Search

Placeholder Content Image

Should we wash dishes before putting them in the dishwasher?

<p>To ensure your cutlery, crockery and glassware come out sparkling, it is important to make sure your dishwasher is kept clean.</p> <p>From cleaning filters to loading correctly, here is how you can get the best use out of your machine.</p> <p><strong>1. Pre-rinsing isn’t necessary all the time</strong></p> <p>If you are carefully rinsing your plates and cutlery before putting them in the dishwasher then you can cut that task down by only rinsing the items that need it the most. Verity Mann, Head of Testing at Good Housekeeping, told HuffPost Australia, “Don't worry about rinsing off every plate, pot and pan before it goes in the dishwasher. But at least scrape off excess food.” Melissa Maker, author of Clean My Space: The Secret to Cleaning Better, Faster and Loving Your Home Ever Day, said, “It's worth pre-soaking stubborn dried-on stains, such as grease, before loading and running the dishwasher."</p> <p><strong>2. Clean the filter after each use</strong></p> <p>"Think of all the food residue that gets trapped down there," Verity said. "Every couple months, it needs more of a deep clean. Do this by running a cup of white vinegar through the machine on a normal cycle – simply place a cup on the top rack with the vinegar in it."</p> <p>You can also use a dishwasher cleaning product that is available at most supermarkets.</p> <p>"Spray arms should be cleaned in a solution of washing-up liquid – run water through the inlet of each spray arm to ensure that holes are not blocked with food debris. You can even use a toothpick to clear them," Verity said.</p> <p>Melissa advises doing this DIY trick for an easy overnight clean. “Clean out the dishwasher filter first, and then just add a cup of baking soda to the base of the dishwasher and allow to sit overnight. Then run through the next morning with a cup of white vinegar sitting on the top rack," Melissa said.</p> <p><strong>3. Load correctly</strong></p> <p>To get the most out of your dishwasher, it is important that you load it correctly. "First things first, adjust the dishwasher racks," Verity said. "Move the top rack up or down (most newer models let you do this) to fit odd-sized items you're always washing but never fit correctly.</p> <p>"Don't overfill it – you can put too much in and that's just going to make it less efficient as the water won't have as much room to circulate. The same applies to cutlery."</p> <p>Melissa advises not to nest cutlery so food residue isn’t trapped. "Load cutlery stem side down, and stagger small and large dishes to get maximum coverage for your load," Melissa said.</p> <p>"Keep sharp knives facing downwards as the detergent is abrasive and can blunt them. Ideally, we say wash good knives by hand," Mann added. "We don't advise putting wooden utensils in the dishwasher as it will swell and crack and the surface will become very rough."</p> <p><strong>4. Select the right program</strong></p> <p>Although it may be tempting to set the dishwasher to “eco” or “fast”, this may waste more time if the dishwasher contents are dirty. "Also ensure that you use the right program. Using the economy setting is a false economy if the load is really dirty. So choose your cycle carefully," Verity explained.</p> <p><strong>5. Use rinse aid</strong></p> <p>"It is necessary to use proprietary products to get the best out of your dishwasher, but they don't have to cost you a small fortune," Verity told HuffPost Australia. </p> <p>"Rinse aid and salt is important. Rinse aid makes dishes shiny and helps dry them. Salt protects your machine from lime-scale and softens the water for better cleaning."</p> <p>"Check there is enough dishwasher salt and rinse aid before running. Most dishwashers have indicator lights on the control panel, so you can see when these need refilling."</p> <p><strong>6. Use vinegar and bicarb soda</strong></p> <p>"There are items in your cupboard that can also help you get the best out of your machine. As mentioned previously, vinegar is great for providing a deep clean and removing a build-up of limescale (prevalent in hard water areas)," Verity said.</p> <p>"Another good home remedy is bicarbonate of soda. You can get rid of any nasty smells coming from the dishwasher by sprinkling a couple of tablespoons of it onto the bottom of the machine before running a load."</p> <p><strong>7. Unload correctly</strong></p> <p>Be sure to unload the dishwasher correctly so that items don’t drip over one another. “And finally, ensure you unload in the right order. Empty the bottom rack first so the top rack doesn't drip below," Verity said.</p> <p><em><strong>To find your home essentials</strong> <a href="https://shop.oversixty.com.au/?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_campaign=Over60Shop&amp;utm_medium=in-article-link-o60shop&amp;utm_content=over60-shop" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>head to the Over60 Shop for high-quality offerings</strong></span></a>.</em></p>

