DISHWASHING DOS AND DON’TS

Some insist on washing glassware by hand in case it goes cloudy. It won’t, as long as you use the correct settings, says Rosie Clarke, product training manager at Miele. “Often glasses go cloudy if the salt and rinse aid settings aren’t correct for the local water hardness.” Arrange them, rim-down, in the top drawer, – and no touching, as it can cause glass to shatter.

Crockery Plates should go in the front slots on the bottom rack, facing towards the centre, not the door: “This way, the entire load will receive a much better water flow,” says Clarke. Sharp knives Never, ever put them facing upwards in the cutlery basket on the bottom drawer, says Clarke, for safety reasons. Best practice is to lay them horizontally on the top drawer.

Utensils Either lay them horizontally in the top drawer, or across the mugs and bowls. “A ladle on top of a few plates should be OK because you’ll get enough water cascading down,” says Clarke. “But it depends on the model: not all dishwashers are equal.”

Cutlery

For best results, choose a dishwasher that has a drawer for cutlery instead of a basket. “The tray allows you to separate every item: when they’re touching they don’t wash properly, or you get oxidisation, in the form of dark silver spots,” says Clarke.

Pots and pans

Fine to go in to the main body if you use decent detergent. And make sure you haven’t loaded anything so big that it will obstruct the revolving spray arm. Be sure to check pans are dishwashersafe, says Clarke: “With some non-stick products, rinse aid can form a layer.”

The detergent Avoid liquid and gel tabs “like the plague”, says Clarke. “They’re encased in a thick coating, which takes a while to break down,” she says. “Loose powder or tablets are best. But do scrape off food fragments before you load.”