[Sethia Soliman]

Are you committing these mistakes? What you should NEVER do to maximise your dishwasher’s efficiency​

Are you making these mistakes? What you should NEVER do to maximise your dishwasher’s efficiency​

Dishwashers are incredibly convenient. Load all the dirty dishes in and leave it be to do its job. That should be enough to effectively clean out all the gunk, right? Well.. not quite. If you’ve been carelessly committing the following mistakes with your dishwasher, chances are you’re not getting the most out of the machine’s capabilities.

Professional organiser, Caroline, has taken to Tiktok to share six ‘cool dishwasher tips you should know about’ which includes some of the common errors we make and how to improve them.

The list starts off with the most common mistake that people make when tidying up: using too much cleaning product. So for your next batch of dishes, she recommends using only three drops of rinse aid for a ‘more effective cleaning and drying’.

Snapshot of Caroline’s video on Tiktok. Image Credit: @neat.caroline​

Caroline explained that the reason why using excessive rinse aid and detergent is counterintuitive is because it leads to a build-up in foggy residue. Using less product will not only save you from unnecessary spending in the long run, but it will also provide you with dishes that are free from residue.

For the lucky ones with an extra top rack for their dishwasher, she also emphasised that improving the way you stack cutlery can make a huge difference. While it seems completely logical to categorise your utensils according to type, Caroline advised to mix them up instead for a ‘cleaner result’. This way, water circulation works its way around the cutlery better.

If you possess an older dishwasher model and you’re feeling a little left out, this next tip is for you!

"Briefly run hot water in your kitchen sink before running the dishes. This ensures the cycle starts hot immediately." she explained.

Her last tip is to use the ‘Eco’ or air dry setting to save energy.

Caroline under the username @neat.caroline has 100,000 followers on TikTok. Her dishwasher hacks video has garnered more than 13,000 views and 900 likes with users expressing their approval in the comments section.

“Big yes to running hot water prior to using the dishwasher. I’ve done this for a while.” one user wrote.

“You give great tips, thank you!!” another added.

Want to see how the expert does it? Watch Caroline’s video below!

Credit: @neat.caroline (TikTok)​

 

[JayKay]

I don't use a dishwasher, but when running your hot tap for hot water, place a bucket underneath so your cold water doesn't go down the plug hole. This water can be used for any number of things, and not wasted.

 

[Allie1919]

She says to run your tap water to get hot water to your dishwasher. Then says how to run your dishwasher to save on water’ - a contradiction!!! Waste water to save water! Also rinses dishes first wasting more precious water!

 

[Riverlandlass]

I have a dishwasher but rarely use it. As most dishes need a rinse before putting in machine anyway, so I find it's quicker to wash by hand and wastes less water. I also found unloading the machine at the end of the day and putting all the crockery and dishes away in one go was a pain.

 

[ElleJay]

My dishwasher, like many others, connects to the cold water only and heats its own water, so running hot water in the sink is pointless.

 

[Noraya]

I don't use a dishwasher, but when running your hot tap for hot water, place a bucket underneath so your cold water doesn't go down the plug hole. This water can be used for any number of things, and not wasted.

I

 

[Noraya]

I always use a large plastic bowl if I rinse anything before putting it in, and that water can be used to water the garden etc. same whenyou run water in the shower in the morning until it heats up: catch it in a bucket. Things we learned as kids to save water.

 

[Janet g]

I don't use a dishwasher, but when running your hot tap for hot water, place a bucket underneath so your cold water doesn't go down the plug hole. This water can be used for any number of things, and not wasted.

I do that in my shower then put water on my pot plants or garden

 

[68autobug]

My LG Dish washer only connects to the cold water tap and heats its own water. I use FINISH Quantum Ultimate PRO [Soft] Tablets and the Dishes, Glasses & knives & forks etc all come out SPARKLING ... Every time I use a Glass, I just cannot get over the sparkling finish... the inside of the dish washer is also sparkling.... I don't know why Dish washers cannot be connected to the HOT water tap!! I've never ever seen a spot or water mark on anything that has been in My dish washer... EXCELLENT...