Expert explains where you should stack different items in your dishwasher – and reveals the common kitchen item you should NEVER load it with

Are you one of the many people arguing about the correct way to load your dishwasher?

Breakfast television program This Morning has tackled some of the most controversial debates when it comes to washing your crockery.

Today’s show featured Katie Mortram from Good Housekeeping, who has been testing dishwashers for five years. She described how to stack them properly and explained what should and shouldn’t be washed in them – including hair combs and cheese graters.

According to Katie, the distance between the teeth is a good indication of which items belong in which parts of the machine.

Discussing the bottom shelf, Katie said, “The [tines] those that are close together are basically for your dinner plates and your side plates… Plates that are a little further apart are for soup plates, bowls, and larger items.

“So if they’re a little bit wider, you actually have a little more room for the thickness of the items.”

In addition to plates and dishes, she said pots and pans should also be placed on the lower shelf – never on the top shelf.

Katie explained why, saying: ‘The heating element is down there, and there’s also more water pressure because of the jet underneath. So basically you get the best performance on the bottom rack.

“So you want to point things down and toward the center if you can.”

When it comes to whether you should rinse dishes before putting them in, Kate said there’s no point, and simply scraping them first will do the trick.

She explained: ‘Flushing is actually a waste of water, time and money. Dishwashers are now so advanced that they basically remove all greasy residue or sauces in one cycle anyway, so you’re just wasting time and effort [if you rinse].’

Another hot dishwasher topic she covered was whether you should place your cutlery with the handles up or down.

According to Katie, ideally you would use an additional third shelf, which some dishwashers have as the top shelf, with two deeper shelves underneath.

According to Katie speaking on This Morning today (pictured), you need to make sure there is space between all items so that water can flow between them and they can be cleaned properly

If you use the cutlery basket in your machine, she says she thinks it is designed so that knives and forks face up.

However, Katie noted that she “alternated the spoons, especially up and down, to prevent them from settling and to allow the water to flow through and clean them properly.”

As for her other top tips, Katie said it’s important to make sure the items are at least slightly spaced apart.

‘You don’t want them to make contact, so the water can pass through and become clean [everything] the right way.’

Another tip, which Katie said she “couldn’t emphasize enough”, was to “always pull out the top rack and check that the spray arm can rotate fully and is not blocked at any point” after you have finished using load.

Finally, she discussed which items you can and cannot clean in your dishwasher.

Katie pointed out that you should check what the brand says about whether items are dishwasher safe or not, but some items should never be put in it.

This includes objects made of cast iron, copper, crystalware and fine porcelain. Also keep sharp knives and cheese graters out of your machine.

This is because dishwashers dull any objects with sharp edges. So these must be washed by hand to preserve them for as long as possible. Additionally, the intricate design of cheese graters is unlikely to allow for thorough cleaning.

Katie said: ‘Dishwashing liquid dulls the blades…and [with cooking knives] the hardness of the steel is much more susceptible to rust than your regular stainless steel cutlery.’

This Morning presenters Cat Deeley (pictured, left) and Ben Shephard (pictured, right) during today’s segment on loading your dishwasher

She added: ‘And…any sharp objects in your dishwasher will also cut into the rubber coating of the baskets, potentially damaging your dishwasher.’

Wooden items should also be hand washed, she said, and should never be put in the washing machine because the wood will swell and crack under the high temperatures.

Items such as microwave plates and cleaning tools may be machine washable, depending on the specific brand instructions.

When it comes to non-kitchen items, there are a few that Katie said can go in the machine, like plastic toys (again, as long as they say they are dishwasher safe).

She even suggested that combs are dishwasher safe, provided they are made of sturdy plastic and listed as machine safe.