There are few household questions more likely to start a debate than the proper way to load a dishwasher. Should dishes be pre-rinsed? Should forks and knives point up or down? And perhaps most importantly: Can dishes touch each other in the dishwasher, or are you setting yourself up to discover a load of dirty plates instead of sparkling dinnerware?
It turns out not every item in your dishwasher needs complete clearance on all sides. A little incidental contact is fine, but dishes shouldn't be packed tightly together, stacked, or nested. Bowls shouldn't be nested or overlapping, since this can prevent water jets underneath from reaching the interior surfaces.
The goal is to make sure water and detergent can reach every dirty surface.
Plates can sit next to one another in the rack, for example, but you don't want them pressed tightly together. And bowls shouldn't be nested or overlapping, since this can prevent water jets underneath from reaching the interior surfaces.
“Ideally, the rim of one bowl rests against the bottom edge of the bowl in front of it, rather than against its curved side or rim. When the bowls overlap along their curved sides, they're nested, and that can block spray from reaching and cleaning the upper side of the bowl,” says Noah Pinsonnault, home care and cleaning reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute's Cleaning Lab.
Instead, arrange bowls so they're separated and angled toward the spray. The same principle applies to pots, pans, and other larger items. Give them enough space for water to circulate around them, and position them so their dirty surfaces face the strongest spray.
And don’t forget the spray arm...
The spray arms are another big consideration when loading the dishwasher, since they need to rotate freely to distribute water throughout the dishwasher. A tall pan, utensil, or other item that gets in their way can prevent an arm from spinning, meaning some dishes may receive much less water and come out dirty. Before starting a cycle, give the spray arm a quick spin by hand to make sure nothing is blocking it.
More tips for loading the dishwasher
Once you've mastered the basics of spacing dishes and keeping the spray arms clear, a few other guidelines can help your dishwasher do its job most effectively and efficiently:
✔ Scrape, don't pre-rinse. If you're running the dishwasher right away, scrape off leftover food and load it. Today's dishwasher detergents are designed to tackle food residue, and pre-rinsing wastes water. If dishes will sit in the machine all day, use a rinse cycle instead.
✔ Put plates on the bottom rack. Position them so the dirty side faces the center of the rack, where the spray is generally strongest.
✔ Angle cookware downward. Pots, pans, and casseroles should be positioned so water can reach their interiors and drain away rather than pooling.
✔ Keep glasses and cups on the top rack. Place glasses between the tines, not over them, and angle cups so water doesn't collect in their bases.
✔ Secure lightweight plastics. Otherwise, they can flip over during the cycle, fill with water, or move into the path of a heating element on models that have one.
✔ Don't block the detergent dispenser. Large pans or platters placed directly in front of it can prevent the dispenser from opening properly and keep detergent from reaching the load.
Brigitt is a writer, editor and craft stylist with nearly 15 years of experience. She specializes in lifestyle topics, including home, health, parenting, beauty, style, food, entertaining, travel and weddings. She has written for Glamour, People, Good Housekeeping, Women's Health, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, and more.