Home & Garden

Placeholder Content Image

Should you rinse your dishes after washing them?

<p class="first-para">Jo and Matthew have lived together for a year. A model of rinser-non-rinser coexistence, they have come to tolerate each other’s opposing views like a deeply-divided couple learning to navigate politics in a Trump era.</p> <p>When it’s Jo’s turn to do the washing-up, she fills the sink with hot water and a squirt of detergent, then immerses the dishes and washes them. At this point, she takes them out of the soapy water and puts them on the drying rack. Yes, just like that – no final rinse.</p> <p>“The use of a sponge sufficiently extricates suds. Any remaining suds dissipate once a dish has been placed on a drying rack,” she says.</p> <p>Whereas Jo sees residual bubbles as an indication of cleanliness, Matthew disagrees, “You wouldn’t step out of the bath covered in bubble bath without first rinsing off under the shower, would you?”</p> <p>And they’re not the only ones.</p> <p>Ruth and James have lived together for four years. Ruth was once a non-rinser until James – a chef – told her she was doing it wrong. “He reckons you’ll get sick if you’ve got residual detergent on your dishes,” she says. “Which I guess makes sense. I’m happy for him to have this victory.”</p> <p>Of course, having polar opposite approaches doesn’t mean your relationship is doomed. Many see their partner’s stance as a challenge rather than a dealbreaker. As one rinser commented: “My sister’s husband used to do a quick dunk in a sink of COLD, non-soapy water. Of course, she was mortified and has been working to train him up in doing it her way.”</p> <p>From Japan to Australia to France, washing-up technique has a lot to do with your country code and cultural background. “When you’re young, it’s informed by your family. Later in life, it’s shaped by your friends and partners – or lack thereof,” says one commenter.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/37667/in-text-1_498x245.jpg" alt="In Text 1 (10)"/><br /></strong></p> <p>In many Asian countries, it’s common to leave the tap running from start to finish – a sight that would leave many in drought-ridden parts of Australia wanting to cry. Growing up, our family subscribed to the former – and guests would comment on how our rinsing technique was even more thorough than their washing.</p> <p>Sometimes it comes down to practicalities. Leanne, a mother of three, doesn’t rinse before stacking because she grew up with only one sink. She does however wash from cleanest to dirtiest. Some are told to rinse with cold water for better shine. Others swear by hot water to help them dry faster.</p> <p>While non-rinsers say rinsing is ridiculously wasteful and burdensome (“Why bother rinsing, you fool, when life is passing you by?”), many rinsers are simply looking out for their health. If the recommended dosage of detergent is used, no-rinse should be no cause for concern. But who wants to eat soap? Especially when we’ve read dubious internet articles linking it to cancer.</p> <p>“No meal has ever benefited from a hint of anti-bacterial dishwashing detergent,” says one rinser. “Suds in my stomach is unhealthy, but probably not lethal. Unless it turns out soap causes cancer, which is something at the back of my mind, like too many additives in hotdogs or waxy instant noodles,” says another.</p> <p>While non-rinsers say rinsing is ridiculously wasteful and burdensome, many rinsers are simply looking out for their health. </p> <p>For many dishwasher owners, there’s no logical reason for rinsing before loading. They liken it to hiring a cleaner – by insisting on cleaning up in preparation for their arrival. Others would rather not treat their cleaning appliance as a garbage disposal unit.</p> <p>At the risk of reopening old wounds, I brought it up with an old boyfriend – the preload non-rinser to my rinser. After noting that our argument has lasted longer than “the entire series run of <em>Party of Five</em>“, he arrived at his main argument: “People who insist upon pre-dishwasher rinses clearly have trust issues with their machine.”</p> <p>The source of lovers’ tiffs and tense dinner party disputes – necessitating sneaky do-overs when your guests aren’t looking – the issue is as murky as the dishwater non-rinsers use to clean their plates.</p> <p>Then there’s the way people stack the drying rack, which we’ll save for another day.</p> <p><em>Written by Kathleen Lee-Joe. First appeared on <a href="http://www.domain.com.au" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Domain.com.au.</span></strong></a></em></p>

