Glasses, small bowls, and cups should be placed in the top rack with the dirty surface facing down.
The lower rack is, in general, designed for large bowls, plates, and pans. You may place bowls on the bottom rack if the dishwasher has a special place for them (like in the image below) or it is greasy (so the grease won’t spill over the dishes placed at the bottom rack).
Plastic bowls should be loaded on the top rack so that they don’t melt when exposed to the heating element at the bottom.
Glasses:
Bowls:
Where and How to Place Them?
The recommended system of loading a dishwasher requires that plates are inserted in the slots found at the bottom rack facing the center. The bowls and glasses should be placed on the top rack, in an angle that can allow free flow of water and soap.
Here is a very short video on how to place wine glasses, cups, and other types of glasses correctly:
Whether it’s a plate or bowl, as long as it is made of plastic, it should be put at the top to prevent melting. The reason for this is because most dishwashers have their heating systems at the bottom. Making it not ideal for plastic to be near heat sources.
A Guide on How to Place Bowls and Glasses in a Dishwasher
A dishwasher is a must-have home appliance. It saves you a lot of energy and time that would have been otherwise used in washing dishes by hand.
When it comes to loading a dishwasher, nearly everyone has their own system, majority entailing the throwing of bowls and glasses wherever and waiting for the washer to do its job.
If you are like the hundreds of people who never read the manual that came with their dishwasher, below is more info on how to place bowls and glasses in a dishwasher. The system discussed below not only ensures that everything comes out sparkling clean but it also prevents the damage of crockery and cutlery.
How to Place Them on Your Dishwasher According to Size (Large vs Compact Dishwasher)
As you may know, there are two main types of dishwashers, the large and compact dishwasher. A large dishwasher has more room for bowls and glasses and its ideal for big households.
On the other hand, a compact dishwasher is smaller but still quite efficient. It serves best, smaller households. Despite both being dishwashers, how you place bowls and glasses inside them is very different.
In a large dishwasher, you have more room to play around with. You will have to adhere to the above guidelines, however. The dishes should be faced downwards with the dirty sides facing the washer jets.
This is the same for cups and bowls. Placing them at an angle will ensure effective cleaning. And although the big space in a large dishwasher might tempt you to pile up as many crockeries as possible, you should avoid this.
On the place load, ensure that no cooking utensil goes to the wrong section. Never put a cup in a plate slot or vice versa. For compact dishwashers, you should limit the glasses you place inside it.
Start with the plates, followed by cups and bowls. Make sure there is enough room between the spaces so that during washing, the bowls or glasses can’t knock against one another. Don’t forget to put all plastic cups, glasses, and bowls in the top rack.
How to Fix Them in Place?
Did you know that if anything slips from a dishwasher rack, the final results can be quite lousy? You also risk breaking the movable parts of a dishwasher such as an arm. Small and simple cutlery such as a fork can thwart with the entire dishwashing process. So how do you fix bowls, glasses, and plates in place?
When loading a dishwasher, you should ensure that every utensil goes in the right place. Plates should firmly lie on the plate slots. Since not all dishwashers are built equally, ensure that you stick to the regulated number of bowls per rack.
If your brand manufacturer recommends 10 cups in one rack, do not exceed that number. Modern dishwashers also come with clips to firmly hold glasses, confirm that you have locked them in place before you turn it one.
Pots and pans with long handles should be strategically loaded in a dishwasher. This is to prevent the bowls from interfering with the movement of the arms. Items such as knives should be placed on a flat rack.
Glasses that can break easily should be put with enough space in between them to avoid damage. And since bowls and dishes might move around during washing, clip them to avoid the plates being blasted out of place.
What to Place on the Bottom and Top Rack?
Bowls, plates, pots, and pans should strictly be placed on the bottom rack. The upper rack should hold glasses, coffee cups, mugs, and glasses that are oddly shaped. Most dishwashers feature an additional rack for silverware where you should place spoons, forks, and knives. As obvious as this may sound, very few people stick to this method.
