If you recently installed a dishwasher in your home after years of washing your dishes by hand, here are a few tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of your new dishwasher.

#1 Rinse Off Your Dishes

Just because you have a dishwasher doesn't mean you no longer have to wash off your dishes. It is a good idea to rinse off all of your dishes before you put them into your dishwasher. This will help get rid of any food or debris that is stuck to your dishes and will allow your dishwasher to do its main job, sanitizing and cleaning your dishes. If you don't rinse the food off your plate, it could clog up the pump inside of your new dishwasher.

#2 Mix Up Your Silverware

When you put your silverware into the utensil holder inside of your dishwasher, you don't want everything to be going in the same direction. Put your spoons, forks and butter knifes pointing in different directions; some with the handle pointed up and some with the handle pointed down. This will ensure that your silverware will get cleaned and not get tangled up with one another.

#3 Don't Mix Silver & Stainless Steel

You should not put silver and stainless steel pots and pans in the dishwasher together. When these two types of metal are combined together in your dishwasher, they can create a chemical reaction in your dishwasher. This chemical reaction can cause your silver to actually split in your dishwasher, so keep these two types of metals away from one another and run them in separate loads.

#4 Place Dirtier Items On The Bottom

If you have items that are really dirty, you are going to want to put them on the bottom of your dishwasher. Dishes placed on the bottom of your dishwasher will get sprayed stronger with water, and thus are more likely to come out clean than if you place them on the top.

#5 Put Glasses & Bowls On The Top Shelf

You should place glasses and bowls on the top shelf of your dishwasher. Glasses and bowls will block the water in your dishwasher more than plates will, which is why you should put them on the top shelf. They will get clean on the top shelf and they will not block the water from the rest of the items in your dishwasher.

Use the five tips above to ensure that your dishes come out as clean as you they did when you use to spend all that time hand washing them. Contact someone like Hudson Appliance Center to find out more.