c/dish-rinse-rebellion

Rinsed every dish for 20 years then my dishwasher broke and I feel betrayed

I spent two decades pre-rinsing plates like a good little soldier, scraping off every last speck of sauce before loading the rack. Then last Tuesday the pump died and the repair guy said it's because I wasn't letting the machine do the work. Has anyone else had their dishwasher straight up fail after being too thorough?

My dad finally proved me wrong about pre-rinsing dishes

For years I was a hardcore pre-rinser. I mean I'd scrub every plate until it looked clean before even thinking about the dishwasher. My dad kept telling me I was wasting water and that modern machines have sensors that work better with some food on there. I laughed it off until 3 months ago when I stayed at his place in Cincinnati. He loaded up a casserole dish with baked-on cheese and just chucked it in without rinsing. Came out spotless. I tried the same thing at home with my Bosch and honestly it works fine now. I still scrape off big chunks but I don't run the water for 2 minutes per plate anymore. Has anyone else had a dishwasher that actually hates clean dishes?

Hot take: I was rinsing dishes like an idiot for 20 years

I was at my sister's house last Sunday and she caught me spraying every single plate before loading the dishwasher. She just looked at me and said 'you know the detergent needs food particles to work right?' I thought she was messing with me but she showed me the manual for her Bosch dishwasher and it literally says not to pre-rinse. Now I just scrape off the big stuff and put them in dirty. Saves water and my dishes come out cleaner. Anyone else have this mind blown moment or am I the only one who was doing it backwards?

I finally broke my favorite cereal bowl because I didn't scrape it well enough first

Last Tuesday I put a bowl with dried oatmeal crust in the dishwasher without scraping it, and the heating element burned the crust into a black rock that cracked the bowl in half, so now I'm wondering if anyone else has had a dishwasher ruin a dish because of poor rinsing habits.

My 10 minute dishwasher loading job turned into a 3 hour fight with a stuck spray arm

Last Sunday I was just trying to load the dishwasher like normal. I scraped off the plates, gave them a quick rinse under the tap, put everything in the racks. Then I go to close the door and the spray arm is jammed against a wok I stuck in the bottom rack. I tried wiggling it free for 5 minutes. Then I had to pull out everything and rearrange. But that wok still wouldn't cooperate so I ended up washing it by hand anyway. By the time I got the dishwasher running it was 3 hours later and I was covered in soapy water. Has anyone else spent way too long just trying to fit one big pan in a load?

My $80 pre-rinse sprayer was a complete waste of money and time

I bought one of those fancy sink sprayers from an online ad, thinking it would speed up my dish pre-rinse routine before loading the dishwasher. After three uses, the handle started leaking water everywhere, and the plastic clip that holds it broke off. I wasted 80 dollars and a trip to return it at the post office, which cost another 12 bucks. Has anyone else had bad luck with those expensive sprayer attachments?

Spent $12 on a silicone dish mat and it completely changed my rinse game

I used to always get water all over the counter when I'd rinse plates before loading the dishwasher. Drove me nuts. Picked up this cheap silicone mat at Target that catches all the drips and now I can rinse without worrying about a puddle. Anyone else use something simple that made a big difference?

Had a talk with my dad about his 30-year dishwasher habit

My dad came over last weekend and saw me scraping a plate into the trash before loading it. He laughed and said he's never rinsed a dish in his life, just scrapes and loads, and his 30 year old dishwasher still runs fine. That got me thinking about whether I'm wasting time and water with my whole pre-rinse ritual. Has anyone else tried just scraping and pressing start, or am I asking for a clogged machine?

Hit 500 washes without pre-rinsing and I'm shocked at the result

I used to rinse every single plate like a maniac, scrubbing off every crumb before loading the dishwasher. My neighbor told me I was wasting water for 2 years straight. Finally hit 500 loads last week with zero pre-rinse on anything, even baked on cheese. What made me switch was watching a video where a repair guy showed his own nasty filter after 6 months of no rinsing and it was basically clean. Anyone else see a number like that change their mind or am I just lucky so far?

Rant: The lasagna pan that broke my pre-rinse streak

I was at my sink last Tuesday, scrubbing a baked-on lasagna pan for 10 minutes before loading the dishwasher. My roommate walked by and said 'you just washed it, the machine is gonna clean it again anyway.' I snapped and put it in dirty. The pan came out spotless. Now I barely rinse anything unless there's chunks.

Tried skipping the pre-rinse on a casserole dish. Big mistake.

