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Stop Rinsing Your Dishes Before Putting Them In The Dishwasher, Experts Say

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Stop rinsing your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Experts at Good Housekeeping say you're wasting your time and water, while possibly leaving your dishes even dirtier.

Rinsing you dishes can actually be counterproductive, leaving your dishes dirty, detergent company Cascade warns.

"Enzymes in Cascade detergent are designed to attach themselves to food particles," according to the Wall Street Journal. "Without food, the enzymes have nothing to latch onto."

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These aren't your grandmother's dishwashers, either. Advanced spray technology and sensors in newer washers can sense how dirty dishes are, according to Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Rinsing is also a waste of time and water, according to Forte.

Pre-rinsing dishes can waste up to 6,000 gallons per year. The average modern dishwasher uses three to five gallons per load, while the most-efficient hand-washer averages eight gallons.

Skipping rinsing can also save you 230 hours in a year, Energy Star estimates.

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