There is one household chore that divides couples, ends friendships and start wars. It is known as ‘Stacking The Dishwasher’.
More than 50 per cent of couples argue over who is stacking the dishwasher correctly – and both parties firmly believe they are in the right. (Admit it – you are sitting there right now, nodding your head because you, you are doing it correctly.)
Finally, the best way to stack a dishwasher has been proven. And the outcome is backed by a little thing known as SCIENCE.
In an incredibly boring, but well researched, report in the Chemical Engineering Journal, really smart people wrote A LOT of words about how they discovered the most efficient way to stack a dishwasher (and effectively clean all the dishes within).
And it call comes down to what is on the dirty dishes - specifically proteins and carbohydrates - before they are stacked.
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The secret? Arrange the dishes in a circle pattern, following the dishwasher’s rotating arms. Dishes encrusted with carbohydrates, like pasta, should be closest to the centre where they'll cop the greatest water blast, dislodging stuck leftovers.
Dishes with protein, from foods like eggs or meat, go around the edge of the dishwasher, where the water travels more slowly and the detergents have longer to work.
So although most of us are just trying to stack in the most stuff to avoid any handwashing, we should be thinking about the filth factor and arranging accordingly. Really?
“Current commercial dishwashers show a problem of symmetry — while the ejection of water is produced in a circular movement, the distribution of the crockery follows a rectangular pattern,” says the man behind the study, Dr Raul Pérez-Mohedano, of the University of Birmingham.
Sadly, overloading the machine is also a big no. If there are too many items in the dishwasher, the water has less chance of getting where it's needed.
That just leaves one big question. Utensils facing up or down?
DO sort cutlery into groups of knives, forks and spoons to make putting them away easier.
DON'T just put them in at random.
DO stack places facing the same way and according to size.
DO scrape excess food into the bin but don't rinse as modern appliances work best if plates are dirty.
DO place pots and pans together
DON'T stack them on top of each other.
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