Last night I thought I'd save some water and just scrape the baked on mac and cheese into the trash, then put it straight in the dishwasher. Ran the heavy cycle with the extra heat dry. This morning that dish still had crusty bits stuck to the sides. Had to hand wash it anyway. So much for saving effort. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

My brother's wedding last summer made me rethink pre-rinsing plates

We were at his reception in this big hall outside Philly. The caterer guy comes out and sees my aunt scrubbing every plate under the tap before it goes in the industrial washer. He stops her and says 'ma'am you're doing more harm than good, the enzymes need some food to work.' I argued back but he showed me the machine's manual. Now I'm torn between my old habits and what he said. Who else has had an expert change their mind?

Vent: Bought a fancy dish rack that was a total waste of $45

I got sick of my old plastic dish rack getting gross and moldy, so I went online and dropped $45 on this bamboo one with a built-in utensil holder. Looked real nice in the pictures. Got it in the mail, set it up, and within three days the wood started splitting right where the silverware sits. Water just pooled in the corners and it warped bad. Now I'm stuck with a smelly, cracked rack that I can't even return because I tossed the box. Anyone else fall for one of these trendy wooden racks that just fall apart?

That week I stopped pre-rinsing dishes almost made me lose my dishwasher

My mother in law called me out at Thanksgiving and I think she was right

Ngl, I always pre-rinsed every dish under hot water for like 2 minutes before loading the dishwasher. Thought it was the only way to get stuff clean. Then at my mother in law's house last month, she saw me doing it and told me I was 'wasting water and making the dishwasher lazy.' She showed me her method of just scraping the big chunks into the trash and loading it greasy. I tried it at home and honestly my dishes are coming out just as clean and I'm saving a ton of time. Has anyone else had a relative change how you do dishes?

My mother in law called me out for pre rinsing everything

She watched me scrub every plate under hot water before loading the dishwasher and just laughed. Said I was basically doing the dishes twice and wasting water for no reason. I started just scraping big stuff off and letting the machine do its job. Has anyone else had a relative call them out on this?

Unpopular opinion: I actually dishwashed a full load of unrinsed plates last week and it shocked me

I hit 200 dirty dishes without pre-rinsing and the machine cleaned everything fine. I tried it after my coworker Sarah from Tulsa said she never rinses. Anyone else test this and get scared at first?

Torn between pre-rinsing or scraping for years, finally made a choice last month

My house rule was always to rinse dishes until they looked clean. Scrubbing plates with a sponge before loading. Took extra time but I felt like it kept the dishwasher from getting clogged. My wife just scrapes big chunks off and loads them dirty. She says the detergent does the work. I gave her method a real try for two weeks. Now I have a gunky filter and a film on my glasses. Going back to my rinse routine tonight. Anyone else deal with this split in their house?

I finally stopped pre-rinsing every plate with hot water

I used to scrub every dish under the faucet for like 30 seconds before loading the dishwasher, making sure no food bits were left. Then my machine started leaving cloudy spots and my repair guy told me the detergent needs some gunk to work right. Now I just scrape big chunks into the trash and load it straight - anyone else find their dishes actually come out cleaner this way?

Got burned by a fancy dish scraper I didn't need

I spent $18 on this silicone dish scraper thing last month, thinking it would save time rinsing plates before the dishwasher... but it just pushed gunk into the sink strainer. Honestly, my old plastic spatula works better and cost like a dollar. Anyone else blow cash on a gadget that didn't really help?

Heard my neighbor bragging about presoaking every dish in bleach before the dishwasher

I was out back grilling and the guy next door yelled over that he soaks his plates in bleach water for 10 minutes before loading because he read it kills all germs. Pretty sure he's ruining his dishes and maybe the machine too. Has anyone else run into someone with a weird prerinse method like that?

Finally broke my habit of rinsing every plate after 3 years of arguing about it

Last month I decided to test out just scraping dishes and loading them straight into the dishwasher, no rinse at all. Three years of me swearing by the pre-rinse method down the drain after every plate came out cleaner than before. Anyone else make the switch recently or am I just getting lucky with my water pressure?

Hit 500 loads without a cracked dish after switching to cold rinse only

I used to scrub everything hot until my buddy showed me his 10 year old rack with zero chips just from letting the dishwasher do the real work, anyone else try skipping the pre-rinse completely?

My roommate called me out for pre-rinsing every plate like a maniac

Told me I was wasting water and the dishwasher's sensor works better with some food gunk on there. Tried it cold turkey last week with a crusty lasagna pan and it came out spotless, no clue why I was scrubbing everything for 10 years.

Stayed at a friend's place in Denver last month and saw their pre-rinse setup

They barely rinse anything. Just scrape off solid bits and load it right in. I was skeptical. But their dishes came out spotless every time. Meanwhile I've been running the tap for 3 minutes on each plate. Has anyone else seen a machine handle unrinsed dishes that well?