Do you rinse dishes before they go into the dishwasher?

[Ann.without.an.e]

This is such a debated subject in our household.  DS argues that they shouldn't be rinsed at all (but I make him rinse them anyway), DD basically washes them before she puts them in, and I semi-rinse.

What does the HIVE say?  

Edited January 19, 2019 by Attolia

[dirty ethel rackham]

We have a relatively newer dishwasher and I semi-rinse.  I have not found a dishwasher that gets starchy stufff that has dried (oatmeal anyone?) or charred grease (like food from the grill.  Our old dishwasher had a disposal in it so I didn't worry about solid food.  This one doesn't so we have to clean out the trap way more often.  But, I love how quiet my Bosch. 

[MEmama]

I've never had a dishwasher that actually cleaned non-rinsed dishes, so yes. 

[BarbecueMom]

Semi-rinse.  Mostly because it grosses me out to touch all the gunky dishes without constantly rinsing my hands off (smoothie cups, I'm looking at you).  But if something gets left in the dishwasher dirty and only sorta-rinsed overnight, it often has to be washed a second time.  We run 2-4 loads a day (usually 3), so that rarely happens.  It's typically from someone piling cheese in a bowl of soup or chili and not scraping it out or soaking it.  Diamonds and melted cheddar are forever.

Edited January 19, 2019 by BarbecueMom

[HomeAgain]

Yes-ish.  I'm not interested in having to clean out a dirty food trap.  Everyone scrapes their dishes with a rubber spatula into the trash so the dishes look rinsed.  The only ones that do get a rinse, though, are the oatmeal things.  The dishwasher doesn't work as well on dried oat residue.

[Pawz4me]

Semi-rinse, at most. And that's for stuff that's really dirty or sticky (like oatmeal).

Why dirt gets your dishes really clean

If you wonder why dishes come out of your dishwasher with bits of food still stuck to them, it could be because you’re rinsing them first. It seems counterintuitive, but prerinsing can make your dishes come out dirtier, not cleaner. That goes for glasses, pots, and silverware, too.

The reason is that most dishwashers costing $500 or more sold in the past five years or so have a sensor that determines how thorough a wash is needed. At the start of the cycle, it rinses the dishes and then checks how dirty the water is to determine the proper amount of time and water to get everything clean. If you’ve already rinsed off much of the muck, the sensor misreads the dishes as already fairly clean.

When that happens, the dishwasher gives them just a light wash, and items come out less than sparkling. To avoid that lackluster result, don’t rinse; just scrape off bits of loose food. And use one of the detergents that did best in our dishwasher detergent tests.

[73349]

We scrape into the compost, but don't rinse.

[EMS83]

Rinse & scrub, but usually without soap on the sponge.  They're foodless before going in.

Edited January 19, 2019 by CES2005

[SamanthaCarter]

Only the gross or hardened stuff. 

[Ann.without.an.e]

32 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Semi-rinse, at most. And that's for stuff that's really dirty or sticky (like oatmeal).

Why dirt gets your dishes really clean

 

 

 

I am pretty sure this is the article that DH and DS were using to say we didn't need to rinse anymore and started the entire opinionated discussion at our dinner table last night 🤣

[gardenmom5]

yes, because while I bought a top of the line kitchen aid, it cleans for crap.   but it's very quiet.

[Ellie]

Yes, I "semi-rinse," although I'm not sure exactly how that is defined, lol.

I don't run my dishwasher daily, because empty nester. So I don't want days-old food to be smelling up the dishwasher, KWIM? So I lightly rinse.

My dishwasher doesn't have a soft-food disposal, so when I'm going to be running it right away, I scrape off/lightly rinse any solid food.

[J-rap]

I think it partly depends on your dishwasher.  Our old dishwasher had the ability to take small food chunks and get rid of them somehow!  Our new one does not.  Anything chunky (that doesn't easily disintegrate in water) just ends up clogging the filter.  So, of course I rinse my dishes.  I don't need to rinse them until they look clean -- which I know some people do.  But I do need to get rid of any food chunks (even fairly small ones).  And, of course either soaking dishes ahead of time or scraping away "stuck" food like peanut butter or egg gives the dishwasher a better chance of doing its job well.

[maize]

Not really, I scrape off or rinse large bits of food but I'm mostly aiming to load as quickly as possible. 

Most of my stuff comes out clean, if it doesn't I either finish by hand or stick it back in the next load. I use Finish Quantum pods, they get most things clean.

My dishwasher is newish but low end.

[edelweiss]

I have a high-end, newish dishwasher, but it does not actually clean the dishes.  In fact, I have never had a dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes.  I always joke that our dishwasher just sterilizes the dishes.  Our dishes need to enter the dishwasher completely scrubbed clean.  If we leave even a speck of food, the dishwasher won't remove it, but will instead "bake" it in.

