Are You Loading Your Dishwasher Wrong?

Not every household appliance generates domestic drama, but the dishwasher is certainly one that falls into the conflict-aggregator category. If you’re not bickering with a loved one about who’s turn it is to load or unload it, you’re grousing about getting stuck with cleaning the filter again.

And if you’re one of the many Canadians fortunate enough to have a dishwasher at home—a partner in grime, so to speak—then it’s likely you also hold strong views on the right way to load the dishes.

According to a recent survey of 1,500 people by appliance maker LG Canada that was commissioned in support of the launch of its new LG FlushFit^TM  dishwasher, just under 50 percent of Canadians believe there's a “right” way to load the dishwasher, with two in five respondents claiming they prefer it if their loading method is followed by others in the home.

More than that, more than one-third of respondents say they feel so strongly about their particular method that they will reload the washer if someone else has violated their protocol.

So, what’s the optimal approach to loading the dishwasher?

There's no one perfect way to load, but there are some points to take into consideration.

The conventional wisdom is to divide and conquer when it comes to loading: stacking plates on the bottom rack, while glasses, cups and bowls go on the top—and indeed, most dishwashers are designed with this stacking order in mind. (Glasses should be placed between the tines on the rack—and not on top of them—for stability.)

And you can forgo rinsing your dishes before you load up as most new dishwasher models are equipped with sensors that perceive water griminess and respond accordingly—either by adding time to the wash cycle or boosting the water temperature.

What’s more, says Melissa Maker, a Toronto-based cleaning expert and LG Brand Ambassador, dishwasher soap actually works better on dishes that haven't been rinsed. "The enzymes in detergent need food particles to properly activate." (She does, however, scrape larger pieces of debris off of her dishes before loading them.)

If your dishes aren’t getting as clean as you would like, it’s possible you’re overloading the racks. Increasing space between plates and cups allows the water sprayers to hit their target unobstructed.

Should plates face the centre or the back of the dishwasher?

For Maker, the direction your dishes face doesn't matter—what’s more important is that your placement takes into account airflow and water circulation.

"The most crucial thing is to ensure plates aren't directly blocking the spray arms or other dishes. I try and face them slightly toward the centre of the dishwasher or slightly angled, making sure the dirtiest surfaces are exposed to the main spray."

Generally, the real key to getting solid results has less to do with loading order and more to do with not overloading the dishwasher in the first place, which in some cases can mean doing two well-spaced loads rather than one jammed load.  

"My spacing rule is don't overcrowd," says Maker. "I usually stagger my plates so each dish receives breathing room for water and detergent to reach."

It also helps to read manufacturer’s guidelines for best practices. Most dishwashers will have advice on loading that falls in line with how that particular model functions best. (If you tossed these, it’s likely there’s a version you can access online.)

It may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but don't underestimate the distinct pleasure of a well-stacked dishwasher. Half of the respondents to LG's survey admitted that they experienced “genuine satisfaction” in the presence of a well-loaded machine.