Are you one of the many people arguing about how to properly load your dishwasher?
Breakfast TV show This Morning has tackled some of the most contentious debates when it comes to washing dishes.
Today’s show featured Katie Mortram from Good Housekeeping, who has been testing dishwashers for five years. She described how to stack them properly and explained what you should and shouldn’t wash in there, including hair combs and cheese graters.
According to Katie, the distance between the tines is a good indication of which items belong to which parts of the machine.
Speaking of the bottom shelf, Katie said: ‘The ones (tines) that are close together are basically for dinner plates and side dishes…The ones that are spaced a little further apart are for soup plates, bowls and larger items.
Good Housekeeping’s Katie Mottram (pictured left) debunked some dishwasher myths on This Morning today (presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard pictured center right)
“Basically, if they’re a little wider, you have a little more room for the thickness of the items.”
In addition to plates and bowls, pots and pans should also be placed on the lower level, never on the upper level.
Katie explained why: “The heating element is down there and there’s also more water pressure coming from the sprinkler below. Basically, you’ll get the best performance on the bottom rack.
“So if you can, you should aim things down and toward the center.”
As for whether dishes should be rinsed before putting them out, Kate said it doesn’t make sense and simply scraping them first is enough.
She explained: ‘Flushing is basically a waste of water, time and money. Dishwashers are advanced enough now to remove basically all greasy residue or sauces in a single cycle, so you’re just wasting time and effort (if you rinse).’
Another widely debated dishwasher topic he addressed was whether to place cutlery with the handles facing up or down.
According to Katie, ideally you would use an additional third shelf, which some dishwashers have as a top shelf, with two deeper shelves underneath.
According to Katie speaking on This Morning today (pictured), you need to make sure there is space between all items to allow water to flow between them and clean them properly.
If you use the cutlery basket on your machine, he said he believes it is designed so that the knives and forks face up.
However, Katie noted that she would “alternate the spoons, especially up and down, to prevent clumping and to make sure water can flow through them and clean them” properly.
As for her other top tips, Katie said it’s important to make sure items are spaced at least a little bit.
“You don’t want them to come into contact, that way the water can get through and clean (everything) properly.”
Another tip, which Katie said she “couldn’t emphasize enough” was to “always take out the top rack and check that the spray arm can rotate fully and is not locked at any point” after you finish loading.
Finally, I addressed what items you can (and can’t) clean in your dishwasher.
Katie noted that you should check what the brand says regarding whether items are dishwasher safe or not, but that some items should never be placed in dishwashers.
These include items made of cast iron, copper, glassware and fine porcelain. You should also keep sharp knives and cheese graters out of your machine.
This is because dishwashers will wear down items with sharp edges, so they should be washed by hand to keep them as long as possible. Additionally, the intricate design of cheese graters is unlikely to be able to be thoroughly cleaned.
Katie said: “Dishwasher detergent will dull the blades… and (with kitchen knives) the hardness of the steel means it’s prone to rusting a lot more than regular stainless steel cutlery.”
This Morning presenters Cat Deeley (pictured, left) and Ben Shephard (pictured, right) during today’s segment on loading your dishwasher.
He added: “And…any sharp objects in your dishwasher will also cut the rubber coating on the baskets, so could damage your dishwasher.”
Wooden items should also be washed by hand, she said, and never put them in the washing machine, as the wood will swell and crack in the high temperatures.
Items like microwave turntables and cleaning tools may be machine washable, depending on the brand’s specific instructions.
When it comes to non-kitchen items, there are some that Katie says can be put in the machine, like plastic toys (again, as long as they say they’re dishwasher safe).
He even suggested that the combs can be put in the dishwasher, as long as they are made of solid plastic and marked as washing machine safe.