Pre-washing dishes before putting them in the dish washer. Where do you stand?

[True Dough]

Some people I know just load the dishwasher without hesitation. Others stand at the sink, wiping away remnants of meals and then put practically clear plates and bowls in the dishwasher.

Which type are you?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. They call it a dishwasher for a reason.

I let it do its job.

[Warpy]

2. Some people don't like cleaning out the traps

The only thing I used the dishwasher for during the very brief time I had one was sterilizing beer bottles before bottling a bunch of home brew.

I think if I'd ever generated enough dirty dishes to run the thing, I'd have scraped them down with a rubber spatula to get the solid stuff off and just shoved them in. Prewashing the dishes always looked just a little silly to me.

[shraby]

3. I bought the machine to do the work. I scrape the leftovers off the plates, load

the dishwasher and let it do what it was designed to do. Wash the dishes.

[brush]

19. I'm with you, just get the big stuff off and put dishes in the dishwasher

[Dulcinea]

27. Same here.

I scrape the big particles off & let the dishwasher do the rest. I loathe most kitchen work.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Still a rinsing away.

The Boss Lady says I better follow her rules of else. He he.

[democratisphere]

5. The dishes probably don't even need to be run through the dishwasher.

[KT2000]

14. same here

it is days between running the dishwasher so it would be too gross. Anyway, I just want the dishwasher to wash with hot hot water.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Depending on what you mean by pre-washing,

and how new your dishwasher is.

The last dishwasher I had I did need to rinse my dishes. I gather that brand new ones will take care of any residue left. Nice. I really do need to do something about replacing my current dishwasher which broke down some years ago.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

7. We just did a deep cleaning of our 10 year old dishwasher. It was wayyyyy over due.

It was pretty gummed up. We noticed the dishes weren't getting as clean as they should be for some time. Finally the thing just wouldn't drain all the way.

We both agreed we need to clean the dishes off better AND clean the machine more regularly.

We currently do not have a garbage disposal installed but I have a brand new in the box disposal a neighbor gave me. I suppose with the disposal installed we can rely on that versus relying on the dishwasher's grinder.

So put me down for should wipe clean but don't yet practice what I preach.

Btw, cleaning the dishwasher was relatively easy. There are several YouTube videos online so you should be able to get instructions for yours.

You typically would only need a screw driver and/or nut driver.

Basically: The spray arms come off so you can clean out the ports. There are filters for the spray arms that need to be cleaned. The bottom grate/course screen comes up so you can clean underneath (yuck). And the "sump filter" lifts out so you can clean that part too. It's not a bad ideas to take the float pieces apart and clean gunk off - when that sticks it causes the machine to not fill or drain properly.

It probably took less than an hour. Half of that was looking for tools.

[Rollo]

8. It depends slightly on the type of dishwasher...

But in general there is no need to pre-wash dishes before putting through a home dishwasher cycle.

In fact, for some modern dishwashers, pre-washing can be detrimental, because the soil sensor in the dishwasher thinks the dishes are already clean and will adjust the cleaning cycle accordingly, which might result in insufficient cleaning of items that were not pre-washed.

In general, one should simply scrape off major food particles before putting them in the dishwasher. This may help prevent the clogging of the recirculation filter in dishwashers that do not incorporate a mini garbage disposal (like most European designs don't), which I understand some American designs have.

But to answer the question, I just scrape off major food debris before putting into the dishwasher. I have a Bosch and sometime I miss some items that wind up in the recirculation filter. I think on average I have to pull it about once every month or two to check and back rinse. No biggie.

[Binkie The Clown]

9. I don't use a dishwasher. I enjoy washing dishes. It's very zen. n/t

[stopbush]

18. But not eco- friendly. Hand washing dishes wastes huge amounts of water

compared to using a dishwasher.

[Binkie The Clown]

22. Not the way I wash them for my unique circumstances.

I use less water than the dishwasher, and no electricity.

A very little bit of soapy water in the bottom of the sink. Wash the silverware in that, and let the rinse water run right into the same sink so there will be a little more water for glasses and mugs. (Do NOT leave the water running. It goes on briefly to rinse, and goes right back off.) Rinse and repeat for plates and bowls. I end up with less than 1/4 of the sink worth of water, and no water runs down the drain during the whole process. Only when I'm done is that 1/4 of a sink drained.

Disclaimers: I live alone, so I use very few dishes. I do one-pot recipes. I cook no-oil vegan so there's never anything greasy or oily that needs extra soap, and nothing baked on since I the few things I bake, like squash, potatoes, or yams, I line the baking dish with a layer of foil. Things like rice and beans, potato soup, pea soup, done in the crock pot, rinse out easily.

