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?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_gavin1mo ago

Yeah, I switched to scraping only and now I just hit the filter with a quick rinse every few loads.

danielwhite1mo ago

Rinsing vs scraping is a battle that every household has to settle, and it sounds like you landed on the right side of it. What kind of dishwasher do you have? Some of the newer models are built to handle food particles better, but a lot of the cheaper ones still clog up if you don't pre-rinse. I've seen plenty of service calls where the filter was packed with rice and egg bits from people who thought their machine could handle it. That film on your glasses is a dead giveaway that the detergent isn't getting to them like it should. It's just not worth the hassle of cleaning out a stinky filter every week.