Ohhh this is a big one—and yep, almost everyone does it 😬
🚫 Never Do This Again: The Dishwasher Mistake Everyone Makes
❌ Rinsing dishes before loading them
Why this is actually a mistake
Modern dishwashers are designed to detect food particles.
When you rinse everything spotless first:
- Sensors think dishes are already clean
- The cycle runs weaker and shorter
- Detergent has nothing to cling to
- Grease and film get left behind
Result?
👉 Cloudy glasses
👉 Dishes that still smell
👉 Wasted water and energy
What to do instead ✅
- Scrape, don’t rinse
- Remove big chunks of food only
- Let detergent do its job
Detergents contain enzymes that need food residue to activate properly.
Other dishwasher mistakes people don’t realize they’re making
⚠️ Using too much detergent
- Leaves residue
- Causes cloudy glassware
⚠️ Blocking the spray arms
- Tall pans stop water from circulating
⚠️ Overloading
- Dishes shield each other from water
⚠️ Not cleaning the filter
- Causes bad smells and poor cleaning
👉 Clean monthly
Pro tip most people never hear
Run hot water at the sink for a few seconds before starting the dishwasher.
- Ensures the cycle begins with hot water immediately
- Improves grease removal
Bottom line
Stop pre-rinsing. Scrape and load.
Your dishes will come out cleaner, and you’ll save water every single load.
If you want, I can also show:
- 🧼 Where dishes actually belong (top vs bottom rack)
- 🚿 Why your dishwasher smells even when empty
- 💥 The one detergent myth that ruins machines
Just say the word 👇
