Are you loading your dishwasher wrong?

We dug into the science of dishwashers to *finally* put an end to all your dishwasher debates.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:

𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀:

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Dr. Rainer Stamminger, professor in the Institute of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Bonn

MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC.

[neddypwnz]

Appliance repair technician here: one thing a lot of people miss when talking about this topic is that while you CAN skip the pre-rinse, if you want to keep your dishwasher I still recommend getting as much as you can off. Leftover food stuff clogging pumps, pipes, and spray arms are the most common causes of service calls and premature wear. a little sauce left over is fine, but anything oily or solid needs to be removed if you want to keep your dishwasher healthy.

[dabundis]

I think one of the big reasons that so many of these topics are argued about so often is that there are lots of different ways to load a dishwasher that will result in clean dishes. Then people find one method that works, and assume it's THE correct method, remaining unaware of the many other perfectly functional methods.

[chadeller]

Cutting my hand on upward facing knife tips (multiple times!) has made me a life long pointy-side-down advocate.

[pokelover]

I have a food handler’s certificate, and in my training we’re taught to load flatware face-down because it’s much more sanitary when you pull them out by the ends and you’re less likely to make someone sick when they use the utensil.

[MrBubmer]

If you guys want a more in-depth series on how a dishwasher works, go watch the technology connections series on them. He goes into a TON more information and details on how they work, what soap to use, prerinsing, how important adding soap to the prewash is, etc.

[Zsomi]

Additional tip about the utensil direction. If you put your forks, knives or any other stuff with slim pointed ends in the basket, make sure they don't poke through the bottom too much. In some dishwashers as much as 0.5cm is already enough to collide with the bottom spinner during operation.

[Marpurrsa]

the biggest thing people should know about dishwashers is CLEAN YOUR DISHWASHER

clean out the filter, check the sprayarms for objects from time to time, use a dishwasher cleaner every once in a while
dont get your clean dishes from a dishwasher that has gunk in it from 2 months ago

[monicajohnston]

One other reason to put plastic in the top rack is because there's usually a heating element on the bottom of the dishwasher, so the bottom rack often gets hot enough to melt, crack, or warp plastic

[MinistryOfMagic_DoM]

This is neat. It confirmed a lot of things I knew to be true. One note: you have a prewash detergent basin in your washer but you completely ignore it. Fill that thing with liquid detergent and youll get even better results than you normally do since there will be detergent in your prewash water and not just cold tap water. Also run the hot line on your sink for a bit to make sure the pipe is charged with hot water so that initial fill is hot.

[namenamename]

This video reminded me of a thing I saw ages ago, a German kids TV show, Die Sendung mit der Maus, meant to answer questions children might have about how things work. So obviously they had one episode where they explained how a dishwasher works. However, it was filmed before GoPros were a thing, so instead of putting a camera inside the dishwasher, they asked a manufacturer to make a transparent dishwasher door.

[DenisRyan]

There's a really great YouTube channel called Technology Connections that did a great video on how dishwashers work and how to maximize their effectiveness. His video pretty much agrees with everything you said, though he also adds that some parts of the world don't get hot water quickly when you start to pull from the hot water tap, which the dishwasher needs. So I always just let my hot tap run just long enough to be hot when I turn on my dishwasher. Also, using too much detergent can result in a streaky appearance on your dishes, or in particular, glass objects.

[StephenTack]

Adding a bit of detergent outside the detergent door (like on its lid or just on the door of the dishwasher) will make it so the initial rinse has detergent in it, and cleans vastly better!

[lilbutterball]

I just wanted to share my 57 years of dishwasher experience well actually I grew up in an old farm house so I didn't get luxury of a dishwasher until I was pushing 35 but here is what I found. If you pre rinse your dishes it greatly extends the life of your dishwasher or if you don't prerinse, its best if you change the filters more often. I had one dishwasher that lasted me from 2001 to 2024. Yes you read that correctly. I only just got a new one this year. Pretty amazing! Just wanted to share. Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed watching

[stephentsatchell]

When I was dating my late wife, her family used to throw large (14 to 20 place) dinner parties. When it was time to clean up, my date insisted I help her with the washing of the delicate dishes and glasses. (The pots, pans, cooking sheets, and so forth did go through the dishwasher.) Usually she would wash, I would dry, and whoever else was in the kitchen would place them in table racks set up for the occasion. To this day, I feel this was time well spent to get to know my then-future wife, and later as a couple.

[jer]

One thing about per-rinsing your dishes: I do it so I don't have food sitting in the dishwasher before the next use.
If you only run your dishwasher every 4 to 5 days, it will get pretty stinky in there, especially during the summer time.
(It's why you don't throw your leftovers in the kitchen garbage, then let it sit there for a week.)

[dylanwhite]

Note that all dishwashers are intended to have soap in BOTH the prewash AND main wash water. It’s much more effective that way. Edit: if your dishwasher doesn’t have a prewash cup, read the manual. There’s a 100% chance it tells you to sprinkle some at the base of the door or into the main wash tub.

[SunriseLAW]

We have a Pomeranian Pre-Rinse System on our floor. That ensures all debris is removed from dishes prior to placing in the dishwasher.

[l.chrisjones]

Remember the TV show Monk? There was an episode where they talked about how he wants his silverware washed. He runs it twice, once face-up and once facedown.

[Funkteon]

Footage from inside dishwashers showcases why you should always use the little capsule holder for your soap capsule, instead of what some people suggest which is that you can just throw the tablet into the bottom of the machine before you start the machine.

[GiveMeYoSammich]

I've serviced plenty of washing machines as a side gig where the main issue was people never cleaned the filter in dishwashers, that being said pre rinsing significantly helps lower the strain on your dishwasher from getting gunked up