Pre-soaking dishes before putting them into the dishwasher can offer several benefits:
Loosens Stuck-On Food: Pre-soaking helps to loosen and soften dried-on or stuck-on food particles, making it easier for the dishwasher to remove them during the wash cycle. This can prevent food residue from redepositing on other dishes and ensure a more thorough cleaning.
Reduces the Need for Heavy Scrubbing: By pre-soaking, you can reduce the amount of manual scrubbing required before loading the dishes into the dishwasher. This saves you time and effort, especially for items that have been sitting with stubborn stains for a while.
Improved Cleaning Performance: Pre-soaking can enhance the overall cleaning performance of your dishwasher. When dishes are easier to clean, the dishwasher's jets and detergent can be more effective in reaching all surfaces and corners.
Helps Prevent Clogs: By removing large food particles and debris before loading the dishwasher, you can help prevent clogs in the dishwasher's drainage system, which can lead to inefficient draining and potential maintenance issues.
Saves Water and Energy: While it may seem counterintuitive, pre-soaking can actually help you save water and energy. If you pre-soak, you're less likely to need to run additional rinse cycles or repeat wash cycles to get dishes clean, ultimately conserving resources.
Minimizes Odors: Pre-soaking can reduce the chances of unpleasant odors developing in your dishwasher or on your dishes. Stagnant food particles can lead to bad smells if they sit for an extended period in a closed dishwasher.
Avoids Baking-On Food: If you don't have time to run the dishwasher immediately after a meal, pre-soaking can prevent food from drying and baking onto the dishes, which can be much harder to clean later.
Despite the benefits, it's essential to use common sense when pre-soaking dishes. Avoid using hot water on delicate items, and don't leave certain materials, like wooden utensils, submerged for too long. Also, scrape off excess food debris before pre-soaking to prevent clogging your sink or drain.