The dishwasher cannot spin the dishes the way that a washer spins a load or clothes. Instead, it shoots hot water up from the center of the floor of the appliance’s interior section. The smart homemaker keeps that fact in mind, when placing bowls, glasses, utensils and plates on the dishwasher’s racks.

What should be placed on the top rack?

Put bowls on the top rack. Arrange them so that the ones in the front face forward and those in the back face the rear of the appliance. That allows the water to come in from the sides. Glasses also belong on that upper section of the appliance’s rack-shaped holders. Plastic containers and cups should join the glasses. Where space allows, insert long utensils, and have them lying flat on the top rack’s bottom.

What should get placed on the bottom rack?

Plates go on the lower rack; arrange them so that each of them faces the center, where the water will be coming out. Platters and cookies sheets go there as well; put them near the edges, so that the detergent can reach the other dishes. In the spaces not taken up by plates, put things like casserole dishes, large pots and serving bowls. Set them at an angle, so the water flows over all of their surfaces. The holder for the utensils fits in a section of this lower area. Put butter knives facing down. The arrangement for the forks and spoons should keep them from nesting in each other. The soapy solution cannot flow over all the dirty surfaces in a group of nested utensils. Try alternating the direction in which each of those utensils faces, when placed in the designated holder.

Other tricks that let the dishwasher do a better job of cleaning each dish

Match the amount of food on the dishes’ surface with the setting used to clean them. If each item in a given load has become only slightly soiled, use the quick clean setting. That approach helps to save water and energy. For items that are hard-to-clean, use the high temperature wash cycle. That exposes the load to water that is between 5 and 10 degrees hotter than what gets used in the standard cycle. Such temperatures could never be achieved, if someone were to try to remove the remains of a meal by hand-washing an especially dirty item.

One group of dishes that can go on either rack

That group includes all the saucers. Each of them might be viewed as a small plate. By the same token, any one of them could be viewed as a shallow bowl. Additionally, if you want a quick demo, contact the appliance repair technician in San Diego County. Contact us:

(619) 719-5005

[email protected]