How to Conserve Water: The Home Dishwasher

Here's how to conserve water with your home dishwasher.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Don't pre-rinse your dishes.
   
   Scrape excess food into your trash or compost bags, but don't pre-rinse. According to Consumer Reports, pre-rinsing dishes does nothing in a properly loaded dishwasher.

2. Load your dishwasher properly.
   
   Put cups and bowls upside down in the top rack. Put silverware in the silverware rack. Evenly space plates apart from each other, facing the spray arm in the center of the machine. A properly loaded dishwasher maximizes efficiency.

3. Set the dishwasher to run on the lowest water cycle possible. Wash on the "Water Miser" setting when you have a normal sized load.

4. Only wash your dishes when you have a full load. If you have a partial load of dishes and need them cleaned, wash them on the "Quick Rinse" setting, or wash them by hand.