Home & Garden

Placeholder Content Image

Why you’re almost certainly wasting time rinsing your recycling

<p><em><strong>Trevor Thornton is a lecturer at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at Deakin University.</strong></em></p> <p>Once a fortnight we diligently wheel our recycling bin to the kerb, and then probably give ourselves a pat on the back while thinking of all the useful products we have helped to create, and the resources and energy we have saved.</p> <p>Yet it pays to think a bit more deeply about what is going into each bin. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/publications-and-research/research/bin-audits" target="_blank">Audits of kerbside collections</a></strong></span> have shown that around 10 per cent (by volume) of the material placed in kerbside recycling bins shouldn’t be there. The most common “contamination” items include plastic bags (both full and empty), textiles, green waste, polystyrene (styrofoam) and general rubbish.</p> <p>The problem cuts the other way too. Around a third of landfill waste bins routinely contain recyclables or green waste.</p> <p>How many of us actually know where the contents of our recycling bin go, who manages it, and how the various materials are separated? This knowledge is a crucial element in reducing contamination and improving our recycling industry.</p> <p><strong>Bin information</strong></p> <p>A <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://recyclingweek.planetark.org/documents/doc-1451-nrw-2016-report-so-you-think-you-can-recycle.pdf" target="_blank">2005 report</a></strong></span> found that 48 per cent of Australians are confused about what can and cannot be recycled, not least because the rules and practices differ between local governments and commercial operators, and between households and workplaces.</p> <p>For household recycling, we generally receive an annual flyer from the council telling us what should and shouldn’t go in the recycling bin. But there is typically little or no feedback on whether we’re getting it right.</p> <p>By way of example, ask yourself (and your friends) how much time you spend rinsing out tins, yoghurt pots and other food containers before throwing them in the recycling.</p> <p>The truth is that you don’t have to do this at all, because today’s recycling systems can <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.getitrightbinnight.vic.gov.au/how-to-get-it-right/faq/" target="_blank">easily cope with the levels of food often found in or on these containers</a></strong></span>. Yet many householders still do it, either because they were never told it was unnecessary, or because they were given the information but didn’t read it. Meanwhile, we waste water, energy and time rinsing our recycling.</p> <p><strong>Where’s the info?</strong></p> <p>A recent confidential report compiled for four regional councils in Victoria found that only 29 per cent of householders had ever looked at a council website for information about recycling. Most respondents said they got their information from schools, local newspapers and bin stickers.</p> <p>It is important to have clear information from the right source about which items can and can’t be recycled. One example is plastic shopping bags, which many supermarkets urge their customers to recycle by placing them in dedicated bins on the shop premises. But this might prompt shoppers to think that plastic bags can be recycled in their kerbside collection too, which is typically <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.getitrightbinnight.vic.gov.au/how-to-get-it-right/faq/" target="_blank">not the case</a></strong></span>. And, as we saw above, relatively few householders check their local council’s website for the right information.</p> <p>Plastic bags are just one of the common contaminants in the recycling stream that result in large volumes of recyclables being rejected and disposed of in landfill. This comes at a cost to the council, and therefore to us.</p> <p>Many items can be recycled, given the right equipment. To persist with the plastic bag example, these require a machine that can separate them from the rest of the waste stream.</p> <p>But this doesn’t work for full plastic bags, regardless of whether they contain rubbish or other recyclables. Full bags go straight to landfill because it is too laborious to empty them, and in some cases (such as when they contain nappies) doing so poses a health risk for workers at the recycling facility.</p> <p>A little consumer knowledge goes a long way – both in improving the efficiency of our recycling systems and in increasing the motivation of householders who know they’re helping to make life easier for those who process their recycling.</p> <p><strong>Disposables vs reusables</strong></p> <p>We must also have a good think, not just about the items we put in the recycling, but about which products we choose to use in the first place. Although we are bombarded with messages about reducing our use of disposable items, in some cases disposable is actually better.</p> <p>One <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.design4x.com/misc/bus183/handouts/Hocking.SpringerVerlag.Energy%20Use%20of%205%20Different%20Cups.pdf" target="_blank">study</a></strong></span> found that a ceramic cup would need to be used at least 39 times to be a better option than paper disposable cups, and 1,006 times when compared with a styrofoam one. A plastic reusable cup would need to be washed at least 17 times to be more sustainable than paper disposable ones, and 450 times when compared with styrofoam.</p> <p>So if you’re prone to losing or breaking things (or just collecting too many reusable cups!), then it might be wise to consider going disposable (or being more careful).</p> <p>Then comes the issue of whether and how these disposable cups can be recycled. Most outlets now use paper rather than styrofoam cups. While the plastic lid can be recycled, in most instances the cup cannot as there is a film of a plastic waterproof material inside it.</p> <p>A good plan is to ask whether your favourite café stocks cups that can be recycled. If so, encourage them to put up a sign (if they haven’t already) indicating that they use fully recyclable cups, to avoid confusion.</p> <p>The key to all of this is knowledge and balance – that is, after all, what sustainability is all about.</p> <p><em>Written by Trevor Thornton. First appeared on <a href="http://www.theconversation.com" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Conversation.</span></strong></a></em><img width="1" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/78189/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation"/></p>

