I have a confession to make: I’m a pre-rinser. Before I load dirty dishes into our dishwasher, I thoroughly rinse them off so that they’re nearly clean before being placed in the racks. But I’m not sure why I do it. Perhaps it was the thing to do when I was growing up and doing my chores, or maybe it’s because I’m worried about the water pressure and plumbing in our 1940s home.
Turns out, I’m not alone in my pre-rinsing habit. A recent survey commissioned by Procter & Gamble shows that 86% of us pre-rinse or pre-wash as part of our dishwashing routines.
I began to wonder, is my taking the time to pre-rinse dishes before loading them into the dishwasherbeneficial in any way, or is it a waste of time and resources, like water? I reached out to dishwasher detergent giant Cascade to find the answers.