Why You're Loading Your Dishwasher All Wrong

Typically everyone knows the logistics of loading a dishwasher. The question is, are you being efficient loading your dishwasher, maximizing space and resources?  At Appliance Educator it spiked our curiosity, so we did some research and wrote down some key points to keep in mind when loading up your dishwasher.

Let’s go over the basics to begin, and then we will wash our hands of it (or dishes). Bad joke, we know.

Let’s start with the bottom dishwasher rack.  The area we would previously slam everything in, in no specific pattern, rhyme or reason. Now we follow this technique: it seems obvious but Bigger items belong on the bottom.  Dinner plates, large bowls, cutting boards, etc. 

*An AE PRO TIP* If you have a wood cutting board and are interested in it lasting a long time, hand wash it only.  This also goes for brass and bronze. We however, do not own an incredibly nice cutting board, and wood is more likely to host germs and bacteria than other materials over time… that’s our reasoning for throwing that bad boy in the dishwasher every time.

Moving on — We group our plates because the ZLINE Dishwasher we have has a bunch of different washing angles. This way we don’t have to worry about plates not getting thoroughly cleaned.  However, you also have the option (oh look, another *PRO AE TIP*) to alternate plates – i.e. small plate, big plate, small plate, and so on.  Depending on the direction the water flows in your dishwasher, note the area the plates are best positioned. 

Facing Forward vs Facing Back. In addition, some dishwashers do best when you load the plates in back of the rack, while others do better in the front of the rack closer to the door.

Now, if your utensils look like this (see photo above), when you put them in the dishwasher…We don’t know if we can be friends. We’re kidding, but we’re worried for you:  

Spoons and forks should be face up while knives face down.  If you like to live dangerously, see above picture. Also make sure they are evenly spaces and not nested together so they are adequately washed. For large kitchen knives, Consumer Reports does not recommend loading large kitchen knives in the dishwasher.

We (started from the bottom now we here) are moving on to the top rack now. Making progress.  Top Rack is for cups, glasses and small bowls.  Maybe some miscellaneous items as well such as lids, big knives, spatulas (We wash ours in the dishwasher at least).

If you made it this far, thank you for reading. We would love to hear more about your dishwasher loading techniques! Leave us a comment below, and tell us more about you and your dishes!