Being alone, I'd need to buy twice as many dishes and only wash them once a month in order to have a dishwasher load. Running the dishwasher (I do have one. It came with the house.) with 1 breakfast bowl, 1 lunch bowl or plate, 1 dinner plate, 2 spoons, 2 forks, and a tea mug would be a colossal waste of water and energy.

I microwave my oatmeal in the same bowl I eat it from. I reheat leftovers for lunch in the same bowl or plate I eat it from, and depending on what's on the menu, I might use the crock pot once a week, and a sauce pan 2 or 3 times a week. Still not enough dishes for a weekly load.

[stopbush]

24. Your situation is the exception that proves the rule.

http://www.treehugger.com/kitchen-design/built-in-dishwashers-vs-hand-washing-which-is-greener.html

Even in your situation, one needs to ask: how many gallons of water do you waste running the water before it gets to a satisfactory temperature to wash dishes? A dishwasher has its own heating element and doesn't waste a drop. A high-efficiency dishwasher uses only 4 gallons of water per load, 6 gallons for a non-energy star machine. The average kitchen faucet runs at 2 gallons per minute. A British study found that the average hand washer uses 27 gallons of water to clean a load of dishes.

Electrical usage is very low for a dishwasher, around 46¢ per load. You can run it in the middle of the night when rates are lower...and in the dark. One needs to figure the cost of having the lights on when hand washing dishes, no? One needs to also figure in the cost of heating each gallon of water used in a dishwasher, or when drawing that water from one's boiler for hand washing.

[Binkie The Clown]

35. But you can't top this reason:

In the winter, when it's cold and shivery, I'll taker advantage of any opportunity to put my hands in hot water.

[Orrex]

36. Out of curiosity...

How does the manufacture, transport and eventual disposal of the dishwasher affect the relative eco-friendliness of hand-washing vs. machine-washing?

[stopbush]

37. Who knows? You can ask the same question about replacing the water heater

and the kitchen faucet one needs to hand wash.

My guess: in the long run, it's a wash (pun intended).

BTW - here in CA, large appliances must be recycled. That includes boilers and dishwashers. The metals are reused and things like computer boards that contain toxic materials are disposed of properly.

[Orrex]

38. LOL @ the pun

As for the impact, I guess my point was that water conservation might not be sufficient, in itself, to be the sole justification for machine vs manual.

Of course, other perfectly valid factors weigh in as well: convenience, thoroughness of the scrub/rinse, sterilization, etc.

[stopbush]

39. Except that hand washing loses by a huge margin to dishwashers

just on the eco footprint: water and energy usage, cost of energy production, etc.

As stated in the article I cited, unless you can keep your hand washing to one cup of water per item washed and rinsed, it will always be costlier than running the dishwasher.

[Orrex]

40. Well, only an asshole leaves the water running.

I start filling the sink with the silverware already in it, and I wash/rinse as it fills. It's not a huge sink, and it usually only fills about halfway. Barring a generous gift from eco-friendly samaritans by which I can have an energy efficient dishwasher installed for free, that's how things will stay for the foreseeable future.

Of course, for those who rinse before loading the dishwasher, they're using extra water, too, and whenever I've seen that done, it's with the faucet running the whole time. At least for dishes following a meal, though individual cups etc. can be loaded whenever, of course.

[stopbush]

42. I have found free energy efficient dishwashers on ebay a couple of times.

Homeowners who remodel kitchens often change all of their appliances at the same time. You can often find a nearly new dishwasher for no cost, as long as you can pick up the unit. This happened to me 7 years ago, and the guy who was discarding the dishwasher delivered it my home at no charge. I paid someone else to install it.

We're in a rental now. Needed a new dishwasher last fall and found one on ebay for $75 that included delivery, installation and removal of the old unit (the landlord happily paid the $75). It turned out that the guy with the dishwasher fixes appliances as something of a hobby. I liked him, and have used him to make other repairs on appliances. Yesterday, he installed a new door lock on our Kenmore washer. The part goes for $89 new. He found it on ebay for $11 and charged me $25 for the part and installation. Back in November, he installed new roller wheels, belt and pulley assembly on my Kenmore dryer. Charged me $65 - $25 for parts and $40 for labor. Our washer and dryer are now 12 years old and still run great.

I compare that to the $375 repair that Sears charged me to replace the water inlet valve on the same washer 4 years ago. I bet my guy could have done it for under $100 as you can find the part online for $35.

[Orrex]

43. Interesting suggestion--thanks! (nt)

[Hassin Bin Sober]

56. That's a great guy to have.

I've been dabbling in doing my own appliance repair for my friends and neighbors. Not for hire.

