Use your dishwasher right to save time and money
Filed under: Extracurriculars, Simplification
On a recent CBS News Sunday Morning, an intelligent but little-known magazine show (which is sort of like NPR for your TV), contributor Nancy Giles set out to test a few of those old wives' tales about dishwashers. Like those nerdy goofs on Mythbusters, she put a few old saws to the test and found out that when it comes to cleaning up after meals, most of us are doing more work than we have to.With the advice of an appliance expert at the Good Housekeeping Institute (yes, it exists -- it's the place that issues that famous seal of approval), Giles reversed a few bits of conventional wisdom about your dishwasher. To do less pre-washing and re-washing, it turns out you just have to use the machine the way it was designed to be used, and not load it the way you usually do.
The biggest revelation is that you don't have to pre-rinse anything. Just dump the big scraps in the garbage and go. To test that one, Giles sent a casserole dish of caked-on mac and cheese and an oatmeal-crusted saucepan into the dishwasher with no preamble. She set the dishwasher to high heat and let loose. Two hours later, they came out fine -- at least, they do in Giles' piece for CBS. What other dishwasher magic tricks are revealed?
* Soiled surfaces should always face the interior of the machine, where the spray is most likely to reach them. (Yes, the photo above is the wrong way to do it.)
* Don't put glasses over the prongs, because that impedes the water's flow. Use the prongs to prop them up from the outside.
* Never overlap pans. Let the whole cooking surface lie face-down on the rack.
* Knife edges should point downward, forks should point upward, and spoons can go either way. (Who knew?)
Sure, some of these tips are probably in your dishwasher's instruction manual, but who among us knows where that is anymore?
And if you're wondering where you've heard Giles' soothing, breathy voice before, pay more attention during the commercial breaks. She also does the voice-over for half the prescription drug ads known to pharmcydom. I won't ever take her advice and buy Boniva, but her tips for wasting less time and money to wash dishes and pots sure are easy to swallow.
Test Your Weird News IQ
1. Where was this mysterious creature reported to have washed ashore in July?
- Cape May, N.J.
- Montauk, N.Y.
- Pacific Beach, Calif.
2. A North Carolina grandfather caught a 21-pound channel catfish -- a state record -- using what?
- A Barbie fishing pole
- A Big Mac as bait
- His bare hands
3. The Telegraph reported that this Indian girl bleeds through her pores without being cut or scratched. True or false: The story turned out to be a hoax.
- True
- False
4. In January, this photo taken by NASA's Mars explorer Spirit created a stir, with some suggesting it showed a humanoid. What actually was it?
- An alien
- A rock
- A shadow created by Spirit
5. In August, two men revealed images of what they claimed was the corpse of the legendary Bigfoot. Where did they claim to have found it?
- Alaska
- Georgia
- New Mexico
6. Manuel Uribe, once named the world's heaviest man, did what in Mexico in October?
- Fasted the entire month
- Got married
- Ran a 5K
7. This woman made headlines in September when she vowed to auction off her virginity. Why did she say she was doing it?
- To pay her school tuition
- To pay her sister's medical expenses
- To sell her story to a tabloid
8. Jaci Dalenberg gave birth to her own granddaughters after acting as a surrogate for her daughter. How many did she have?
- Two
- Three
- Four
9. An Indian man rescued an orphaned bear cub and raised the animal as part of his family. Which did NOT happen when authorities found out?
- They arrested him
- They put the bear to sleep
- They sent the bear to a zoo
10. A member of a wealthy Abu Dhabi family paid how much for a license plate with nothing but the number
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
12-30-2008 @ 2:24PM
Greg said...
Anyone who uses the phrase "nerdy goofs" is a huge "nerdy goof". The mythbuster guys are obviously a lot cooler than this Jason Cochran. He needs to get a clue.
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 2:59PM
Rose said...
Why do you have to continually show that disgusting, dead, mysterious creature everytime I go online? It makes me want to throw up.
Reply
1-01-2009 @ 7:02PM
Dave said...
Boy you hit the nail on the head . That is a disgusting picture and I think I have seen it a million times.
12-30-2008 @ 3:29PM
Len said...
Why run the dishwasher on high heat for 2 hrs. when you can briefly pre-soak in the sink and clean it by hand in a total of 10 min. What a waste of power when we're constantly told we need to cut back and use less! You might be saving a few minutes of your time, but you pay for it.
Reply
1-02-2009 @ 3:04AM
Fraybert said...
