When it comes to loading the dishes, I admittedly am the worst. Growing up, my dad always used to reorganize the dishwasher after anyone in the family put a dish in. I always thought, if it fits, it sits. There was no rhyme or reason for how my dishes went in my dishwasher. But, then I thought...maybe since I sell them, I should probably know what the best way to load the dishwasher is. I've heard so many different tips throughout my 27 years like, it's better to load the dishwasher back to front, your utensils should be loaded handle down and the part that's eaten off of up, except for knives. And my favorite, always completely wash the dishes before they go into the dishwasher. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of even having a dishwasher?! YOU GOT IT!
I began my research because I wanted to see if there was anything out there to confirm the tips I've heard. I ended up stumbling upon a helpful website called dishwashingexpert.com. Coincidentally, they have a whole section on how to successfully load a dishwasher. http://www.dishwashingexpert.com/how-to-use-a-dishwasher/how-to-load-a-dishwasher
Also, I found the website confirmed some of the tips I've acquired throughout the years. Knives should always face down, but the utensils can be loaded different ways to avoid "nesting" if the unit does not have separators in the basket, but has a lot of space. I wasn't able to confirm the loading is best done from back to front. It makes sense to try and load it starting from the back to fit added items next to dishes that are already loaded. The site also has a little over a minute long video that goes over the proper way to load. Bigger plates, small plates, pots and cookware on the bottom, and cups, bowls and glasses on the top. But, the way it's loaded is neatly together but still allowing water to work through the dirty dishes and glasses. You'll also notice, the dishes are going in DIRTY. Just simply scrap off the extra food particles and put the dish in. That will save you time, water and money.
The website is powered by Finish, so they always recommend using their product. But, like many of my coworkers can attest to, I have found Finish does work the best. Hopefully this helped you as much as it helped me. Or, at least you can show your kids the video to try and teach them so it will save you the time reorganizing the dishwasher.