Why you should never rinse dishes before they go in the dishwasher

Do you handwash to save money? Turns out you might be doing the opposite. Photo / Getty Images

While the internet is riddled with cleaning hacks teaching us how to best live our best life, it can be hard to know what we should and shouldn't listen to.

Australian Consumer Company CHOICE, revealed the hacks that work on your dishwasher and washing machine, and the ones you definitely shouldn't be wasting your time with.

Don't rinse your dishes

While it's common practice to rinse your dishes before loading them in the dishwasher, apparently this is completely unnecessary according to experts.

Experts discovered this doesn't make any difference in how clean the dishes come out at the end of the dishwashing cycle.

However, it is important to still scrape off excess food particles that may get stuck in your washing machine.

Do save water

Experts at CHOICE recommend using the dishwasher instead of handwashing, as it actually saves more water and is more energy efficient.

"Using a typical modern dishwasher uses about six times less water than hand-washing a typical pile of dirty dishes," Ashley Iredale told the Daily Mail.

Use Vinegar to clean and whiten

Using vinegar to wash your dishwasher and remove odours really does work according to CHOICE experts.

However do check your users manual first, as some brands state you shouldn't use vinegar on their machines.

Simply pour 250mls of vinegar into your machine and turn on for a full cycle, when the washer is empty.

Adding one cup of vinegar to a clothes washer can also brighten colours and whiten whites.

Use hot wash

The occasional hot wash can help clean your clothes and your machine.

"If you regularly wash in cold water, run the occasional very hot empty cycle, with just a bit of good-quality detergent in the dispenser," experts said.

CHOICE also recommend not using fabric softeners as they build-up inside the appliance.