WAAY OT; Ever heard dishes get cleaner in dishwasher by leaving them dirty?

[OhioLion]

I was told this by my mother-in-law, and then a friend said he had heard this.

After checking the internet for the truth

, I found one reference to this. All others saying rinse them in hot water to get the chunks off before putting them in dishwasher. M-I-L said leaving food on gets the dishes cleaner. Not logical to me.

On another note, I was told to load the dishwasher, so I took my wife out and got her drunk!! Just a little humor.

Any thoughts on this?

OL

 

[dwiz]

MIL sounds like an idiot. Put in one plate with chunks of food

on it and another that is rinsed off and see what happens. Pretty sure we all know which is going to be cleaner.

 

[fairgambit]

Originally posted by OhioLion:
I was told this by my mother-in-law, and then a friend said he had heard this.

After checking the internet for the truth

, I found one reference to this. All others saying rinse them in hot water to get the chunks off before putting them in dishwasher. M-I-L said leaving food on gets the dishes cleaner. Not logical to me.

On another note, I was told to load the dishwasher, so I took my wife out and got her drunk!! Just a little humor.

Any thoughts on this?

OL

You need to scrape the excess food off but not rinse them. Rinsing only wastes water and that can amount to thousands of gallons a year. Scrape...don't rinse.

 

[OhioLion]

You're in trouble now. Every time I say that she is an idiot, I get in

trouble.

I laughed out loud at her, and my wife told her there is no logic to it.

She also once told me while we drove down the street in her van, she would put on her seat belt if she saw we might get into an accident. Oh, yeah, true to form for a loving son-in-law, I pumped the brakes at the stop sign and she bounced off the back of my driver's seat.

MIL tends to be a bit slow on logic. Once said there is a Mexican restaurant in the area where they live that features every taco imaginable. She rattled off 3 or 4. I asked if they had bearded taco. She did not know, but she could check. Thought my wife and her sister were going to die on the spot. I chuckled. Then thought, wouldn't it be hilarious if she went back and asked them?

Okay, went on a MIL rant. Mea Culpa.

OL

 

[dwiz]

1,000 gallons of water costs $1.50 from the tap.....*

nm

 

[ILLINOISLION]

Have Heard That Also - But Always Pre-Wash (Or Pre-Bassetted)! *


*

 

[fairgambit]

Re: 1,000 gallons of water costs $1.50 from the tap.....*

Originally posted by dwiz:
nm

It's not just the water, it's the sewage. Here in Allegheny County sewage rates are going through the roof. The sewage rates are up 17% this year, and will rise 11 percent each of the next 3 years due to Federal mandates. Right now, the sewage rate is $5.05 per thousand gallons of water. That adds up fast. As for the water, I don't live in the City of Pittsburgh but their rate for the 1st thousand gallons is $15.13. For every thousand over the minimum, it's an additional $5.66.

This post was edited on 3/29 7:38 PM by fairgambit

 

[Mr. Potter]

So Funny. The Mrs.'s will critique my dishwasher loading skills. She ....

goes ape-sh-t on me if there is a hint of food on anything. Apparently the world will melt if this happens.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

Yes. My wife also told me that food tastes better when prepared...

on granite counter tops. And here all along I thought she was bullshitting me!

 

[GulfCoastLion]

Reminds me of some old college roomates


Back in the 70's in some off campus apartments. They never cleaned/rinsed the dishes, or spoons, knives, forks, glasses, etc. before putting them in the dishwasher. I thought it was just some guys who never were raised properly and tried to rinse them myself until it just wasn't worth it. They would put anything in there, spoons with peanut butter all over it, plates with all kinds of crap/ketchup, dried up leftovers, etc.....

Don't think it made them cleaner. In fact I remember the dishwasher bogging down and not working real well. I eventually just cleaned/scoured for myself whenever I needed to eat there. Thought I'd never hear someone comment on the subject again, but I was wrong.

