Dirty dishes get cleaner than pre-rinsed ones, says Consumer Reports

Dirty dishes get cleaner than pre-rinsed ones, according to Consumer Reports' testers.

No one likes to do the dishes after a big meal, but here's some good news that will make loading the dishwasher less of a chore.

Don't rinse anything before putting it in the dishwasher and your plates will actually come out cleaner.

"It's actually a waste of water to rinse your dishes. And if you are using hot water, it's a waste of energy too," says one Consumer Reports tester.

Here's how pre-rinsing can actually make your dishes dirtier:

According to Consumer Reports, most dishwashers sold in the past five years that cost 5-hundred dollars or more have a sensor to determine how hard the dishwasher needs to work.

In the beginning of the wash it rinses the dishes and then checks how dirty the water is.

If you manually washed off most of the muck, the sensor is thrown off and thinks your dishes are already pretty clean.

So instead of fully washing that dish you only get a light wash.

Loading is also key.

Make sure your plates have the dirty side facing the center.

Use your silverware basket to separate utensils.

And read the instructions.

"I know it's a bore, but you really need to read the instruction manual for your dishwasher. You need to follow the guidelines for loading that machine, so you get the cleanest dishes possible," says the CR tester.

Cox Media Group