I don't think the dog will be happy their pre-washing service is not required anymore.

I'll play devil's advocate and continue the argument... I always put utensils "face up", for 2 reasons: - they bunch up a lot less this way (bunching up is mentioned on the video, face up is better for that) - in case you have hard water, any stains left by the water won't be on the eating surfaces (not that they're dangerous to put in your mouth, but a bit nicer when the stains are on the handle instead) In my opinion, the only good argument for "face down" is that you don't poke yourself with the sharp end, but I've never had that as a real issue. For the washing itself, face up is better for the reasons above.

The reason to place cutlery (utensils in the US?) with the blades (or tines) downwards is because upwards facing blades are a significant hazard should you fall onto the dishwasher while loading the tray. Yes, this is a low probability occurrence, but with a potential high consequence and thus would rate as a medium risk using most risk assessment methods. And of course it is a risk that is easy and practical to mitigate - and as the video notes has no impact on how clean the item is at the end of the wash.

Important to know: the fancy colors used in expensive dishwasher detergent is nothing but fancy colors. The expensive and cheap stuff should perform about the same because it contains about the same.

See Knorks, Thumb Up. They really are the best form of fork++.

No love for the cutlery _drawer_ crowd at all, huh? Fine... 😏

bonus bonus fact: The middle spray arm has a nozzle at the end that points upwards and outwards, away from any dishes. You can see it in the still at 1:50, it points directly at us. When the arm rotates and the nozzle passes the dishwasher door, it sprays water into the detergent compartment to rinse it out (especially if you don't use tabs). So if you sometimes find half the detergent still stuck in the compartment after the dishwasher is done, check the nozzle(s), it might simply be clogged! (Happened to me in a vacation home, the owner asked us to pre-rinse because the dishwasher wasn't getting things clean... Easy fix and we didn't have to pre-rinse 😁)

Pls be for everyone, not just Americans, use metric

What the fork…. lol. 😂 Thank you that made me smile.

You point the utensils DOWN so you don’t put your HAND where the next user is going to put their TONGUE. It has zero to do with how well the dishwasher cleans them in that orientation.

Cilantro tastes like soap to me but I actually like it.

The cheaper lower-end models and especially older models will have issues if you don't prerinse the dishes. I've dealt with a early 00 model that was super cheap and would actually clog if we didn't prerinse.

Well when it comes to utensils there's one thing we can all agree on. Sharp and pointy knifes go face down. Your hands will thank you for that while unloading the dishes. 😁

Folks should know that aluminum pans, pots and utensils will corrode in the dishwasher due to the high pH of machine detergent. Not sure it has a significant effect on longevity, but it will cause discoloration.

OBVIOUSLY the objectively correct way is to put silverware point down, handle up because.... 1. the sharp bits are pointing down, so people or things cant fall onto sharp objects 2. so when you get the silverware out of the dish washer, the handle is ready to be grabbed, no touching the parts food touches, and people put in their mouths.

My cast-iron pan was 'bought' using collected supermarket stamps sometime in the 80s. It's still pretty much the only pan l use - l only own two and the other one is a smaller cast-iron one l bought badly rusted off someone who hated it. I clean mine with whatever it takes - usually a quick scrub with a dish brush under running water and then turned upside-down over the still warm burner to dry. Sometimes coffee grinds from the morning's brew, sometimes, if l've cooked some meat and potatoes, l strain the potato water into the pan while the meat is resting and use that and a quick rinse, if it's really bad, l'm not afraid to scour it using a metal scourer. I think l've only needed to properly re-season it a couple of times in the decades l've owned it. I do it by simmering vinegar in it to strip off the old seasoning and baking it in the oven with an inch or so of fresh oil but, usually a quick squirt from an oil sprayer and back in the drawer after it's cooled is enough. Sometimes l wonder how much it would have cost in "nonstick" pans over the decades, if l'd been using them as, so far the only expense l've had has been a new handle.

