Why I stopped pre-rinsing every dish after 30 years

I used to scrub every plate and pan before loading the dishwasher. Spent an extra 10 minutes at the sink each meal. Then my neighbor who works on dishwashers told me the sensors actually need some food particles to work right. My dishes come out cleaner now and I save about 3 gallons of water per load. Has anyone else noticed their dishwasher runs better with less pre-rinsing?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_carr3mo ago

Bet the sensor trick works way better than most people realize.

simonmoore1mo ago

Took me three loads and a call to my buddy who fixes these things for a living to figure out that trick, but yeah, it's a game changer once you stop overthinking it. My sensor was already confused by my cooking, so a little extra grime didn't help.

colemartinez3mo ago

Yeah, "sensor trick works way better than most people realize" is spot on. I started leaving bits on plates about a year ago and my dishwasher actually finishes cycles faster now. The soap has something to grab onto and the water jets do the rest of the work.