Handy dishwasher tips

A dishwasher may be viewed as quite a luxury home appliance when compared to others, but for those fortunate enough to make use of one on a regular basis you’ll be pleased to know there are plenty of little tips and hacks that you can utilise that will make using your dishwasher even easier than it is now!

So, if you’d like to learn about a few ideas that can help make your dishes extra sparkly while saving time and effort, read on…

Cut down on drying time

When placing your dishes into the dishwasher give them a little breathing space between each other as this will greatly cut down on the amount of time it takes to dry them at the end of the wash. Using rinse aid will also speed up the drying time as well as add extra sparkle to your glasses by removing water droplets that are left on them, leaving you with dry, clean glasses with a gleaming shine that are ready for their next use.

Once the washing cycle ends, you can open the door as this will also help dry your dishes without using any additional energy. Some AEG models come with clever modern AirDry technology that will actually do this for you automatically. Quite the smart appliance!

Stack items in your dishwasher correctly

Correctly loading your dishwasher with plates, glasses, cutlery, cups and an array of oddly shaped kitchen utensils can sometimes pose quite the challenge. However, to ensure every item receives the very best clean it’s important to ensure everything is stacked and placed inside the dishwasher efficiently - I’m sure we’ve all experienced opening the door at the end of a cycle only to find many items looking half-clean. This is probably due to how they were stacked!

For the best clean stack your bowls, cups and glasses on the top rack facing downwards, and place pots, pans, dishes and the like on the bottom rack. Some modern dishwashers will raise the bottom rack to around knee height to save you from bending over and causing back ache, so check to see if your appliance is built with this feature - or consider it if you’re planning to buy or replace a dishwasher.

Care for your cutlery

Just like everything else you place into the dishwasher, cutlery needs to be correctly stacked as well to ensure every knife, fork and spoon undergoes a thorough clean! Many dishwashers contain a removable silverware basket, usually found on the lower rack, specifically designed for your cutlery.

For safety reasons, you should place knives facing downwards so that there is no risk of cutting your hands when removing them after the wash. Extra sharp kitchen knives are probably best washed carefully by hand. As for the rest of your cutlery, it’s usually best to place some of them with the handles up and some of them with the handles down. But don’t overfill the basket with too much. This will ensure each item of cutlery receives a thorough clean during the cycle.

25 September 2019

The information contained within this article was correct at the date of publishing and is not guaranteed to remain correct in the present day.

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