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Is there a correct way to fill a dishwasher to maximise capacity and cleanliness?

Raúl Pérez Mohedano
Valencia, Spain

I was part of a project in 2015. The key to success is to make sure items aren’t placed in a way that blocks the water path. That is, you need to avoid filling up the dishwasher by placing items on top of each other or very close together. Water is the key element to cleaning effectively, as it provides the force, the detergent components and the temperature to ensure everything comes out clean.

There is no need to pre-wash any item, though solid food pieces should be thrown away prior to loading. Also, large items with sticky stains should be placed on the bottom rack, as the water jets are more intense in this location.

A final tip is to open the dishwasher once the cleaning cycle is over. That way, the remaining moisture comes out and items will be dried out completely in a shorter time.

Marcus Swann
Lymm, Cheshire, UK

This question was clearly designed to flush out the dishwasher-stacking nerds amongst us. It also brings to mind the yogurt pot conundrum: when put in the dishwasher, these invariably end the wash the wrong way up, full of murky water. This is because the inverted pot is light and easily flipped by the spray from the dishwasher, but becomes heavier and less likely to be flipped once filled with water. This can be remedied by placing a mug on the yogurt pot rim to jam it in place.

Oliver Miller
Glasgow, UK

When loading cutlery, put all the knives together, all the forks together and all the spoons together. This doesn’t improve cleaning efficiency or capacity, but it does make emptying the dishwasher slightly more efficient.

My only other tip is that the whole chore of loading, turning on and then unloading the dishwasher should be done by one person. Most dishwasher arguments appear to be about the right way versus the wrong way, but are really about two different ways that both work, but may not be compatible with each other. If one person does everything, there will be no arguments, only domestic bliss.

[Ed. – For more information on the best way to load your dirty dishes, see our 2015 feature, The ultimate guide to stacking the dishwasher .]

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