how to get the best out of your DW with third rack

[Sweetum]

I want to start over with my dish washing
so far, I have been pre-rinsing somewhat (necessary for my DW), doing the longest cycle, using vinegar and rinse-aid, using finish tabs, do loads that include plates, cups, glasses, pots, pans, everything.

So, to start over with my new DW, I have the following:
- no pre-rinsing - yay!
- plan to use lemishine
- plan to do a maintenance wash once every month (do you recommend more often?)
- wondering if I should divide my cycles into pots and pans only, and do the plates, cups, glasses, etc on a shorter cycle since the pots and pans cycle may be overkill for them. what do you think?

any more suggestions? photos of your loads might be fun too

[123LuckyMom]

I never pre-rinse anymore since I saw a piece (maybe on CBS Sunday Morning?) on how to get the best out of your dishwasher, and it said having the food bits to work against helped to get the dishes cleaner. My dishes are just as clean now as when I was basically pre-washing.

I always include things like Pyrex baking dishes (from a lasagna or chicken enchiladas, for example-- not pre-washed), strainers or colanders, and the occasional pot. I don't wash plastics. If I did, I'd want to do them on a no heat cycle, so I would do them by themselves, I guess. When I include a food crusted Pyrex, I use the pots and pans cycle, and the dishes do fine.

I do run an empty load occasionally with a ton of vinegar to clean things out. I put vinegar in the rinse aid compartment but I don't use any other rinse aid. I've not heard of lemishine. I PACK my dishwasher and don't run it until it's full, so sometimes I go a week before running it. I don't run it nightly.