Most appliances are pretty easy to work on. With so many YouTube videos on the web, it makes it so much easier.

I just did a washer inlet valve for a friend. The part was like $11 bucks. I thought I would have to flip the machine over to get at parts -- nope, the control panel flips up and the whole case pulls up. All you have to do in plug a plug. Then a few screws and a clamp.

I wouldn't have know how to get at the part but repairclinic.com has videos on the site. They also have "top causes" lists of whatever your problem is. Even if you are not sure which part is bad, it probably makes sense to change a couple parts rather than call a service.

[Skittles]

60. I have never used a dishwasher

always wash them by hand

[oldtime dfl_er]

10. Not a member of the clean plate club

so there's almost always something leftover. I scrape the plates while they're under running water. Then into the dishwasher.

[Wellstone ruled]

11. Cheap way to clean your

dishwasher-------just toss in a couple cups to Tang (citric acid) and run through the short cycle and wallaaa,just like new.

[MADem]

12. Pre-wash. Really, just rinse a bit.

But we have a portable, small dishwasher that is very basic and unfancy. The auto-dry function is turned off because it will throw a breaker. It's not really needed, though; we just open the door of the dishwasher and let the steam out when the cycle is finished--puts a bit of humidity in the air and the dishes air dry in no time.

That said, it cleans the dishes great with just a little cooperation. Beats having discussions over who gets stuck with the chore.

[Beakybird]

13. The detergent is designed to interact with soiled dishes

Our dishes come out clean just from scraping. If they don't come out clean, you might need to rinse a little.

[LuvLoogie]

15. I rinse with a scrubby sponge and brush out the cups and glasses if there are dried or

thick coffee dregs. I also brush out glasses with leftover milk. The hot water of the dishwasher will cook the milk and leave a cloudy film if you don't.

[chillfactor]

16. I rise off the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher....

why put garbage in the dishwasher? I have a garbage disposal for that. And a dishwasher sterilizes the dishes that a hand washing cannot.

[seaglass]

30. Same. My husband does not though so I usually take out the dishes etc. that he puts in and

wash them and then put them back in. I use the dishwasher mostly for its sanitizing effect plus my eyes are not as good as they once were so I assume the dishwasher takes off debris that I may have missed.

[No Vested Interest]

17. Quick rinse under running faucet, and a little attention to cups/mugs with tea stain

or cocoa clinging to the sides.

[Lunabell]

20. Pre rinse

For the squeaky clean I like.

[Doreen]

21. Wait a minute!!

You mean I was not supposed to be putting them on the floor for the dog to lick clean for me before putting them away?

OK, bad joke.

Being serious, it is the quality of the dishwasher. I have had some that are so old that you had to get all of the food off because all it did was sanitize because of the heat. I have had ones where I only did a quick half ass rinse then put them in. I have also had ones where except for scraping left over food off I just loaded them up. It is all in the quality of the dishwasher.

[Rhiannon12866]

26. I know a lot of people who do that! LOL

And for me, it also depends on how soon I'm going to run the dishwasher. If it's empty, I'm more apt to rinse the dishes. If I'm running it right now, I'm not as careful. But leaving food on the plates grosses me out.

[Doreen]

34. Yeah, that applies also. Living alone you might as well clean them yourself

because by the time you need clean dishes you have gone through them all. Well at least for myself I have four plates, four bowels, for glasses, and so on. That way I do not pile up to many and I have an miserably small apartment.

[PatrickforO]

23. I always rinse the gritty stuff off the dishes before I put them

in the dishwasher. Gotta do it.

[pansypoo53219]

25. i am the dishwasher.

[Ohioblue22]

28. pre washing is like preheating it doesn't exist you're either washing or not

the oven is heating or it's off

[woodsprite]

29. Dishwashing is a trip and a half at our house

If my husband does them, he scrapes the dishes into the trash, won't use the disposal for anything, then he packs the dishwasher very methodically to get the most items in as possible. Usually, when we unload the dishwasher, we find some items then need handwashing, or need to be reloaded because they didn't get clean enough.

I scrape, then rinse the dishes before loading, and I don't pack as tightly as hubby does. If a baking dish has baked on stuff, I'll soak it and do it by hand. Very rarely do I have to re wash an item I've put through. But if I'm not quick enough at loading and starting the cycle when hubby walks by, he will "rearrange" my load to "fit more in".

I usually try to get it done and started quickly before he makes his appearance. Oh, and he refuses to use the pots and pans cycle for heavier cleaning which may fix the issue.

