Dishwasher expert shares five things you should never do but not everyone is convinced

Your household chores just got levelled up thanks to one of the United Kingdom's leading consumer products experts.

The boffins over at Which? test and review products before issuing their advice on where you should spent your money across tech, kitchen appliances, cars, travel and even garden products.

And their advice has now covers how to stack our dishwashers - with there being a method to make sure you are getting the most out of your dishwashers.

It comes as fresh kitchen advice was issued this week on air fryers, with the most common mistake leaving you at risk of setting your home on fire.

That follows up on even more air fryer advice, this time from chefs warning us on what foods we should never be putting in the cooking device.

Right, back to dishwashers.

"Dishwashers are four times more water efficient than washing by hand if you use them the right way," Which says, issuing five easy things you should avoid in order to use it 'the right way'.

But those watching the clips on Instagram and TikTok aren't universally convinced about what they've been told will improve the cleaning process.

A full dishwasher (Getty Stock Images)

First two dishwasher hacks

Andrew Laughlin is a dishwasher expert at Which?, and he says that the first thing you should never do is rinse your dishes.

"I never rinse my plates," Andrew says. "Just scrape off the food and put them straight in. Your dishwasher can more than cope with it, and it saves on water and energy."

Andrew also says he 'never bothers' with the detergent dispenser - and you might not either, but for clarity, it is the little compartment on the dishwasher door where you put your dishwasher tablets in.

He says: "You can chuck the table straight in and it works just as well."

There's a few things you should avoid (Getty Stock Images)

Dishwasher hack number three

The next one is essential, with Andrew saying that maintenance must be kept up.

"I never dodge maintenance," he says. "Keep your salt and your rinse aid topped up. Frequently clean the filter and regularly keep the door open to allow air to circulate.

"Doing this can help prevent the build up of mould, bacteria, and other general nastiness."

Dishwasher hacks four and five

Fourth on the list for Andrew is never stack your items randomly.

He says: "I never stack randomly. Make sure everything is spaced out.

"Big items at the back, away from the middle. Plates facing inward and make sure no tall items are blocking the spray arms."

And last on the list for Andrew is advice on what you should never clean in the dishwasher.

He says: "Sharp knives can go blunt. Wooden items can swell and crack. And non-stick and vacuum flasks are a no-no too."

A clean load (Getty Stock Images)

Reaction

While Andrew is a literal dishwasher expert, the online community has had its own say on his five pieces of advice.

One TikTok user said: "I tried without rinse the dishes but my dishes were not cleaned."

While another posted: "Tried the whole not rinsing thing, half the dishes came out dirty."

One Instagram user recommended not 'throwing the tablet in', adding: "Some cycles do a rinse or pre wash, then will get rid of that water, if your tablet has been sitting in this water it will start to dissolve, by the time it put new water in to wash the dishes you will have a less powered tablet or pod!"

And a fourth person wrote: "I’ve never gotten clean dishes when I don’t rinse, idk why everyone says that."