The Best Spot To Put Plastic Food Containers In Your Dishwasher

The dishwasher is one of the greatest inventions, particularly if you hate to hand-wash greasy, grimy dishes. But we can all use organization tips that make loading your dishwasher easier, and let's face it, plastic containers that hold leftovers or all of the components for dinner when you are meal prepping for a crowd can quickly damage in this modern-day contraption because of the high water temperatures. This is why, if you are washing these containers in the dishwasher, you want to put them on the top rack, as far away from the heating component as possible.

When you place your plastic containers on the bottom shelf, you are not only increasing the possibility of them warping, melting, and losing their perfect shape, but some experts warn that plastic containers that are not food-grade release harmful chemicals and microplastics. So, in addition to placing these plastic vessels on the top rack, you want to make certain you are using food-grade containers that are dishwasher safe and not single-use plastic containers. 

How you position your plastic containers in the dishwasher matters. You want to place these items in the middle of the top rack. It is important that you place them so that when the water sprays, it hits the entirety of the containers. However, they also need to drain with ease. If you find that smaller items flip over and fill with water, move them up to the silverware rack so they don't have room to do so.

You also want to avoid overcrowding and placing these food storage containers right on top of each other. When there is a little space, you are allowing for better air circulation, which means the containers will dry more readily. If you are washing your plastic food containers in the dishwasher, regardless of how sturdy they might be, don't use the deep clean or sanitizing cycle. These are both too intense and will leave you wishing you had hand-washed these containers.