Keep the holiday cleanup easy with these dishwasher tips

The holiday season brings family, friends, and great food—and usually a towering pile of dishes afterward. Hosting festive meals shouldn’t mean spending your evening scrubbing plates, so we’ve put together practical dishwasher tips to help you tackle those holiday loads with ease. Get your dishwasher holiday-ready, let it handle the heavy lifting, and spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying the cinnamon-scented, twinkling-light-filled season.

Maximize your dishwasher’s space with smart loading

After a holiday meal with festive dinnerware, sparkling wine glasses, and gravy-streaked serving platters, the dishwasher load can feel as impressive as the feast itself. To make sure everything fits and gets spotless, start by placing those large items—think roasting pans and serving dishes—along the bottom rack’s sides, leaving the centre free for stacks of plates. Angle them slightly toward the spray arms to make sure even the hardest-to-clean remnants of stuffing and cranberry sauce get rinsed away.

With cutlery, avoid that frustrating spoon “clumping” by placing utensils handle-side down and mixing up forks, knives, and spoons. If your dishwasher has a third rack, it’s perfect for smaller items, like dessert forks and serving spoons, freeing up space on the main racks. With a bit of arranging, your dishwasher will be ready to tackle the holiday load in one go, so you can get back to the cozy part of the season.

Choose the right settings to handle holiday messes

Holiday feasts mean everything from sticky casserole dishes to delicate wine glasses, so choosing the right dishwasher settings is key. For the dirtiest items, go for a high-temperature or heavy-duty cycle—it’s perfect for greasy roasts and baked-on sides, breaking down stubborn bits without extra scrubbing.

For glassware and delicate items, opt for a gentle setting with lower pressure to keep them clear and crack-free. In a hurry? Use a quick-wash cycle for lightly soiled plates between courses. And if your dishwasher has an AutoProgram mode, let it handle the settings for you, adjusting to each load’s needs so you get spotless results without the guesswork.

Let your dishwasher handle the holiday feast leftovers

Leave the heavy lifting to your dishwasher when it comes to holiday feast leftovers by skipping pre-rinsing. Instead, scrape off large food bits and let the dishwasher handle the rest. Just load it up, select the right cycle, and let your dishwasher take care of the post-feast cleanup.

Quick maintenance tips to keep your dishwasher holiday-ready

To keep your dishwasher performing at its best through the holiday season, a little quick maintenance goes a long way. For example, regularly checking the filter for any food buildup only takes a minute, but keeps water flowing freely for a better clean. You can also give some love to the spray arms, making sure they can rotate fully and aren’t clogged with food particles.

If you want to clean all the nooks and crannies you normally can’t get to, opt for running an empty cycle with the Self-Cleaning programme. It ensures hygienic cleaning of the dishwasher tub, spray arms, and spray pipes, so every load of holiday dishes comes out spotless.

As you settle in with a warm cup of cocoa or a slice of pie, let your dishwasher handle the cleanup. It’s one less thing on your holiday to-do list and a little gift of extra time to enjoy the season and the people around you. Here’s to a holiday filled with good food, great company, and an effortlessly clean kitchen!