[KathyBC]

I've heard a few stories about malfunctioning dishwashers due to chicken bones or cherry pits. It's just easier to give a quick rinse.

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, BarbecueMom said:

Semi-rinse.  Mostly because it grosses me out to touch all the gunky dishes without constantly rinsing my hands off (smoothie cups, I'm looking at you).  But if something gets left in the dishwasher dirty and only sorta-rinsed overnight, it often has to be washed a second time.  We run 2-4 loads a day (usually 3), so that rarely happens.  It's typically from someone piling cheese in a bowl of soup or chili and not scraping it out or soaking it.  Diamonds and melted cheddar are forever.

 Ok off topic but I am super curious about this. We have had 11 people living here although we have some who have moved on to college etc. We rarely run it more than 1x a day and if we do, it's only twice. And this was true when everyone was home. 11 bowls and spoons from breakfast just doesn't fill up the dishwasher.  Do you run it not full? Do you put in all pans and mixing bowls? Most of ours are too big to go in anyways but even if I put in the oatmeal pan, that with the 11 bowls and spoons is still not full.  I've seen large families and some smaller ones state they run it many times a day and it always confuses me.  So now I'm asking 😉  guessing it has to do with a different cooking style that requires more dishes. I cook very simply and we usually serve from pan/dish at the counter. So I could see the way my mil sets a breakfast table would require much more dishes than I use. maybe that's it? I grew up that way but just could not keep up with it when we had a baby every other year 😬

[BarbecueMom]

1 hour ago, busymama7 said:

 Ok off topic but I am super curious about this. We have had 11 people living here although we have some who have moved on to college etc. We rarely run it more than 1x a day and if we do, it's only twice. And this was true when everyone was home. 11 bowls and spoons from breakfast just doesn't fill up the dishwasher.  Do you run it not full? Do you put in all pans and mixing bowls? Most of ours are too big to go in anyways but even if I put in the oatmeal pan, that with the 11 bowls and spoons is still not full.  I've seen large families and some smaller ones state they run it many times a day and it always confuses me.  So now I'm asking 😉  guessing it has to do with a different cooking style that requires more dishes. I cook very simply and we usually serve from pan/dish at the counter. So I could see the way my mil sets a breakfast table would require much more dishes than I use. maybe that's it? I grew up that way but just could not keep up with it when we had a baby every other year 😬

Pretty much everything goes in except the enameled cast iron and the meat thermometer.  The vast majority of the space is leftovers containers.  When containers get used up, they go in.  When they don't get used up, they get transferred to a smaller container and I wash the larger one for the next set of leftovers.  We use almost no paper plates/bowls/cups/baggies.

So, right now I'm in the middle of making brunch (ham, bacon, cheese grits, peppers and onions, blueberries, and two types of baked pancake), and the dishwasher is almost full.  There's a mini-crock and lid, plate, utensils/cutters, dipping bowls and baskets from dinner last night (junk food night - frozen pizzas/tots/spinach dip), bowls, juice cups, coffee mugs, and smoothie cup with blender lid from breakfast this morning, a couple leftovers-type containers from who knows what (they also get used for snacks and toy hauling), three liquid measuring cups, two dry measuring cups, whisks, knives, plastic cutting board, mesh strainer, cheese grater, spoon rest, container and lid from some leftover evaporated milk that I used up cooking brunch.  And two pairs of kitchen scissors that the kids used for who knows what.

The small enameled pot from DS10's oatmeal is still in the sink, and there's a stock pot in the sink thawing out ham that I forgot to take out of the freezer last night.  I'll hand wash those.  And I'm still drinking my coffee from this morning.

The rest of the day will be snacks and leftovers, but we'll still have a load of lunch dishes and whatever random things show up from this evening to run another load.

ETA: The blender is in the sink too, from the pancake batter, but it'll go in the dishwasher.  We used to hand wash it but I kept cutting myself on the blades, so it goes in the dishwasher now.  It's practically falling apart but I'm too cheap to replace it with something worthy of hand washing.

ETA #2: We also make a lot of condiments and stuff from scratch, and that adds to the dishes.  Yesterday, I made a batch of coffee creamer for the weekend.  The day before that I made a pint of Western-style salad dressing.  DS10 used the rest of the BBQ sauce last night, so I'll make that later today (if the power stays on!).  DS10 also wants to make a batch of mustard-style BBQ sauce.  And in a couple days I'll need to make yogurt again.  Plus, DS10 is working through The Food Lab this semester/year, so there will be more dishes from experimenting with that.

Edited January 19, 2019 by BarbecueMom

[RootAnn]

Most dishes go straight into the "old" dishwasher. When we moved onto the house, it was probably 8-10 years old & we've been here 15 years. Sometimes they will sit in the sink "soaking" because no one wants to actually load them in or the washer is full/running/ waiting to be unloaded. So, if they are semi-rinsed, it isn't on purpose.