I have always put utensils in washers and drying racks for safety reasons. After hearing a story of someone getting a nasty cut from a plastic spoon, I simply decided not to take the risk

Putting some extra detergent into the tub or in the pre-rinse compartment of the detergent door significantly helps get food off during the pre-rinse, and makes the main detergent deployment more effective, since there is less foodstuff for it to break down.

Clogged spray arm you say? That's reason enough for me to keep pre-rinsing. It also helps that I'm on a rain catchment system with a giant water tank and there's almost no downside to me using some extra water. One thing you didn't mention is with all those cycles, a dishwasher gets dishes cleaner than just about anyone who is washing them by hand.

Remember, kids: There’s a big difference between dish SOAP and dish DETERGENT. You want the latter unless your goal is to flood the kitchen with bubbles. I learned this the hard way… 😅

Joke’s on you, my silverware holder is just a flat rack above everything else! Mwahahaha

I have an issue where the detergent door doesnt close. Have we just been wasting the cleaner pods since the soap stuff gets rinsed out?

I tried putting the plates and bowls face up, but they kept filling up with water. Probably not the right way...?

Great video, but I think it's missing a "your mileage may vary" caveat near the end. In general ..., yes, but I think everybody should experiment a bit with their specific machine; not necessarily GoPro and lights, but varying the inputs (pre-rinse or not, etc.) and comparing the results (less clean, more clean or not much different)

this " no prerinse needed" is a lie and should be flagged as misinformation. i have a 2024 kitchen aid the highest end money can buy, and no it cant remove dried rice, dried egg yolk, air fryer base, nutribullet with grape skin (if you use it to grind grapes)). the nyt article saying this was widely deemed to be not replicable and they dont list methodology because of that. this is some garbage "science"

Our family are compulsive pre-rinsers. The problem with this is that detergents and the amount of detergent that you dishwasher says to add are formulated based on non pre-rinsing. As a result, if you pre-rinse and follow those instructions then the PH of the water will be way too low and if you have soft crystal glasses (like we do) that water can end up etching them (like it did ours). So, if you are a pre-rinser, it is important to reduce the amount of dishwasher detergent you use (we use 1/2).

see also: technology connections

- Knives down to avoid accidents - utensils up to aid in identification

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

On the cutlery face-up or face-down debate, it is good practice to face your knives blade down for safety reasons. You never want to risk of possibly grabbing a sharp edge with your hands/fingers.

I’ll probably keep pre-rinsing. My husband insists we don’t have to but leaves the dirty dishes on the counter then complains if ants show up. What do you think they’re here for?!?!?!?! Either put them in the dishwasher or rinse them off!

no forking, eh? 😏

For those with hard water issues not cleaning the dishes, I have two words... "Lemi Shine". You're welcome!

So, in terms of pre-rensing they always told me that there was a filter trap at the bottom of the dishwasher that in modern dishwashers requires a dedicated repair tech to replace, Since they design them to be hard to get to, to try to trick people into replacing theirs more often. When that gets clogged then it no longer cleans dirty dishes. And in some cases that are nasty enough can even put more nasty stuff on the dish. Small amounts of stuff is fine in a newish one, but reduced the life of the dishwasher. And so I had people insist that the dishwasher was only for sterilization, they would handwash it. But would only use soap during the handwashing if things were stuck on, And there couldn't be anything on the dish. And then they would put the dishwasher on a shorter cycle that used high temperature water. If I did anything else growing up I got in trouble. I personally don't even see the point to putting it in the dishwasher at all if I have to hand wash it first. So, when I am at my families house I just handwash it anyways and don't use the dishwasher. And when I am on my own I only really do a brief rinse if it is something pretty nasty, or with big chunks. I have never actually verified if that is the case or not, but from my perspective it removes the whole point of having a dishwasher if you have to handwash anyways. I honestly still handwash with soap a decent chunk of my dishes, and save the dishwasher for really big pans, cups(which I find don't handwash as well.) and silverware. And generally handwash all my pots. There have been times in the past where the dishwasher just wouldn't clean anything you put in there even if it was mildly soaked. Which makes me think they were partially right but it is hard to tell. I do know the filter actually exists, and one dishwasher it was actually accesible enough I was able to replace it. But, it is very difficult to judge what would be too much for it. I mostly don't worry. I don't try to get the dishes super clean, but I make sure I scrape at least, and then rinse if it has anything really thick, crummy, or oily. Oil isn't a long term issues as much. but if you put a dish with enougb oil on it in a dishwasher, sometimes you can end up with that dish being cleaned but oil sticking to the outside of all the cups on the top rack. Which is gross.

