It can be frustrating when the dishes are still greasy after you wash them. This can happen if you wash the dishes manually, but sometimes a dishwasher also fails.
Have you ever wondered how you can eliminate grease from dishes? Let me shed some light on the subject.
First of all, it is essential to use good quality dish soap to effectively remove grease from the dishes. The second thing that can help you get rid of grease is using hot water. The dishwasher is definitely much more effective against grease than manual dishwashing. When washing dishes manually, your technique and the tools you use also affect efficiency.
Why are my dishes still greasy after hand washing?
Be sure to scrape the visible pieces of food off the dishes before you start washing them. You can also wipe greasy dishes with a paper towel first, so less grease gets into the water.
One of the possible reasons for dishes still being greasy after manual washing is that your dish soap is not effective enough or you use too little of it. Also, use as warm water as possible.
You may not be washing the dishes in the correct order. If you wash dishes by filling the kitchen sink with warm soapy water, it is best to start with the least soiled and gradually move towards the dirtiest.
After washing with detergent, be sure to rinse your dishes with clean water to remove food particles and dish soap residue as much as possible.
What is the most hygienic tool to wash dishes manually?
For manual washing, a plastic or silicone brush is the most hygienic tool. According to an article from ScienceDirect, fewer bacteria remain on a kitchen brush than on sponges or dishcloths. Talking of sponges, you may wish to find out why they start smelling bad so quickly.
Why is a dishwasher more efficient than manual dishwashing?
Dishwashers can remove dirt from kitchenware more effectively than manual washing, as dishwasher detergents are much stronger than manual dish soaps. New-generation dishwashing detergents contain enzymes that break down proteins and starches.
Modern detergents also have a dispersing effect. This means that food residue stays in the water and cannot stick back to the dishes or build up in the dishwasher.
Another advantage of the dishwasher is that it uses water at a temperature of 45-75°C / 113-167°F, which is higher than what our skin can tolerate with manual washing. Using a dishwasher is useful primarily because it saves water. Its consumption is about 10 liters / 2.6 gallons of water per cycle. An average household uses the dishwasher five times a week on average.
Secondly, you can spend the time freed up by using the dishwasher on things that are important to you. My kitchen has become much more organized since I got a dishwasher. No more dishes piled up in the sink.
Why is it essential to use dish soap and warm water against grease?
Soap is an emulsifier that allows water and grease to mix. It can bind to both water and fat molecules. The soap, therefore, suspends the grease and it is easily washed off.
Warm water cannot dissolve grease without soap, but it reduces the surface tension, which makes it easier for food residues to slide off the dishes.
Why do dishes remain greasy after I wash them in the dishwasher?
1. Water temperature
Your dishwasher may draw cold water at the beginning of the wash cycle until the hot water arrives if it’s connected directly to a hot water line. This can be solved by opening the kitchen faucet and letting it run until the hot water starts flowing if your dishwasher and kitchen faucet is hooked up to the same hot water line.
If your dishwasher is hooked up to the cold water line, the water warms up to the appropriate temperature when it enters the machine. In such cases, there can be no problem with the water temperature, if the right cycle has been selected.
2. Detergent quality and quantity
Another reason why the dishes are greasy after the dishwasher can be if you don’t use high-quality detergent or use it in the wrong amount.
If your dishwasher has two compartments for detergent, fill both with liquid, gel, or powder detergent. 3-in-1 detergent pods are usually not as effective as we expect them to be.
The detergent from the smaller compartment enters the water in the first phase of the wash. A larger dose of detergent is used during the main wash. At the end of the cycle, the dishwasher rinses the dishes with clean water and rinse aid liquid.
3. Water hardness
Hard water reduces the effectiveness of dishwasher detergent. This can be solved by regularly using special dishwasher salt that softens the water.
Learn more about further reasons why your dishwasher isn’t cleaning properly.
Final thoughts
So, you can remove the greasiness of your dishes in the best way by using a combination of high-quality dish soap, warm water, and the correct washing technique.
Using a dishwasher is the most efficient way to clean dishes, but of course, only if you use the right quality and quantity of detergent and hot water.