Today’s dishwashers really will do most of the work for you.  No more scrubbing before loading.  If you are the type of person who cleans the house before the housekeeper comes, this might be a hard habit to kick, but hey – think of all the other tasks you can do with the time you’ll save.  You can alphabetize your spices!

The tips:

* Soiled surfaces should always face the interior of the machine, where the spray is most likely to reach them. 

* Don’t put glasses over the prongs, because that impedes the water’s flow. Use the prongs to prop them up from the outside.

* Never overlap pans. Let the whole cooking surface lie face-down on the rack.

* Knife edges should point downward, forks should point upward, and spoons can go either way. (Just check that they aren’t nesting)

I have found that not rinsing the dishes works best if the dishwasher is being run right away, but your results may vary.