The Right Way to Load Your Dishwasher for Sparkling Results

Mastering the art of loading your dishwasher is the key to maximising its efficiency and ensuring spotless, sparkling dishes with each wash. With different loading capacities available, it's essential to understand how to make the most of your dishwasher's capabilities. Here are some expert tips to load your dishwasher the correct way:

1. Load Dishwasher-Safe Dishware Only: Always check that your dishes and crockery are dishwasher-safe before loading them. Avoid materials like aluminium, cast iron, pewter, brass, tin, and bronze, as they can be sensitive to high heat and may crack, warp, or discolour in the dishwasher.

2. Scrape Large Food Particles Off: Prep your dishes by scraping off large food particles with a fork or spoon before loading them. This simple step prevents the dishwasher filter from getting clogged and ensures proper water drainage, leading to a flawless wash every time. Note: With modern quality dishwashers there is no need to rinse.

3. Place Dishes Facing Down: For the best washing results, load your dishes facing down. The dishwasher spray arms, located beneath the baskets, clean dishes by spraying powerful jets of water upwards. Avoid overlapping dishes to ensure the water jets can reach every part of the dishes.

4. Dishes Should Not Obstruct Rotating Arms: Allow the dishwasher's spray arms to rotate freely for effective cleaning. Avoid obstructing their path by loading tall items like trays or jugs carefully. Items that stick below the basket, such as ladles and pot handles, should also be loaded with consideration.

5. Give Cutleries Their Own Space: Organise cutleries in their respective slots in the cutlery drawer, if available, or use a separate cutlery basket accessory. For silver cutlery, consider using a silver cassette accessory to preserve their shine.

6. Organise Your Dishes Accordingly: Optimise your dishwasher's performance by placing less soiled and delicate dishes made of glass, china, or porcelain in the top basket. The specialised tines in this section provide a gentler wash for fragile items. For heavily soiled dishes and dishwasher accessories, like the Cutlery Basket or GlassSecure Tray, use the bottom basket for a more intensive wash. Taller items, such as pots and pans, fit perfectly in the bottom basket.

7. Avoid overcrowding: This can hinder proper water circulation and result in subpar cleaning. Arrange your dishes in an organised manner, leaving enough space between them for water to reach all areas. Avoid stacking dishes on top of each other, as this can block the spray arms and impede cleaning.
   
   
8. Organise plastic items: it's best to place them on the top rack. Plastic can be more sensitive to the high heat in the dishwasher, and placing them on the top rack away from the heating element helps to avoid warping or melting. Plastic is often a problem in the drying phase so properly space the items to ensure proper air circulation. Rinse aid is a good idea anyway but for plastics it is a must.
   
   
9. Take advantage of your dishwasher's features and settings: Use the appropriate wash cycle for your specific load, such as heavy-duty for heavily soiled items and a delicate cycle for fragile glassware. Additionally, consider using rinse aid to enhance drying and reduce water spots.
   
   

10. Don't Forget the Bottom Basket: Reserve the bottom basket for larger items or pots and pans that require extra space. If you have extra tall items, like baking trays, in good quality dishwashers you can remove the top basket and wash them in the bottom basket often with a baking spray head accessory attached for real thorough cleaning.

By following these expert tips, you can optimise your dishwasher's performance and achieve consistently outstanding results with every wash. Enjoy the convenience and efficiency of a flawlessly loaded dishwasher that delivers pristine, sparkling dishes at the touch of a button.