Loading the dishwasher can feel like a puzzle some nights, especially if you're trying to load in larger items like sheet pans, stemmed wine glasses, and cutting boards. But there's a dishwasher space-saving trick that can make it much easier to load up your dishwasher.
According to the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Care and Cleaning Lab, many of the best dishwashers available today have a feature that makes it possible to create more space in the top or bottom rack. The easiest way to see if your appliance has this feature is to look for levers on the rack or rows of wheels inside the dishwasher.
Although simple, a lot of people forget to adjust their dishwasher racks — or they don't know it's possible. When it comes to loading wine glasses or other tall items in the dishwasher, lowering the top rack can be a game changer.
If your dishwasher rack has levers, you may be able to quickly change its position. Other models have top racks with multiple rows of wheels, requiring you to remove the top rack from its tracks and re-insert it using the other row of wheels.
Before you try this clever tip, here's one piece of advice from our Cleaning Lab: "When adjusting the rack, make sure that the rotating spray arm attached to the bottom has enough space to spin freely without hitting dishes on the bottom rack," says Noah Pinsonnault, Home Care and Cleaning Reviews Analyst.
Alyssa Gautieri (she/her) leads Good Housekeeping’s gift guide strategy. She writes and edits commerce content, where she analyzes lifestyle trends, shopping data, and works closely with the Good Housekeeping Institute to recommend top-tested products. Previously, she was the associate lifestyle editor for GH and wrote for publications including ELLE Decor, BobVila.com, and Unique Homes Magazine. When she’s not tracking down buzzy products, you can find her walking her dog, Skye, around Jersey City.
Jamie Ballard (she/her) is a freelance writer and editor who covers news, lifestyle, and entertainment topics, including sex and relationships, TV, movies, books, health, pets, food and drinks, pop culture, shopping, and personal finance. She regularly contributes to Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, and YouGov, among other publications. When she’s not working, you can find her running, traveling, or scrolling TikTok. Follow her on Twitter.
