This is a “heated” topic and I am not sure if I can persuade you to change your mind on this matter. But since my aim is to educate, I think I should attempt to use persuasion in service to that goal.
The last time we talked about this we discussed the reasons to not pre-rinse dishes: saving on time, saves water and gives the dish detergent a purpose, dirt to grab on to. All pretty good arguments, at least on the surface. Yet I hear the counter arguments, plain as day, because I have lived them.
My dishes do not get clean when I don’t rinse them first
Before jumping to the conclusion that rinsing is the answer to this dilemma, I urge you to see if it might be a different cause. You might relate this to your computer not working and the tech person saying, hey, did you reboot it?
When was the last time you cleaned and checked the holes of the spray arms? If those are clogged, the pressure of the water being sprayed is diminished.
Did you clean the filter, say, in the last month? Want to learn how, check out my post How to Clean Your Dishwasher.
Are you experimenting with all the different programs on your dishwasher? More tub fills and hotter water might solve this issue.
I’ve done all of the above and my dishes still need me to rinse
That clip I linked you to with Christian Slater on the Today Show also has an article with it on Today’s website stating that “Consumer Reports confirms that any dishwasher sold in the last five years for more than $500 is up to the task”. The story was originally written May 22, 2018”. This article certainly provoked many people to write in and share their views on how crazy an idea not pre-rinsing is. Insider wrote a story about it. You might share the same arguments of why to rinse. What Consumer Reports is saying is that if a machine was born in 2013 or before, one ought to be rinsing those dishes!
Another argument for not pre-rinsing is that it will confuse the sensor mode and give a subpar cleaning. This argument appears in expert commentary quite often. I was unable to find data that showed the percentage of machines that contain this preset.
The Stink Factor
This is the argument I hear often at home, that the dirty dishes waiting to be washed develop a horrible stench. I do believe that is why the rinse cycle was invented. A glorious feature that will rinse all your dishes in about 15 minutes, using half the water you would by hand. Perfect if one is unable to create enough dishes to run a daily load.
Not rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher saves water and time and gives your detergent a chance to shine – and yet could cause a stink. Per Consumer Reports, it really comes down to what type of machine you have and what it is capable of. We are still experimenting with this concept in our household, most times the dishes come out clean without a pre-wash except for a couple of items. I do know what features I will be looking for when I am in the situation to purchase a machine of my own, and a rinse cycle is at the top of the list. I think these two camps, to rinse or not, are not really amenable to change; probably due to both simple stubbornness and the fact of the occasional fork coming out with food still caked on. However, I shall persist in my attempts to persuade!
Next up, we will tackle the drying features of good ole DW.