Dishes: to Rinse or Not to Rinse

Like the Coke versus Pepsi debate, everyone has their opinion on whether or not you should pre-wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. The pro-pre side insists that pre-washing is necessary to remove gunk because the washer won't be able to. The anti-pre side maintains that a dishwasher is just that: a machine for washing dishes and therefore a pre-wash is totally unnecessary. Which side is right? I'm here to tell you that the anti-pre-wash camp is right. Why have a dishwasher if you're going to wash the dishes before putting them in?

I've seen frugal living articles that advocate pre-washing dishes because then you can use the shortest wash and a smaller amount of detergent to wash the dishes. By using the shortest wash you save both water and electricity, or at least that's the claim. The electricity argument may be true, but the amount of money saved by running the washer for a few less minutes is negligible. The saving water claim might hold water (pun intended) but what about the water used to pre-wash the dishes? Surely the amount of water saved on the dishwasher end is used on the pre-washing end. Using smaller amounts of detergent is supposed to save money because a bottle or box will last longer. But what about the money spent on dishwashing liquid and sponges? I guess you could use plain water and recycle old t-shirts or crochet your own dish cloths, though. So maybe that part of the pro-pre argument is plausible. However, now that I've spelled out and rebutted the pro-pre reasons, they don't seem so compelling do they?

On the opposite side of the coin, there are some frugal living sites that recommend putting your dishes right in the washer, no matter how dirty. The water used for pre-washing is simply a waste because dishwashers are designed to clean dishes. Today's dishwashers are so efficient they are able to remove any gunk, even on short washes. Water is saved by not pre-washing and by using short washes. Electricity is saved as well. It is entirely possible to use a small amount of detergent and still end up with clean dishes. The detergent formulas are concentrated, so concentrated in fact that you can use a quarter size dollop and get your dishes clean. I have personally put pots with days-old dried pasta sauce in them, utensils covered in peanut butter, dishes sticky with syrup, bowls with caked dried cereal flakes and many other unwashed types of dishes into my washer and then opened my washer to find sparkling clean dishes. Please don't think less of me because of my slack dishwashing habits--I'm confessing this to make a point. I will concede that pots recently used to cook beans do truly need a pre-wash; for some reason the bean residue just won't come off in the dishwasher. But honestly, how many of you cook your own beans?

You may think it's lazy or irresponsible not to pre-wash dishes, but in reality it's the frugal and efficient way to deal with chore few us enjoy. I suppose if you are the rare individual that derives pleasure from doing your dishes, it would be okay to do them twice by pre-washing and then washing them in the washer. But for the rest of us, it's clear that pre-washing is unnecessary.