If you have kids (or a stubborn partner!), chances are you’ve had many “discussions” about not rinsing their dishes properly before putting them in the dishwasher. It’s a habit ingrained in our brains, but it turns out that rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher can actually make them less clean.
In a recent article published by the Wall Street Journal, researchers revealed that all modern dishwashers are equipped with a smart sensor. Among other things, these sensors decide the temperature and duration of each cycle, regardless of the settings you have programmed for the dishwasher.
During the initial pre-wash cycle, these sensors determine the amount of loose food on the dishes and in the dishwasher, and then program the dishwasher to take another step toward cleaning the dishes. In fact, if you rinse your dishes beforehand, the sensors won’t detect anything and therefore won’t go into high gear.
Even if you rinse most of your dishes, the problem is that if you miss one, the dishwasher’s sensors won’t detect it. So that’s probably why that plate came out with hard, stuck-on food while the rest of the dishes came out clean.
While you don’t want to put your dishes in the dishwasher with piles of food on them, scraping off the excess food in the garbage can is usually sufficient. Most dishwashers manufactured in the last five years have these smart sensors. So if you have a newer model, you can save time and water
To keep your dishwasher running efficiently, don’t forget to clean the filter regularly and run it empty from time to time to keep everything super clean. Dishwashers are one of the most convenient items in modern kitchens, and they’re even more convenient today. So when you go to rinse your dishes tonight, stop! Put it right in the dishwasher and you’ll be surprised at how clean it will come out.
