Scrape, don’t rinse plates Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to pre-wash plates before you put them in the dishwasher. Merely scraping any food waste off the surface (especially rice, which can expand and clog up the dishwasher’s mechanisms) is sufficient. According to Good Housekeeping, many dishwasher detergents contain enzymes that need to latch onto food particles in order to work effectively.
If the plates are already squeaky clean, that’s a waste of money. On top of that, you’ll save nearly 6,000 gallons of water a year when you stop pre-rinsing. The average dishwasher only uses about 5-8 gallons of water per load—by hand, you’re more likely to use almost 27 gallons and twice the electricity. Seriously, give your water bill a break. Just scrape the plates.