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Dishwashers have eased the chore of cleaning up after a meal but even the best performing models can't settle family arguments over how to load the machine. In fact, 40 percent of Americans fight over how to load the dishwasher, according to a survey from Bosch home appliances. Here are the top five bones of contention.
Pre-rinse or not. In the survey of 2,000 adults, 61 percent said they argue over whether dishes should be pre-rinsed before being put into the dishwasher. Consumer Reports says don't bother. Pre-rinsing your dishes can easily waste more than 6,000 gallons of water per household each year. Better to just scrape off the loose food.
Pack it or run two loads. Forty-one percent of respondents argue over whether to pack the dishwasher full or to run two smaller loads. Women were more inclined to pack the machine. For best results, make sure the water has room to circulate around each dish or implement and take care not to block the spray arms.
Knife points up or down. Almost as many folks—39 percent— disagree over whether the tips of knives should point up or down. In this case, it's a matter of safety as it's better to grab the base of the knife, not the blade. But silverware cleans equally well placed either way.
Location, location. While some respondents think it's okay to load the dishwasher willy-nilly, a third of those asked prefer to put glasses and cups on the top rack and plates and other dishes on the bottom rack. Bosch recommends that whatever the location that each item be separated by dishwasher tines.
Plastic placement. One-third of those asked debate about where to place plastic—on the top rack where it's less likely to melt or anywhere there's space. Many dishwashers, including Bosch, have concealed heating elements that help prevent plastic containers from melting.
The survey also exposed the excuses that 38 percent of men give for not loading the dishwasher: they cooked dinner; they're too lazy or their time is too important.
In Consumer Reports dishwasher tests, Bosch holds the top three spots followed by some good performers from LG, Miele and KitchenAid. The top machine, the $700 Bosch Ascenta SHX3AR7[5]UC, is a CR Best Buy. It was excellent at washing and energy efficiency, easy to use and very good at noise, which is a point of pride for the company.