He also makes the bed with the fold over going the opposite way and hangs TP and paper towels with the loose end to the back of the roll. After 31 years, I just fix them when I see them

[Phentex]

55. my husband thinks it's efficient, too, but it's not...

packing everything in to get in as much as possible sometimes backfires because he's blocked the spray from reaching things. And then he seems SO shocked when something does not get fully clean. It's not an old dishwasher either, so it works very well when packed properly. I don't rinse as much as he does because I know the dishwasher can handle it.

We don't have a disposal so it's best to scrape off anything large before loading. But I won't cram. I also think it bends the wires and that's never a good idea. I'm with you. I just re-load when he isn't looking.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

58. Guilty. I'm a fit more inner.

It drives me nuts when my partner runs a load with dishes outstanding.

If they are dirty, they are either in the dishwasher or in the sink. I hate dishes in the sink. So where do you hide the leftovers?

He gets mad when I throw a dish in after the load starts. Come on, I'm sure that coffee cup or water glass can still come out clean if it doesn't make the whole journey.

I have been guilty f holding off running a load before the machine is packed. I'm working on that.

We have company this week so I'm running the machine each night. Full or not. Staying ahead of the game.

[Ron Obvious]

31. Scrape off the worst of the scraps only and then straight into the dishwasher with the plates

Like God intended.

My wife's family cleaned them thoroughly before putting them into the dishwasher, and this very thing was the source of our first big marital discord.

[doc03]

32. I do it the old fashioned way by hand only wash them once. Let the dog lick them

clean then put them in the machine saves water and dogs get fed.

[3catwoman3]

33. It depends on what is on the dishes.

Our sons are both on their own now, so it is just my husband and me, therefore he dishasher does not get run as often.

If we have had anyn thing very strongly seasoned with lots of garlic or onion, that has to be rinsed off, especially if the dishwasher is newly empty, or it will really stink 5 days later once there is finally enough stuff to run a load.

[bluedigger]

41. That's what Pre-Clean, I mean Cleopatra Marie, is for.

[Laffy Kat]

46. Yep. I have a similar model.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

44. The detergent needs to have something to work on/with

Clean off the big stuff, then run the washer.

There's a bit of chemistry involved, so take advantage of the science.

Although, I've found that golden retrievers make excellent pre-cleaning devices.

[Laffy Kat]

45. I have a dog.

She pretty much does the pre-wash around here.

[Laffy Kat]

47. Mine have to be done ASAP.

Cannot stand dirty dishes in the sink or on the counter. The rest of the house can be a pit, but by golly the dishes are done. Remember the SNL skit, "The Anal-Retentive Chef"? That would be me. The dog does the pre-wash if appropriate, then straight into the DW. I always use the sanitizing option, too. My sister and I always argue about that. She doesn't think you need to sanitize, and I'm, like, why would you not?

[mrs_p]

48. Is there a dog wash option?

[unblock]

53. hah! we did that when we had a dog

[Baitball Blogger]

49. Hell yes. Rinse them.

Food gunk harden and it becomes less likely that it will wash off. So, you defeat the purpose if you pull a dish out of the cabinet and discover there is ossified food sediment clinging on the plate.

[benld74]

50. Pre-rinse to rid plates, pots, pans of food remnants

Dishwashers should be used to wash and STERILIZE what you eat off of, eat with and cook in.

[jberryhill]

51. I take them in the shower with me

[Hassin Bin Sober]

59. Gross. You pee on your dishes?

[jberryhill]

61. No, I don't pee in the shower

I do that in the kitchen sink.

[Polly Hennessey]

52. Rinse before.

Had a repairman tell me that rice kept him in business.

[Lebam in LA]

54. Never had a dishwasher

[nilesobek]

57. I decided my excessive dishes were, "hoarding," so I tossed them in favor of paper plates.

[yellowdogintexas]

62. no prewashing here. However I am blessed with an excellent machine

I have a Kenmore turbo, if you are looking at dishwashers at Sears, it is the one with the big red discs in the back wall. Those are turbo jets, and can be manually turned on from the control panel. I put my grungy casseroles, etc facing them and they come out squeaky clean.

This thing has three spray arms which is also a big help.

I do knock off any actual pieces of food because this machine does not have a grinder. It does have a good filter which is located where you can easily tell that you need to pick something off of it, but why should you have to?

[Blue_Tires]

63. Straight-up totalitarian fascism

but I had to do it growing up, so everyone else has to do it, too

[ailsagirl]

64. Most dishwashers are so damn noisy!

I pretty much wash them before putting them in. They should be called "dishdryers," I guess.

[luvMIdog]

65. I wash them with water before loading them