How do your dishwasher habits stack up?

March 12th, 2013

Appliance Talk Dishwashers

Washing dishwashers is one of those household chores that always seem to generate debate. Whether it’s the difference between using dishwasher tablets or powder, or the various ways you can try to make the job easier, this humble appliance can be the cause of many arguments.

But according to consumer advice website Choice, it is how a dishwasher is stacked that is creating issues for households.

The results of a four-year study of nearly 3,000 Australian households were released last week (March 5), and some surprising dishwasher habits were uncovered.

Not only did one family use their dishwasher to clean Lego blocks, many were “shadowing” when it came to stacking, meaning that bowls and large items were placed over each other – a practice that should be avoided in order to get the best possible cleaning result.

Choice whitegoods expert Matthew Steen explained that every household is different when it comes to packing dishwashers.

“While some are incredibly precise in their packing, for many it’s a case of slapping the dishes in and expecting the dishwasher to clean properly,” he said.

“The way Australians are packing has changed over many years – people are now putting in large serving dishes, steel pots and pans, plastic bowls and serving utensils.”

Dishwasher stacking is a subject that Appliances Online blogger Louise touched on last year, but in light of Choice’s recent finding, we got our own product expert Colin Jones on to the case.

Colin believes that while incorrectly stacking the dishwasher plays an important role in poor wash results, it is the rinsing of plates that can make the biggest difference.

“When you have a family you end up with quite a few dishes, and most people will scrape off the remainder of food before turning the tap on and starting to rinse the plates one after the other,” Colin explained.

“But this wastes a significant amount of time, as well as between 30 and 50 litres of water if you leave the tap running. It’s best to let your dishwasher do the rinsing for you, as a pre-rinse cycle will only use between four and six litres of water and will recycle the water throughout the 15 minute cycle.”

Colin’s top three tips for using a dishwasher are:

• It’s best to connect your dishwasher to cold water, rather than hot. This allows the machine to pre-rinse plates to remove food particles before continuing through the cycle, rather than the food being baked onto the plate due to the high water temperature
• Rinse Aid should be used in all dishwasher as this will assist in the drying cycle and prevent water marks streaking your glasses or dishes
• If you have plates larger than 30cm, make sure that your dishwasher features an adjustable upper basket

For more advice on what dishwasher best suits your cleaning needs, give our friendly customer service team a call on 1300 000 500 or visit our website for more details.