To Rinse or Not to Rinse: Do You Need to Rinse Plates Before the Dishwasher?

Why Your Dishwasher Wants Dirty Dishes

Here's something most people don't know: modern dishwashers are built to handle food residue. In fact, they need it to work properly.

Smart Sensors Need Something to Detect

Most dishwashers manufactured after the early 2000s include soil sensors—basically tiny detectives that measure how dirty your dishes are at the start of each cycle.

When you pre-rinse everything until it's spotless, those sensors get confused. They think your dishes are already clean, so the dishwasher switches to a lighter wash cycle.

The result? Your "clean" dishes come out with invisible residue, stuck-on food particles, or that weird cloudy film on your glasses.

Want to know if your dishwasher has soil sensors? Find your model number on the inside of the door or in your user manual, then look it up on the manufacturer's website. Most models from the last 20 years have them.

Your Dishwasher Detergent Is Designed for Dirty Dishes

Think about it like this: dishwasher detergent is like a search-and-destroy team. The enzymes in the formula are specifically designed to break down grease, starches, and proteins.

But if there's nothing to break down?

Those enzymes have nowhere to go. The detergent just rinses away without doing its job.

Truly Free Home's Dishwasher Soap uses powerful plant-derived enzymes that actually need food particles to cling to. That's how they carry away the grime and leave your dishes spotless—without any toxic chemicals touching the surfaces your family eats from.

When you pre-rinse, you're robbing your detergent of the chance to do what it was formulated to do.

Pre-Rinsing Wastes a Shocking Amount of Water

Here's the math that changed my mind forever:

According to Consumer Reports, you waste between 1.7 and 6 gallons of water for every minute you run the faucet to pre-rinse.

Let's say you spend just 2 minutes rinsing dishes before loading the dishwasher. That's up to 12 gallons per load.

Compare that to an Energy Star-certified dishwasher, which uses as little as 3 gallons for an entire cycle.

You're using four times more water to pre-rinse than your dishwasher needs to wash everything.

And if you're doing dishes every night? That's thousands of gallons wasted every year.

When Should You Actually Scrape (Not Rinse) Your Dishes?

Okay, so we're not pre-rinsing anymore. But that doesn't mean you throw a plate covered in spaghetti sauce straight into the dishwasher.

Here's what to do instead:

Scrape, Don't Rinse

Use a spatula, paper towel, or your garbage disposal to scrape off large chunks of food. That's it.

You're not trying to make the plate look clean. You're just removing anything that could clog the drain or get stuck in the spray arms.

Think:

• Bones
• Large chunks of meat
• Seeds or pits
• Excessive grease (wipe with a paper towel first)

Everything else? Let the dishwasher handle it.

The Two Exceptions

There are exactly two situations where a quick rinse makes sense:

1. You Have an Older Dishwasher (Pre-2000s)

If your machine doesn't have soil sensors and struggles with tough loads, a light rinse on heavily soiled dishes can help. But even then, you're better off upgrading to Truly Free Home's Dishwasher Booster & Rinse Aid instead of pre-rinsing.

2. Dishes Are Sitting Overnight

If food is going to dry and cake onto the plate before you run the dishwasher, give it a quick rinse or soak. Dried-on egg yolk or cheese is much harder for any detergent to break down.

But for same-day loads? Skip the rinse entirely.