Once I Started Washing My Dishes Like This, I’ve Never Done It Another Way

Are you tired of having your dishes come out of that dishwasher still dirty and grimy? It might be because the initial water used to wash those dishes actually isn’t hot enough to get all of that food and grease off. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution to that problem that will only take a couple of minutes of your time.

Here’s how it works: Before you run your dishwasher, turn on the water in your kitchen sink and turn it to hot. Wait for the water to get to steaming hot before turning it off, then run your dishwasher. This ensures that hot water is primed in the water line so you don’t have to wait for the water to get hot, ensuring that your dishes are being washed with hot water as soon as that dishwasher starts.

This trick was posted by Ken Long (@ken.c.long), a DIY expert on Instagram, who says that priming the dishwasher this way helps to get that hot water from your water tank to the dishwasher at a faster speed.

“The initial fill and rinse of your dishwasher is extremely important, and if you’re using cold water, it’s not going to remove the caked-on food and grease,” Long says in the video.

While this works well for getting your dishes cleaned with hot water, he also adds the warning that the water in your sink is going to be hot. So if you plan on using the sink after you have primed the hot water, be sure to turn the temperature down so you don’t burn your hands.

“I do this all the time,” writes one Instagram follower on Long’s video. “My family of plumbers said this is what is necessary, especially with my hot water tank located on the other end of the house.”

Don’t want to waste all that water when you initially prime the sink? Place a bucket inside it and use that water to water plants around the house, or do any other household chores that require water.