WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Is There a Best Way to Load the Dishwasher?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren Vogelbomb, and this is another classic episode of

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<v Speaker 1>the podcast. In this one, we dig into what science

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<v Speaker 1>has to say about how to load a dishwasher. Not

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<v Speaker 1>that we can tell you what to do. We would

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<v Speaker 1>never presume. Hey brain Stuff, I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and look,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not here to start any fights among your family.

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<v Speaker 1>Many people have very strong ideas about how to best

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<v Speaker 1>tetris a load of dishes into a dishwasher, but I

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<v Speaker 1>am here to give you some scientific advice because if

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<v Speaker 1>the dishes are not coming out of your dishwasher as

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<v Speaker 1>clean as you'd like, you might be tempted to blame

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<v Speaker 1>the appliance or you're a brand of detergent, but the

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<v Speaker 1>problem might just be what and how you're stacking in

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<v Speaker 1>the machine. When you're loading in, it's first important to

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<v Speaker 1>consider what's dishwasher safe and what isn't. Some of the

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<v Speaker 1>items on the no fly list are fairly obvious. A

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<v Speaker 1>cast iron will rest and lose seasoning if placed in

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<v Speaker 1>a machine. A fine china and crystal can't handle the

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<v Speaker 1>intense heat, but you should also leave out insulated travel mugs,

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<v Speaker 1>the high heat of the machine can ruin the vacuum

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<v Speaker 1>seal and reduce the mug's ability to retain heat. Aluminum

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<v Speaker 1>pots are very prone to scratching and can develop a

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<v Speaker 1>dull finish or turn a blackish color in the wash,

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<v Speaker 1>and wooden spoons or cutting boards can crack from the

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<v Speaker 1>heat and humidity, allowing germs to set up shop. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>although most nonstick pans on the market today are dishwasher safe,

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<v Speaker 1>check the washing instructions first and limit dishwasher time. Even

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<v Speaker 1>if it is allowed. Frequent high temperature washes can cause

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<v Speaker 1>the coating to wear off. Secondly, either rinse all of

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<v Speaker 1>your dishes before stacking them or none at all. Most

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<v Speaker 1>modern dishwashers come with a sensor that evaluates the water

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<v Speaker 1>to determine how long the cycle should be and how

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<v Speaker 1>much water is necessary to produce a thorough clean. During

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<v Speaker 1>an initial rinse cycle, it'll measure how cloudy the water

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<v Speaker 1>is and run more or less thorough wash cycles Accordingly,

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<v Speaker 1>if only some of your dishes are rinsed, it won't

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<v Speaker 1>be able to properly evaluate how to run its wash cycle.

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<v Speaker 1>A plus on the side of not hand rinsing first

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<v Speaker 1>at all. The dish detergent you use likely has compounds

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<v Speaker 1>in it that are specifically designed to break up food particles. Basically,

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<v Speaker 1>the companies that make those detergents assume you won't pre wash.

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<v Speaker 1>If you do, those compounds may leave a powdery residue

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<v Speaker 1>on your dishes. Because of that, we'd recommend that users

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<v Speaker 1>of modern dishwashers and commercial detergents scrape off chunks or

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<v Speaker 1>anything that might clog the machine, but not be fussed

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<v Speaker 1>about rinsing sauces or crumbs. A Third, you want to

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<v Speaker 1>fill the machine to your best advantage, load the dishes

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<v Speaker 1>to face the center of the machine. The spray arms

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<v Speaker 1>sprays out in a circular motion, so plates that aren't

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<v Speaker 1>facing the center will get a heavy cleaning on the

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<v Speaker 1>wrong side. Also, because the heating unit is located on

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<v Speaker 1>the bottom of most machines, heat sensitive plastics should go

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<v Speaker 1>on the top rack to avoid risk of melting. Forks

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<v Speaker 1>and spoons should face up to minimize the risk of

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<v Speaker 1>nesting inside a packed utensil basket. This also keeps the

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<v Speaker 1>basket from getting in the way of the wash, making

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<v Speaker 1>sure the head of the utensils gets nice and clean.

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<v Speaker 1>If you have a ton of silverware to wash, try

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<v Speaker 1>to spread out similar pieces to avoid nesting, or alternate

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<v Speaker 1>them head down head up along the same lines. Resist

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<v Speaker 1>the urge to overload the dishwasher. In general, if one

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<v Speaker 1>item is completely blocking another, neither will get truly clean. Finally,

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<v Speaker 1>you should run occasional maintenance on your machine. Your dishwasher

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<v Speaker 1>likely has a filter that needs to be removed and

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<v Speaker 1>cleaned out on occasion. Most soils like saucer crumbs will

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<v Speaker 1>slip right through the filter, but any aerrant chunks of

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<v Speaker 1>food will get caught and clog it up. To clean,

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<v Speaker 1>simply remove and rinse with a little bit of dish soap.

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<v Speaker 1>Be sure to rinse it completely or it will cause

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<v Speaker 1>sudzing during the next cycle. Also, lime scale, especially in

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<v Speaker 1>areas with hard water and grease, can build up in

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<v Speaker 1>these spray arms and filter over time. To prevent any

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<v Speaker 1>problems from escalating, it's a good idea to clean your

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<v Speaker 1>machine about once a month. There are dishwasher specific cleansers

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<v Speaker 1>on the market, or you can google to learn how

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<v Speaker 1>to run a cleansing cycle with vinegar. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article What's the best way to load

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<v Speaker 1>a Dishwasher, unhostuffworks dot Com written by Leah Hoyt. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with howstuffwork dot

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<v Speaker 1>Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

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<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows.