A dishwasher is more efficient at using water. So if you rinse it before hand you negate the benefits of using the dishwasher.

From what I’ve read, the enzymes in the dishwasher detergent cling to food and dissolve it. Also newer dishwashers have sensors to determine how to clean the dishes (time/water pressure).

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/dishwasher-detergents/buying-guide/index.htm
https://www.homeserve.com/en-us/blog/home-improvement/should-you-prerinse-dishes/

I agree! Everything in balance.

I actually just installed a brand new dishwasher (let me rephrase that – I had it installed lol) and the manual said not to rinse dishes before loading them! Just to scrape off dried food! I don’t know why/how rinsing takes away efficiency in a dishwasher, but I tried it tonight and my dishes still came out clean without pre-rinsing them. Don’t know if it’s a habit I can truly break.. Would love to know the reasoning behind it as well!

For myself, I switch out all my sponges once a month but I disinfect the sometimes twice a day. Depending upon what I used the sponge for, sometimes I disinfected them in vinegar, sometimes in oxygen bleach, sometimes in bleach, etc. Also, I have different sponges for different household jobs: (1) a sponge for pet dishes (2) a sponge for “human” dishes (3) a kitchen counter sponge (4) a sponge to clean the kitchen sink, etc. etc. etc. Same goes for my bathroom sponges. I have different ones for different jobs in the bathroom. Also, I repurpose some of my “old” but deeply disinfected kitchen sponges to be used in the bathroom and then tossed depending upon the job completed in the bathroom. As well, I let my deeply disinfected sponges dry out completely, sometimes putting them in a sunny window, etc. etc. etc. I don’t think anything in this world is ever going to be completely disinfected and I’d rather reduce what gets thrown away. Furthermore, I’m concerned our society is becoming more than a bit obsessive about germs, viruses, etc. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do our best to disinfect as much as we can but to realize that bacteria, germs, viruses are all over the place, including inside of us. We’re made up of the earth. Hard not to have all those things in us.

So, my philosophy, do the best that we can, reduce waste as much as we can, disinfect as best we can. And finally, enjoy life as best as we can.

Peace!

Once a week, I put whatever I’ve been using in the sink overnight with a generous dash of disinfectant. In the morning, all clean plus the sink was disinfected too. Why would you not do that? Curious, given our stand on waste.

You must be assertive in the store and say “NO styrofoam please!”