 

[paradox1984]

Your Google may be broken my friend. I found a good bit on this with first search.

This article touches on it near the beginning

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/garden/21fix.html?_r=0

 

[massimoManca II]

Re: 1,000 gallons of water costs $1.50 from the tap.....*

I'm rinsing with a giant boner knowing 500' behind me is one of the 10 largest lakes on the planet... And I've got a septic sysem...

 

[Class of 67]

Now I know you're pulling our chain. Your MIL can't be this stupid!*

*

 

[Class of 67]

Agree, but please tell me you compost, not flush food down the drain.

Garbage disposal or not, flushing down the sink is not good over the long term for your plumbing. There's also the added burden to the sewage treatment plant. Finally, recycling everything possible is good environmental stewardship.

This post was edited on 3/29 9:10 PM by Class of 67

 

[MICH.Nit Fan]

Not in mine. Pretty much have to hand wash them first.*

,,,,,,,,,

 

[lobo lion]

Did she also tell you that hot water in an ice tray will freeze faster than cold water?

 

[Blueblood4eva]

Love articles by design engineers. Thanks, paradox1984. Not surprised at all when Mothers are more knowledgeable than daughters or sons either!

 

[pandaczar12]

Originally posted by lobo lion:
Did she also tell you that hot water in an ice tray will freeze faster than cold water?

http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/hot-water-freezes-faster-cold-and-now-we-know-why

 

[bullerock]

We could have an entire board dedicated to discussing problems with in laws. Mine always think that their opinion needs to be heard....on every f'ng matter in our lives and are always up in our business.

 

[PSU Lion 2000]

Reminds me of being told that warm water freezes faster than cold water


Makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[OhioLion]

Sorrym 67, I can't make this stuff up. This is why Oblivaix gets contacted

when I go to the out-laws, to meet for a cocktail that allows me out of the house.

OL

 

[tboyer]

Absolutely true.

Yes, the theory is that small bits of food actually help the dishwasher because the particles act as a mild abrasive. Sounds gross but remember all that food is going to be gone as soon as the first wash cycle ends.

But in any case, nobody should be pre-washing dishes unless they have a dishwasher that's not functioning. Modern dishwashers monitor how dirty the wash water is, and add more clean water when needed. Many dishwasher models have tiny food grinders built in so they grind up even fairly large pieces of food before sending it down the drain.

I could never understand this -- people pay money to have dishwashers, so why are they washing the dishes and THEN Putting them in the dishwasher. It's kind of OCD. But whatever makes you feel good I guess.

 

[Woodpecker]

So at the end of the first wash cycle, dishes are the same as if they were

prerinsed? Then how do they get subsequently cleaner?

 

[demlion]

Just a guess here--there's a second wash cycle?**

^*

 

[Woodpecker]

Ah, so the first wash cycle makes the prerinsed dishes dirtier

Then the second wash on those can't catch up to the unrinsed after the first wash. Got it.

 

[OhioLion]

Re: Absolutely true.

Sorry, boyer, research or not, I have trouble seeing my scrappings of mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti sauce or last night's stroganoff residue acting as an abrasive. I only teach sixth grade math in a rural northwest Ohio school district (and for only 39 more days), but that research stumps me.

OL

 

[Ski]

I have heard that modern dishwashers don't need the plates cleaned too

If I do the dishes, I don't pre-rinse them, just throw them into the dishwasher and they come out just fine with one caveat -- if you let those dirty dishes sit in the sink for a few days and the food dries to the point that you need to chisel it off the plate, then you need to brush it off first before putting it into the dishwasher. But, for a big dinner where you can load your dishwasher with freshly eaten off of plates, I have heard that modern dishwashers handle those unrinsed dishes with no problem, and that has been my experience, as well.

My wife cleans the dishes so thoroughly before putting them in the dishwasher that when I open it up I can't tell if they have already been through a cycle or not. The already look like they are clean. To me, she is wasting time, water, and money doing it her way.