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Washing Dishes: Why You Shouldn't Pre-Wash Your Dishes

The Verdict Is In: Stop Prewashing Your Dishes

You have a dishwasher, so what are you doing hand-washing your dishes?

Despite what you might think, prewashing your dishes won't make them any cleaner than putting them directly into the dishwasher, Consumer Reports says.

For starters, washing machines are built to make your plates and glasses sparkle by heating the water to a scalding 145 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Washington Post. And modern washing machines contain built-in jets that blast through the dirtiest dishes, killing bacteria and scraping away cooked-on sauces way better than a sponge ever could.

And it's not just the cleaning power that should keep you from standing at the sink all night. Machines that sport an Energy Star label are said to be so efficient they cut water bills by more than $40 per year.

So why would you ever want to wash your pots and pans by hand? Well, some researchers say dishwashers do too good of a job, so much so that they are actually being blamed for weakening children's immune systems.

But no matter how good your machine is, if you aren't loading it correctly you still won't end up with clean dishes.

Do you prewash your dishes? Let us know how you handle your dirty pots and pans in the comments below.

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