big ole nippolahs....

va va va va va gina gina va va va va gina '

Another small point is dishwashing detergent Does matter!!! I had an apartment and I thought the dishwasher was no good, turns out with the right detergent dishes came out super clean. So if dishes are not coming out clean try a different detergent before calling for a repair.

Former restaurant guy here. There IS a reason why handle up is the right way. You are only handling the part you are not eating with. Yes, the chances of a clean fork out of the dishwasher harboring nasties that will infect you are very small. But techniques matter, and in some kitchens, can be seen by guests. You are totally correct, with proper cycles and equipment, everything comes out clean. But for hecks sake, don't handle the flatware from the eating end, which if you load handle down, you can't avoid.

How did you get the spin arm unclogged?

My dish washer has a pre-wash detergent compartment which I religiously fill. Other notes: - dishwashers not only save time - they face water. Washing dishes by hand uses 100 times, or more, more water than a dishwasher cycle. - check your dishwasher specifics: mine's middle arm is the most active so for best cleaning we put dishes face down on the top rack and face up (sideways at an angle) on the bottom rack.

I do my dishes face down ass up

the info is great overall, if a bit obvious when you think about what the machine is doing... in my experience the type of soap really matters, liquid detergent wasnt so great, and as the machine gets older i have to use the "heavy wash" setting more often... but one question remains: why are the bottom of the cups not getting clean???

you could just read the manual.

Seconding the other comments about putting detergent in for the pre-wash! It helps a ton.

Then there are those of us who don't have a dishwasher

Scrape instead of pre-rinse moves us to the next divisive topic: scraping a bowl with a fork, or the clearly correct spoon.

Ya can't wash lights and cameras in a dish washer. They ain't dishes!

One thing you didn't mention was Rinse Aid. Most pods (multi-coloured ones) have rinse aid included with a wrapping set to dissolve later in the cycle, but the best way is to just load straight rinse aid (like Finish) into the compartment adjacent to your soap compartment. The rinse aid slightly alters the surface tension of the water when it is dispensed late in the cycle, resulting in water that doesn't bead up but instead is more likely to drain off the dishes before that final dry cycle. That means there's less water to dry and you end up with dryer dishes. Also, if purchasing a new dishwasher it is helpful to get a model with a stainless steel interior instead of plastic. This also assists drying because the high thermal conductivity of the steel cools more quickly once hot water is no longer being sprayed against it. This cool surface is attractive to steam inside the cabinet looking for a place to condense. This means that all the steamy water your hot dishes just got rid of will NOT condense back onto those dishes (significant if, like me, you run your dishwasher overnight). Some models (like higher end Miele units) have a little arm that opens the door 3-4" at the end of the cycle to really allow the steam to exit. Another pretty awesome drying agent on the market is Bosch's Zenolite unit, which has an extremely porous mineral that is exposed to the steamy interior at the end of the cycle to provide a ready place for condensation. At the start of the next cycle the heater (which is wrapped around the zenolite capsule) heats this water and disperses it back into the cabinet. Lastly, if you recently installed a dishwasher and it's just not washing well at all, make sure it was hooked up to the hot water line! I've definitely seen home installs where a well-meaning homeowner was unaware that despite that heating element in his dishwasher it needs preheated water to work effectively.

I didn't realize it used water in the bottom cycled through. I thought it was continuously spraying new water on the dishes! I think I'm going to use my dishwasher more now!

Forks and knives face down so you don't poke yourself.