Even when you are in a hurry, it is advisable to follow this guide to prevent any complications. You don’t need to perfectly arrange the bowls and glasses in a dishwasher, what matters most is that every utensil is placed in the recommended rack.
And thanks to technological advancements, the latest dishwashers don’t require you to place glasses and bowls facing the center because soap and water will still reach as long as it is inside a dishwasher.
And since most dishwasher models have a heating element at the bottom, all plastic glasses and bowls should be placed at the top. This is not unless you want to risk damaging your plastic glasses such as Tupperware that melts when exposed to high temperatures.
Tips for Better Cleaning of Pots
Pots play an essential role in cooking. After preparing some pasta or rice, your pots will definitely need a thorough cleaning to remove the grease, sauce, and food stains. But, the big question is, can I clean pots using my dishwasher?
Contrary to what most people say, yes you can load pots in your dishwasher. This will save you time and energy on scrubbing the grease from your pots. Below we are going to look at tips for better cleaning of pots in a dishwasher.
But before we get to that, you need to check what the pan is made of. Cast iron pots should never be put in a dishwasher. The hot and wet conditions in a dishwasher can make cast iron to rust and lose its protective coating.
The pots recommended to be loaded in a dishwasher should be non-stick or made of stainless steel. And although aluminum isn’t an excellent candidate, there are some which are dishwasher safe. Copper isn’t recommended as well.
Here are tips on how to thoroughly clean pots with a dishwasher;
1. Start by Removing Excess Food
The number one rule for loading bowls and glasses in a dishwasher is by ensuring there are no large chunks of food. Although the machine might remove these stains for you, in most cases you will be overworking it. And large food particles can block water jets as they splash out of your pot.
2. Check for Labels
As mentioned earlier, before loading a pot in a dishwasher, you should confirm that it is dishwasher safe. Most pots have this label on the handle. If there is no label, the next best thing to do is check its original packaging or confirm on the manufacturer’s website. Although this can be time-consuming, it will help prevent damaging your pot should it not be dishwasher safe.
3. Properly Load It in the Dishwasher
Once more, you should refer to the pots manufacturer manual. Most manufacturers recommend pots to be put laying on the side in the bottom rack of a dishwasher. However, to get the most out of your dishwasher when cleaning pots, put it with the mess facing down.
4. Use a Quality Detergent and Set Your Dishwasher
After putting the pot properly in your dishwasher, use a quality detergent, and set your dishwasher. If it is super dirty, you should give it the longest cycle so that you can get a sparkling clean pot.
A Quick Summary on Loading Your Dishwasher the Right Way
We all have a favorite way of loading our dishwashers. To us, this method may appear to be more effective and easier, but is it the right way? You may never realize it but you could be loading your dishwasher wrongly and this can lower the life of your home appliance. To help you take care of your dishwasher, here is a quick summary of loading your dishwasher the right way.
Read and Understand Your Manual
The first thing after buying a dishwasher shouldn’t be testing it right away. Read the manual and understand it. Whether it is a large or compact dishwasher, by reading the manual, you will know its limits.
Know What the Top and Bottom Racks are For
In the guide above, we have clearly laid out what these two racks are for. Glasses and bowls should go in the top rack whereas pots and plates should be on the bottom rack. By having this information at the back of your mind, you can always be assured of satisfactory cleaning results.
Know When to and Not to Pre-Rinse
It’s not every time when you will have to pre-rinse your glasses, bowls, and pots. Most modern dishwashers don’t require such assistance. However, if the food particles are significant, then you can chip in.
How to load a dishwasher remains a hot topic of debate in most households. Everyone has a unique way of placing bowls and glasses in the dishwasher. Irrespective of whichever method you use, you need to take a step back and re-evaluate if it is correct.
Familiarizing yourself with the right way on how to place bowls and glasses in a dishwasher guarantees a thorough cleaning every time.