We have 7 in our house & run the dishwasher approx once per day. It is usually 24 hrs between runs but ranges from 16-32 depending on who cooks & if we fixed dessert or had friends over. Our dishwasher does hold 11 bowls. You'd be amazed at how much or little it holds depending on who loads it and how much needs to fit.

[marbel]

I don't rinse.  We scrape off big chunks as they'll just get caught in the filter and I'd rather not deal with that.  But no rinsing.  If I was going to rinse, I'd just use hot water, add soap, wash them, and be done with it.  

[SKL]

Yes, otherwise results are inconsistent, and I'd rather clean the extra stuff off before rather than after it's been cooked on.

Actually I prefer to wash by hand, since the effort is about the same, unless there is a mega load of dishes all at once.

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, happysmileylady said:

You can fit 11 bowls in your dishwasher?  For us, approx 8 bowls fit in the top rack.  If there were 11 people here, 11 bowls, 11 cups, 11 spoons, could come REALLY close to filling my dishwasher.

 

Having said that, with the 5 of us, today breakfast was....

DS6-scrambled eggs, some dry cereal, a cup of milk-bowl, fork, cereal container, cup

DD8-leftover pizza and chocolate milk-a plate (actually she used two after a mistake in reheating) a cup, a spoon (to stir the milk) 

DD10-hot cereal, plus some fruit-a pot, a measuring spoon, a bowl, a regular spoon, the container that the fruit was in

DH-leftover pizza and coffee-plate, coffee mug, spoon 

Me-cold cereal and tea-bowl, spoon, mug

 

Then, when you add in that after breakfast, I set about cutting and separating all the produce I bought yesterday, and tossed a few of things out from the fridge that had gone bad, and I have a full dishwasher, plus a couple of containers in the sink waiting for the next load.  

 

I try to avoid using plastic baggies and so all the things I separate into individual servings, as well as any leftovers, they all go into washable containers.  Which means.......all those containers have to be washed lol.  Also we just don't have a lot of plates and such and don't use paper plates or cups at all.  Sometimes I will have the kids just rinse out their cups to reuse, but mostly as soon as they are done, they toss it in the sink before I can catch them and they land in the spaghetti sauce or whatever.....into the dishwasher it goes.  I try not to run it unless it's full, but sometimes I need the items before the next meal.  

 

ETA: yes, for us, nearly everything goes in.  I have a couple of pizza pans that don't fit and I never put my cast iron in.  But all the other pots and mixing bowls and all that, it all goes in.  

See that's what I was wondering.  We must have a larger than average dishwasher. I can fit probably 20 cereal size bowls at the same time as 20 plates or more.  Even without using paper, a whole days worth of single size dishes fit for all of us. Also I made sure we have enough plates and bowls and silverware for a full day. 

We also use just one cup per person. They have an assigned one and the only time they use a different one is for hot chocolate or smoothie. I have no desire to wash 11 cups times three meals a day plus everytime they need a drink of water.  They have a water cup they use at meals unless it's the above mentioned smoothie or something. But then those fit in along with the rest of the meals dishes and there is still room. 

[regentrude]

We never rinse. We just scrape food leftovers into the compost. Dishes are clean.

[ashfern]

We scrape off any food and I do soak bowls that have oatmeal or stuff like that. We try to run the dishwasher immediately so food doesn't have time to get stuck on. 

[HS Mom in NC]

Another scraper here.

[Storygirl]

We rinse, but not so much that the dishes look clean; just enough to get the main gunk off. My dishwasher tends to collect gross gunk along the front edge; it doesn't clear all of the food residue out, even when we do rinse. I can't imagine what it would be like in there if we let chunks of food on the dishes.

And we have six people and run the dishwasher about every day and a half. We wait until it is completely full, and we arrange the dishes carefully to avoid wasted space. But I don't wash pots, pans, mixing bowls, cutting boards, food processor, or awkwardly shaped plastic ware in there. Those things are washed by hand.

[Epicurean]

If your dishwasher doesn’t get unrinsed dishes clean (and it’s not ancient), you’re using the wrong detergent, imho. I buy it in bulk on Amazon so it’s a bit cheaper. 

[busymama7]

1 hour ago, Epicurean said:

If your dishwasher doesn’t get unrinsed dishes clean (and it’s not ancient), you’re using the wrong detergent, imho. I buy it in bulk on Amazon so it’s a bit cheaper. 

What do you buy? We have a septic tank and so use liquid. 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

The dishwasher's manual (probably available online, if you don't have the paper copy) will tell you what you need to do for your particular dishwasher.  My last dishwasher had a grinder in it that would pulverize any food left on the plates.  I only did rudimentary scraping and put everything in dirty.  It cleaned fantastically.  Loved that dishwasher (it was a Kitchen Aid).

