Maybe out of long-standing habit, you pre-rinse dishes before sticking them in the dishwasher. Stop it. You’re most likely wasting time and water by splashing water on there when your dishwasher is perfectly capable of removing crusted-on food itself. If it’s in working order.

At least, that’s what our friends and overlords down the hall at Consumer Reports tell us, and they would know–they test dishwashers by pre-encrusting plates and then running them through the washer. If your machine is functioning well, all pre-rinsing does is waste as many as 6,000 gallons of water per year.

Stop pre-rinsing and let the dishwasher do its job [Consumer Reports]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.