I have recently realized how to make fast work of putting away my silverware from the dishwasher basket when the dishes are done. That seems to be the most laborious part of the chore. All the spoons, knives, and forks were all mixed up in all the different compartments of the silverware basket. Not to mention all the serving spoons and spatulas too. Wow! I was consistently rearranging silverware when I took them out of the dishwasher. It took me forever to get them reorganized and put away. Well, it takes me about ten seconds flat to put them away now. How?
Well, it dawned on me one day that since I have six small compartments and one big compartment in the dishwasher basket that holds my silverware and I have just as many compartments as I do the number of different types of silverware. I experimented one day and put all the same types of silverware in it's own individual compartment. For example, I put all the small spoons in one compartment, all the big spoons in another, all the butter knives in one, and all the forks in another, and, well you get the picture. I put all the serving spoons and other things likes spatulas that go into the container that sits on my kitchen counter top in the biggest compartment.
Now, when the dishes are done, all I have to do is grab all the items from one compartment all at one time, and put them in the corresponding spot in the kitchen drawer. And I only have to do this once. Rather then keep going back and forth and doing it over and over until the dishwasher basket is empty. Whew! Boy, talk about a time saver, and making life easier!
I also always face them in the same direction too. Fork prongs face down, and so forth. Otherwise if I have to rearrange them, that would only defeat the purpose. Right? Try it, you'll see what I mean.
By Marianne Ryan from Des Moines, IA
This page contains the following solutions.
When loading knives in to your dishwasher silverware tray, please put your knives point side down. This will prevent any accidents from happening.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Should silveware be washed in a dishwasher?
By ray from Ontario, Canada
I have always washed mine in the dishwasher. The only ones I wouldn't do is ones with wooden or plastic handles.
Another tip, I quit washing anything clear glass in the dishwasher. I always wondered why my glasses invariably came out looking frosty, no matter what brand of soap I used.
I wouldn't wash silver or silver plate silverware in the dishwasher (or any other silver or silver plated item for that matter) if that's what you were wondering. The hot water and dishwasher detergent in a dishwasher will eventually damage the silver causing it to need professional refinishing.
Just hand wash them with mild soap in warm water. Usually a couple of times a year you'll need to clean them with silver tarnish remover and then just wash them again afterwards in the soapy water.
If you're talking basic flatware that isn't actually silver, every dishwasher has a silverware/flatware basket. However, when we used a dishwasher 30+ years ago, we had to thoroughly rinse and swab everything to loosen the food first.
I wash all of my cutlery in the dishwasher. I don't pre-rince anything either, unless it is egg that has dried on. Sometimes a few pieces come out with food still stuck on, but that is usually if the dishwasher is exceeding full. I use stainless steel cutlery all the time, and silver plated cutlery occasionally. All go through the dishwasher perfectly fine.
Use Cascade Platinum and your glasses will be spotless. Old spots and film disappear. AND the inside of the dishwasher shines.
I know this is an old, old post, but washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than a dishwasher. A dishwasher will use maybe 3 gallons total, but you'll use 3 gallons in a few minutes if you're washing by hand.
Plus, you don't have to rinse ahead of time anymore. Dishwasher detergent is formulated to work better if there's some food on the plates. Most of our dishes go from table to dishwasher.
I experimented with a glass lasagna pan and didn't soak it first. It came out perfectly clean.
My newer dishwasher does a great job with really dirty dishes too. The only times that things come out with stuck on food is if the soap dispenser is blocked by tall dishes in the front (I stack my plates perpendicular to the dispenser to prevent this) or if the dishwasher was overloaded.
I always have a handful of things that need to be hand washed (cast iron, sharp knives, etc.) but I'm sure I'm saving a lot more water than in the past.
How should silverware be put in the dishwasher? Should the silverware be put in handle up or down?
By Larry
Are there any baskets that could be used to wash a whole load of silverware in our dishwasher for a large church gathering other than just the small basket provided with the dishwasher? The complete load would be silverware.
By Ron O
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When you put your silverware into your dishwasher, try grouping it in each compartment by the type.
It's okay to wash your silverplate items in the dishwasher, just not with any of your stainless steel items. It doesn't hurt the silverplate, but it will pit the stainless steel. By Brenda Cole