Home & Garden

Placeholder Content Image

Why you shouldn’t pre-rinse before putting items in dishwasher

<p>It’s a common kitchen argument all over the country – often one partner wants to rinse all of the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, and the other wants to pop them straight in.</p> <p>Finally we have the answer for you. While you should scrape off food scraps, you don’t actually need to rinse the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher.</p> <p><strong>Why…?</strong></p> <p><strong>Your dishwasher needs dirty dishes to work</strong></p> <p>The detergent actually needs to cling onto food particles in order to work. Without the particles they have nothing to attach to.</p> <p><strong>Your dishes won’t be any cleaner if you pre-rinse</strong></p> <p>Your dishwasher is a lot more high tech than you think, with super sprayers and even sensors to detect how dirty the plates are. Rinsing them before hand won’t make them any cleaner in the end, so why bother?</p> <p><strong>You will be wasting water</strong></p> <p>If all this pre-rinsing isn’t necessary, then you are wasting lots of water (and energy to heat that water). And research suggests that a typical dishwasher uses less water than washing the equivalent amount of dishes by hand.</p> <p><strong>You will be wasting time</strong></p> <p>Old habits die hard, but give the pre-rinsing the flick and you will save precious time on your kitchen clean up. That means more time to put your feet up, which is always a good thing.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/04/tricks-to-cut-vegetables-faster/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Tricks to cut vegetables faster</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/04/foods-that-dont-need-to-be-refrigerated/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>10 commonly refrigerated foods that don't need to be</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/home-garden/2016/04/old-fashioned-laundry-tips/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Simple old-fashioned laundry tips</strong></em></span></a></p>

Home & Garden

Our Partners

Over 60

© Copyright 2024 OverSixty.All Rights Reserved.