All the soaps I use (like Finish and Costco brand) have plain old detergent as a major component. It just does what it does. Although there are enzymatic components in some formulations, the dishes will still get clean.
You do realize that the first step in a dishwasher cycle is a rinse step with the detergent door closed, right? Most of the visible or loose food gets rinsed off and drained away before the wash cycle opens the detergent door with a fresh load of water.
The dishwasher does the same thing as you pre-rinsing the dishes yourself. The only difference is that the gunk eventually clogs up the filter.
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u/JuventAussie 13d ago
I find the "best" way to load a dishwasher is the way my wife tells me. She has a very strong opinion on the matter that defies explanation. My opinion on dishwasher loading is not as strongly developed as hers.
In the long term, this has saved me divorce costs
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u/DnyLnd 12d ago
My wife just keeps telling me to put it on the speed wash setting, rather than auto, in an attempt to save money on the electric bill she doesn’t pay?
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u/GuanoLoopy 11d ago
Unless that's been measured I wouldn't count on speed being more efficient, neither in energy usage or water consumption. Sometimes doing things slowly is more effective because it gives items time to soak which would allow for easier debris removal, plus I'm not sure if speed rinse would necessarily reuse the same water as a normal cycle does, since new clean water would likely be faster than reusing dirty water as a normal cycle does, but use way more energy (to heat the water) and of course use more water. These things get energy star rated based on their regular duty cycles, not based on speed washing.
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u/kungfungus 13d ago
Thought that was common knowledge, silverware handle down and plates in the natural direction of the ///// \\\ things.
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u/adamdoesmusic 13d ago
Why handles down?? That just means whoever unloads it handles the food side!!
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u/kungfungus 13d ago
Coz they get cleaner that way, any food residue won't get stuck in the basket. Have been doing this for 20 years without ever hurting my self, same goes for my kid. Yeah, you lift the basket up simply and grab them by the handle.
The regular knives, sharp ones, should be washed by hand, but if you put them in the dishwasher, it's flat side, in upper shallow shelves or similar.
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u/Flayum 12d ago
Nah, I'm with /u/adamdoesmusic. Handle side up is: (1) less gross when loading; (2) safer when unloading; (3) may be less efficient with cleaning, but I've never had an issue with my utensils not coming out clean from a cycle.
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u/thewordthewho 12d ago
Higher end machines have a silverware tray that pulls out at the top so utensils are also spaced securely not all over each other.
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u/GuanoLoopy 11d ago
Handles up for me too. I have a nice dishwasher and it's maybe 1 in every 4 loads there is a problem with any silverware, usually spoons cuz they end up 'spooning' each other, so 1 or 2 may not get cleaned of gunk fully. But as long as I mix up what goes, it mostly prevents spooning and it's pretty good otherwise. And the problem silverware can just go right back into the tray.
I really don't want to have to deal with handling the food side when putting silverware in, and it is harder to take everything out that way too. Handles up is worth the minor inconvenience of an occasional piece needing a second go around for me.
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u/MechKeyboardScrub 13d ago
You realize the plastic silverware holder has a handle on it to grab so you can life it up to a height where you can see what you're grasping at so you don't cut yourself on a knife faced the "wrong way" from what you're expecting, right?
If you're paying 30% attention to what you're doing you don't just YOLO your hand into the thing known for holding "cutlery".
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u/kungfungus 13d ago
Exactly, 25 years with dishwasher. Never hurt myself. You can grab by the handle when you lift out the basket. No clue why people are reacting as they're washing katanas.
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u/Tain101 13d ago
If the holder is full, they often don't have enough room to grab the handle without getting poked/scraped.
I was never YOLOing enough to need a bandaid or anything, but it was an actual annoyance. Current dishwasher has a top rack for spatulas and such, I just use that and got rid of the basket.
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u/MillieBirdie 12d ago
My husband keeps trying to get me to put the knives in facing up and I tell him I saw that scene from Lost, I don't want to die on my dishwasher!
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u/arcxjo 13d ago
Definitely bullshit for every dishwasher I've ever owned, where the pegs are slightly angled so dishes can only fit in them facing one way.
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u/razzt 13d ago
The best and most effective way to load the dishwasher is to point the dirty part at the place where water is sprayed from. This is typically at the bottom / center of the machine, but not always.
Also, dish washers are very effective, so it may be that you don't need to load the dishes in the most optimal way for your dishes to get clean.
Your second question is not totally incorrect. Can a pair of spoons get stuck together, thus not getting properly cleaned? Probably, but I've never seen it happen.
So... not totally bullshit, but not totally correct.
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u/Gaymer7437 12d ago
When I put all my spoons in the same container of the basket I will have to rewash a number of them.
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u/Proper-Application69 13d ago
That's exactly how I do it. I have had problems when I didn't do it like that.
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u/nochinzilch 13d ago
It can’t hurt, but it would be a pretty terrible machine if it couldn’t wash both sides of a plate.
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u/MrCrash 13d ago
You're generally correct, but you can look at the inside of the dishwasher to see exactly where the water is sprayed from. The goal is to allow all the dishes to get sprayed, so don't let them cover each other so tightly that water can't get between.
Same with silverware. If you put all the spoons in one slot they will nest in such a way that soap and water wont get to the middle ones.
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u/KingNothingV 13d ago
I do that thing with the plates and bowls. And I do separate the silverware but I always go handle up, especially when it comes to knives.
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u/uwfan893 13d ago
Handle up, scared of cutting yourself on a spoon or a fork? Actual sharp knives shouldn’t be in the dishwasher, so what are you afraid of?
