2. Load it up right.

Loading your dishwasher correctly is the most important part of ensuring you get every dish nice and clean. Every dishwasher has a diagram in the manual that shows how to best load that particular dishwasher (and you should definitely take a look at yours), but there are a few rules that hold true for most dishwashers:

  • Cups go in the top rack and should always be placed between the tines, never on top of them.
  • Plates and bowls should go on the bottom rack, and the dirty side should be facing the water spray. This means that your dishes don’t always all point in the same direction!
  • Pots, pans, and baking dishes should be placed angled down so the water spray and can reach the inside.
  • Make sure larger items like pans and baking sheets are placed on the sides of the dishwasher. This way they don’t block the spray arm OR the detergent coming from the door.
  • Stagger your utensils so some are up, and some are down. This way the utensils don’t get nested together and every square inch gets clean.

    Tip number 4 is an absolute must do, but we still sometimes forget… Check it out on the next page!