I keep hearing that I don't need to rinse my dishes before loading them in the dishwasher. Even my own husband suggested that if I'm going to do that I might as well wash them by hand. The thing is I've been there done that. My dishwasher will not get the job done if you don't pre rinse. My old dishwasher would but it was a high dollar one that we couldn't afford when it was time for a new one. So my advice to him is either get me one that'll do the job or let me do things my way. If the dish has been sitting out all day with food in it the food tends to be harder to get off unless scrubbed. All I ask is that he rake his scraps into the scrap bowl then run water in his dish. That way when the dishwasher is loaded at night the food won't be stuck to the dish and it will be easier for the dishwasher to do its job. I only run my dishwasher at night after supper, so people shouldn't be surprised if they come in my house and there is a sink full of dishes. I find that it's easier to load everything at once to make sure everything fits and I'm told electricity is cheaper at night. I don't know how true that is but I heard it once and started doing so after hearing it. Plus, I just think it makes more sense because you won't wake up to dirty dishes the following day. I put plates, pots, and silverware in the bottom. Bowls, glasses, mugs and plastic or rubbermaid items go in the top. Occasionally you may find your items have a powder residue on them. When this happens I turn on my rinse cycle again. That usually takes care of the problem. If the dishwasher is beginning to develop a smell then run baking soda and vinegar in it when its empty. You also need to clean out your filter frequently. How frequently depends on how dirty your dishes are. Since I began pre rinsing I haven't had to do it as often. My filter has a secondary filter made of a net like material that gets smudged occasionally, stopping up the tiny holes. I found that sprinkling a little baking soda on it and going over it with an old tooth brush is the best way to clean it. I make my own detergent. I found a couple of different recipes online and so far this is the one that works for me. 2 cups borax, 2 cups baking soda 1/2 cup salt and 3-5 packs of sugar free lemonade. I use a half tsp in prewash and one tsp in main wash. For my rinse aid, I usr vinegar or peroxide. It's my daughters job to load the dishwasher on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When she washes dishes, I do have to double check that she's doing it right. She occasionally misses dishes if I don't. For example, I was sick one night. My morning sickness has returned and it hits me whenever and wherever I am. So I didn't check on her when she loaded the dishwasher. Well, that morning, I went into my kitchen to unload and found dishes all over the kitchen. My husband is bad about not following my rules. I gathered them all up and moved them to the sink and ran water in them. Thankfully none of them were covered in food that sticks. Next I opened my dishwasher to unload it and what do I find, three dishes in the bottom. She washed all the glasses though. The top was full and the silverware tray was full. There was only two plates and a large mason jar in the bottom. So i unloaded the little bit that was in there and loaded it up to wash the stuff she didn't get. To be fair atleast the sink was empty until I gathered up the mess on the counter. Oh and there was a pot that he used since he had to fix supper. Just the smell of the food cooking made me sick. So after loading the bottom of the diahwasher and turning it on again I am stuck shaking my head at the waste of electricity but what can I do? Shes just a child. I talked to her about it and she seemed to be listening but who knows with kids just how much they actually hear. She has her daddys selective hearing. Anyway, I fixed her a cup of hot chocolate as she got ready for school then I sent her out to catch the bus. My opinion is that you should pre rinse. Its not the same as washing dishes out by hand as you are not using soap or a rag or scrubbing. Your just rinsing them and if they're really bad you let them set in water a little longer. The dishwasher does the actual work. Just about the only time I have to scrub a pot is when I scramble eggs. Then i use a metal scraper, rinse it and put it in tge dishwasher. One big load a day is better than two or three little loads per day in my opinion. Thats my idea of the proper use of a dishwasher.
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