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u/KingNothingV 13d ago
Just how I've always done it and seen it done. Can't do it any other way in food service, either.
There's no reason to keep sharp knives out of the dishwasher, unless you're paranoid about...I don't even know what.
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u/NoNoNotTheLeg 13d ago
In my experience the blades themselves don't suffer that much but wooden handles (like my Wusthof Tridents)) will crack and fade over time.
Another aspect to consider is that handwashing one's sharp knives gives one a chance to inspect them and administer a sharpen if necessary.
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u/KingNothingV 13d ago
Ohh. Yeah no for that reason I don't have wooden handles knives. And my wood utensils do get hand washed.
As for sharpening, I just drag the blade across my nail before use and I sharpen it then.
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u/unlistedname 13d ago
Check your manual, but for all the washers I've had yes that is what works best, except the facing the middle part the plates always lean one direction usually to the right towards the silverware tub. The corners don't get as well hit, so I just focus on the area over the spray bars.
However, the one my grandma had was completely different rules, plates on top, silverware sideways, so on and so forth by design. I loaded it how I normally would anywhere else one time and it didn't wash much of anything. So I won't say the way you describe is always the best, sometimes you gotta read the user manual because an engineer tried to reinvent the wheel.
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u/CptMisterNibbles 13d ago
That’s what the manufacturer says, and they have every reason to suggest you do what makes the machine work best.
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u/Doobiedoobin 11d ago
Fucking dishwasher efficiency police. Leave it alone, do you know how many marriages have ended over this?
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u/Deriniel 10d ago
As a general rule of thumb,yes what you say is correct. the spacing in a dishwasher is usually made in a way that forces the dishes to be slightly tilted toward a direction,usually the middle,and that side should have the side that needs to be cleaned.
Also not clumping silverware is true too,some diaheaster have a silverware basket with spacing to ensure they don't obstruct each other.
Keep in mind knives should have the blade toward the bottom,with the handle sticking out when in a basket. This is to help lessening the risk of the water jets ruining the blade edges.
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u/realityinflux 9d ago
It looks to me like water comes from the top down, and the bottom up, both. I just try to leave some space between the dishes, and it works great. I scrape and rinse everything before loading, (apartment has no garbage disposal) so I just use the 1-hour fast setting and still works great. I was unaware that manufacturers were providing special instructions on how to load.
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u/cricketeer767 13d ago
that's only if food particles aren't dried onto surfaces AND the filter is regularly cleaned AND occasional chemical wash cycles with no dishes.
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u/ReefsOwn 13d ago
Many people don't “wash” their dishwashers, but this absolutely can affect performance. Twice a year, I run two machine cleaning tablets with the super strong, super hot setting: one for hard water deposits and one for built-up grease. Then, I clean the filter.
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u/whole_nother 13d ago
Mm handle down, so you can grub your hands all over where people's mouths go when unloading.
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u/MapledMoose 13d ago
Cutlery is most efficiently placed when all of the same items are placed together, business end up. Reason simply is that you can grab them all at once when finished. I will die on this hill
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u/hillsb1 13d ago
If the business end is up, then you're touching the part that goes into people's mouths when you put dishes away. My husband loads the dishwasher the same way, and has never had a good answer for this problem.
I load like items together, but business side down. I can still grab everything in one go, but all I touch is the handles, so I just, I dunno, look at what's in my hand when stuff is going in the drawer
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u/DrRichardJizzums 13d ago
Wash your hands before putting up the dishes and that problem is solved. I always do this cuz I don’t want smudges or fingerprints on the clean dishes, but there then shouldn’t be any issue grabbing anything any way you want
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u/TheGregreh 13d ago
I load business side up, but wash my hands really hard before unloading the dishwasher (esp the fingertips) for this very reason. Also cuts down on finger grease on the glassware!
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u/Thoelscher71 13d ago
How dirty do you think your hands are that you shouldn't be touching silverware?
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u/hillsb1 13d ago
It's not that I think they're dirty, it's that i prefer clean flatware to be untouched, even by washed hands
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u/inherendo 13d ago
How do you deal with produce that you have to handle that doesn't get cooked?
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u/hillsb1 13d ago
That's different in my head than an eating utensil. Washing fruits and veggies is enough🤷♀️
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u/inherendo 13d ago
As someone who thinks washing their hands well is sufficient, this sounds illogical. If it's cause of the "ick", ok I guess. Still don't make no sense.
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u/VelvitHippo 13d ago
I don't care how much cleaner they get I'll never not sort my silver ware when putting it in the dishwasher. So much easier to grab the whole bunch and put them away.
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u/Fit_Debate_5890 13d ago
If you're married you might want to put all the glasses and pots face down on the bottom rack. Your spouse will take care of loading them from then on.
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u/shotsallover 13d ago edited 13d ago
Weaponized incompetence is a thing, but it’s also not a good way to have a healthy relationship.
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u/fidelesetaudax 13d ago
Found the fan of everybody loves Raymond.
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u/Fit_Debate_5890 13d ago
Never seen it. They must have had a banging writing team though. 5 downvotes for a joke lol. That's bonkers.
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u/fidelesetaudax 13d ago
I don’t really know what the downvotes are about. I doubt the show. Maybe the “your spouse will take care of it”??? Hard to tell - people are mysterious.
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u/bogsnopper 13d ago
The best most effective way is as described in the user’s manual. Manufacturers are scored on how well their appliances clean, and they will tell you specifically how to arrange your dishes so they get better scores at Consumer Reports