How Dishwashers Work & What That Means for Loading Them
Let’s break it down in plain terms. Understanding what happens inside your dishwasher may change how you load it and help resolve any domestic disputes.
1. It starts by filling with cold water.
A hose connected to your water supply fills the bottom of the machine.
2. The heating element warms the water.
That thick metal bar on the bottom? It slowly heats the water, prepping it for cleaning. Water on the bottom rack gets hotter than the top—that’s why some dishes say “top rack only.”
3. The detergent door opens and does its thing.
Modern detergent is pretty smart. It:
- Lowers the surface tension of water so it spreads better
- Breaks up grease and food
- Uses enzymes to digest proteins, starches, and fats
- Uses bleach to tackle stains and smells
- Leaves behind a protective coating for your dishes and the machine
Loading tip: Avoid pre-washing. If the detergent has nothing to “digest,” it might go after your dishes’ patterns or glaze. Just scrape off large bits into the trash, put it directly into the dishwasher, and let the detergent do the rest.
4. Water sprays from rotating paddles (like garden sprinklers).
As the paddles spin, pressurized water sprays up—meaning dirty sides of dishes should face inward or downward toward the spray arms. The arms rotate for full coverage, but they’re not miracle workers if your plates are nested or your pan blocks the pod.
Loading tip: Don’t block the spray arms or detergent door. Load large items around the edges, not smack in the center.
5. Dirty water drains, then rinse cycles begin.
The machine drains out the dirty water, refills with clean hot water, and repeats the rinse as needed.
6. Drying begins.
Depending on your model, it may use residual heat, a fan, or a heated dry setting.
Final note: Water can reach 120°F or more. Between the enzymes, heat, and thorough rinsing, your dishes are not just “pretty clean”—they’re hygienically clean.
How to Load the Dishwasher
Everyone has their way, but here are some gentle basics:
Plates go on the bottom rack, angled inward.
Cups and glasses go on the top rack, between the tines.
Bowls tilt downward for draining.
Cutlery goes handle-down, mixed to prevent nesting.
Plastics stay on the top rack to avoid warping.
The main goal? Let water and detergent reach every surface. Try to keep things spaced out just enough to allow that.
If you’re still not sure—or still arguing about it—check your dishwasher’s manual. Most include a diagram for how to load it well.
Why Dishwasher Disagreements Run So Deep
Believe it or not, therapists hear about dishwasher arguments all the time. Ellen Cushing (of The Atlantic) and Krys Boyd (host of Think) point out that it’s about more than dishes. It’s about how we use space, how we think about cleanliness, who we believe should do what—and how much those things matter.
Because many of us never learned how a dishwasher really works, we fall into patterns: reloading everything “the right way,” or bowing out with “if you care so much, you do it.”
It can all end up feeling personal. A comment about where you put the bowls becomes a question of whether you’re thoughtful. Whether you’re carrying your weight. Whether your efforts count.
And in homes where the division of labor already feels unequal, these small moments can hit hard.
One researcher even compared dodging dish duty to dodging the draft: if housework is civic responsibility, not doing your part can feel like a breach of duty.
The fix isn’t perfection—it’s partnership. Have a quick chat about what matters to each of you, and what’s just habit. Agree on a “good enough” standard. Let the rest go.
Dishwasher Maintenance Tips
A little routine care goes a long way:
Clean the filter once a month. It usually twists out from under the bottom rack. Rinse it in the sink.
Wipe the door seals with a damp cloth.
Run a cleaning cycle monthly with vinegar or a dishwasher cleaner.
Note: White vinegar is safe for monthly cleaning when placed in a cup on the top rack. Avoid using extra-strength vinegar or pouring it directly into the bottom, as that can be hard on plastic parts and seals over time.
Check spray arms for gunk in the holes.
Inspect the drain if water is pooling.
Mark your calendar or tie it to something else you do seasonally. I always do this at the first of the month while I am cleaning the filter of the washing machine.
A Quick Dishwasher History
In 1886, a woman named Josephine Cochrane invented the first successful hand-powered dishwasher because she was tired of her fine china being chipped during handwashing. She measured her dishes, built wire racks to hold them in place, and designed a mechanism to spray hot soapy water over them using water pressure—an innovation no one had seen before.
At first, dishwashers were a tough sell. Most homes didn’t have plumbing to support them, and they were expensive—$75 to $100 at the time (that’s several thousand dollars today). It wasn’t until hotels and restaurants saw the benefit that Cochrane’s idea began to take off. The 1893 World’s Fair gave her exposure, and her orders quickly grew to include institutions across the country.
She opened her own factory in 1898 and ran it until her death in 1913. In 1926, her company was sold to KitchenAid—now part of Whirlpool.
It wasn’t until the 1950s that dishwashers began showing up in homes, and not until the 1980s that they became a staple. So if you grew up scrubbing pots by hand, you’re not alone. The dishwasher is still a relatively new guest in the kitchen.
Be a Good Citizen of Your Home
The dishwasher saves us so much time and only asks for a little bit of maintenance in return.
Your dishwasher doesn’t need you to be perfect. It just needs your attention every now and then. Load it. Run it. Rinse the filter. And maybe give your partner grace if they load the forks “wrong.”
Because in the grand scheme of things, peace at home isn’t about dishwasher technique. It’s about shared rhythms, shared values, gentle expectations, and not being the only one who loads it.
Come home to calm.
This is the real goal, a home that provides a restorative peace.
A home that takes care of you because you’ve learned how to take care of it.
Not perfectly. Not all at once. But steadily. Intentionally.
That’s the MainTenacious way.
Great article! I’ve had dishwasher issues for years – stuff not getting clean, sand-like stuff in my drinking glasses. I’m pretty sure it was my environmentally friendly dishwasher soap! I switched to a commercial brand and it’s much better.
I still rinse dishes so gunk doesn’t clog the filter so frequently.