Washing by hand is not for all....I myself do alot of cooking three meals aday..so dishes ad up over the day...And to leave them soaking in water is not good for all types of dishes...Water can get into cracks and weaken plates and cups....Not only that you are asking for bateria in that dirty water for your hands...Gloves want cut it....So yes for some people washing by hand is fine....I did an experiment and found out washing by hand wasted more water....I put the stopper in the rinse sink and the water from rinsing filled up the sink fast before dishes were through and had to drain several times even turning water off during rinses........Now I also did this for the dishwasher and the water almost reaches the top of the sink for the complete dishwasher cycle..So before you make comments...please realize eveyone doesn't live as you do.....We are all different....So take that into account....
12-30-2008 @ 3:56PM
Ted said...
I haven't rinsed a dish ever. It's a DISHWASHER" for Pete's sake. (This is with 8-9 DWs in my life so far.)
The fork and spoon placement instruction is stupid. Here's the best way:
Place any utensil point down so that when reaching in to retreive them you will always touch the safe end first.
Place forks in the same basket.
Place spoons in the same basket,
Place knoves in the same basket.
Why? Because when you collect the utensils, all the same ones will be in the same location; no hunting around for them.
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 4:21PM
Nora said...
Putting all your spoons in one section of the dishwasher might cause them to stack one on top of another and prevent washing between them.
12-30-2008 @ 5:18PM
aerosmithlover said...
Ted....you are so right!!! I put all my forks together, all my knives together, etc., so that when I unload I just have to grab the whole bunch of them and put them away...saves so much time rather than picking up one spoon here, one spoon there, etc. I also put my knives & forks facing down. I started that over 25 yrs. ago when my children were toddlers as a safety precaution. One never knows when little ones may stumble and cut themselves. Heck, even adults have stuck themselves with knives and forks that are loaded face up!
12-30-2008 @ 8:08PM
Jennifer said...
Ted's comment seemed very practical and made simple common sense. Plus, eating utensils should remain as sanitary as possible.
1-02-2009 @ 3:14AM
Fraybert said...
Spoons will stick together and not clean..Spoons sit in one another...Forks and knives will fall through the basket holes and keep the spinner from spinning...Knives down will also over time cut through the basket and ruin it......take the bastek over to the silverware drawer and put them away...That's if your basket is removable.....
12-30-2008 @ 4:27PM
Cornelia said...
I wish my family would read this. They are always fussing at me about prewashing and the way I put the silverware in the basket. I never prewash and I always put the knives downward (after jabbing myself a few times, I learned!) and the forks and spoons upright. Guess I wasn't so dumb after all!
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 4:32PM
Blue Dog said...
What are knoves??? Just asking.
Reply
1-01-2009 @ 6:21PM
Glenn said...
They are like knives, but they come from the stove family.
12-30-2008 @ 4:56PM
Sherri said...
Besides using less water then if you hand wash, You are also getting all the GERMS and bacteria from the dishes with the high heat. It has been proven that dishes washed in a Hot heat washer are clean and much more healthy. Does that explain why restaurants have to have heated dishes washers now and not just do them by hand.
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 4:59PM
basil shepherd said...
heck just ask me when it comes to dishes my wife has an 89 year old dishwasher and it is still running strong.
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 5:17PM
TBF said...
Well, if you're not pre-rinsing, how often do you have to clean out the filter?????? We have a septic tank (not on city water). I wouldn't recommend not pre-rinsing as I was advised to do! Save me a headache down the road! With just the 2 of us, I only have to do a load every couple of days! Hello! That's a savings!
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 6:08PM
John said...
Rose asks, "Why do you have to continually show that disgusting, dead, mysterious creature every time I go online?" With all due respect to Rose, he IS the governor of Illinois.
Reply
12-30-2008 @ 6:38PM
Mark said...
I DO have a dishwasher.... but I use the COLD water setting.. the dishes and utensils get JUST as clean..... WITHOUT raising my gas bill (to heat the water!)
Reply
1-01-2009 @ 9:16PM
curt said...
There is no such thing as a cold water setting on any dishwasher. Dishwashers are connected to hot water only. If the water is not hot enough going into the dishwasher most modern dishwashers heat it to the appropriate temperature to ensure clean and sanitized dishes. The setting you are probably thinking about effects the drying. Heat dry adds heat to dry the dishes. The economy dry does not add heat.
12-30-2008 @ 6:41PM
Debra said...
to John:
You made reading this whole silly article worth it!
Reply