My current dishwasher, a Bosch, doesn't have the food grinder, so I need to scrap food bits off.  BUT, the instructions said NOT to rinse the dishes.  This unit has a "dirty water sensor" which will kick on an internal water heater when it senses dirty water.  So, if I rinse all the gunk off the dishes, they don't get the extra hot water.  So, I purposely leave sauces and syrup and stuff on the dishes.  (Instructions also say to run the water to get it hot before starting the dishwasher.  

So, it depends on your dishwasher.  Find the instructions and see what they say.

[displace]

I agree that it depends on your dishwasher.  Mine can’t handle dried egg and sometimes the rice cooker.  And tomato sauce gets all over everything so I try to rinse that off if it’s not dried on.  

Its unlikely you’ll change other people’s habits so if your dishes are clean I’d not bother trying to change routines.  YMMV.

[StaceyinLA]

My dishwasher is new, and I feel like it does a great job, but I never know how long it’ll be after I start loading before I’ll run it, so I always rinse the dishes. The thing I love the most about the dishwasher is the DRY cycle. I don’t really mind washing dishes, after not having a dishwasher for nearly 25 years, but I HATE drying. 

[ealp2009]

I wipe them with a spong or dish cloth.  My husband thinks you can just dump food in the dishwasher but I think that pretty gross especially in the summer. Super dirty stuff I leave in the bottom of the sink while I hand wash dishes that don’t go in the dishwasher.  Then I put them in the dishwasher and they are basically rinsed/soaked. 

[AK_Mom4]

Dishwasher less than a year old.  We scrape off food but do not rinse.  Dishes come out sparkling clean  

our old dishwasher was over ten years old and I had to rinse everything.

[Pink and Green Mom]

This is a hot topic of conversation in our house.  I am a washer of every last bit of food before they go in the dishwasher (as is my mother - guess I learned that from her), DH is not.  My MIL just scrapes big chunks off and even lets dirty dishes sit in the washer and they come out sparkling clean (with a builders grade dishwasher).  I have lived in 4 houses, this one with a $$$$ Bosch, and I feel like if I don't wash them before they go in the dishwasher they will never be clean.

I have asked MIL her secrets a million times but I just cannot replicate her results.  She swears by never using your garbage disposal (too late for that), and using the highest "grade" of Cascade detergent pods (Platinum, I think).

[Angie in VA]

I voted semi-rinse.

Dana K. White (aka Nony of A Slob Comes Clean) taught me to scrape any solids of and just put 'em in! I use Cascade Complete pods or Finish pods. Rarely does a dish or utensil come out not completely clean. 

[PeachyDoodle]

I rinse. Well, practically wash. Mostly because I find the act of scrubbing dishes to be soothing. It's one of the few chores I sorta enjoy.

But I didn't know about the dirty dish sensor. So now I'm thinking I need to look up my dishwasher and see if it has that.

[BarbecueMom]

5 minutes ago, PeachyDoodle said:

I rinse. Well, practically wash. Mostly because I find the act of scrubbing dishes to be soothing. It's one of the few chores I sorta enjoy.

But I didn't know about the dirty dish sensor. So now I'm thinking I need to look up my dishwasher and see if it has that.

So, my dishwasher (it's a Maytag with the garbage disposal in it) has the dirty dish sensor thing, and after a little bit it'll adjust the time based on how dirty the dishes are.  I watched DH, a scraper-not-rinser, load the dishwasher after lunch today, and I unloaded it.  I had cooked lentil risotto, green beans almondine, and gluten free biscuits for lunch.  Everything came out of the dishwasher perfectly clean... except whatever had touched biscuit dough looked like it hadn't seen a speck of water, even though it had been soaking in the sink while we were eating.  I'm guessing since there were so few biscuit-making dishes in there, the less-filthy dishes fooled the sensor into thinking everything was hunky dory at a normal wash setting.  I think when there's enough goopy stuff in there to trigger the sensor, it's fine.  One biscuit dough bowl and spoon aren't going to be enough.

I *could* have just hand washed the biscuit bowl, but that would have required remembering to tell DH what not to put in there.  After ten years he's finally figuring out where things go in the cabinets, I don't want to confuse him further.

[momofeat2]

On 1/19/2019 at 11:13 AM, dirty ethel rackham said:

We have a relatively newer dishwasher and I semi-rinse.  I have not found a dishwasher that gets starchy stufff that has dried (oatmeal anyone?) or charred grease (like food from the grill.  Our old dishwasher had a disposal in it so I didn't worry about solid food.  This one doesn't so we have to clean out the trap way more often.  But, I love how quiet my Bosch. 

Oooh, I'm happy to hear this. We've ordered a Bosch and it arrives in a few days! I'm so excited!