The dishwasher is now a common appliance in most homes as it is a fantastic time saving devise. Hand powered dishwashers were first introduced as early as the 1800s but it wasn’t until the 1940s when electric versions came onto the market. According to research they are actually more efficient then washing by hand. They use 
less water, less detergent and energy then doing the dishes in the sink. But what actually happens when the on button is pressed?
The basic idea is that the dishwasher will pull in cold water from the mains and heat it up to a high temperature – in fact a lot higher than it would be if washed by hand. This water is mixed with detergent and sprayed at the dishes while the dirty water is pumped away. The dishes are then rinsed with fresh water and rinse aid before pumping that out of the machine. The dishes are then dried by using either heat or simply allowing them to air dry.
Every dishwasher has a selection of cycles that the user can choose between; these will vary the length of the wash, the heat of the water and the drying temperature.
Once the door is shut and the setting chosen a small computer in the machine will then determine the length and heat of the cycle with the dishwasher working automatically. A series of sensors in the machine tests the heat of the water, the level of water inside the unit and some even have sensors which can tell how dirty the run off is. All of which allow the machine to clean dishes with no input from the user.
It is also worth noting that although a dishwasher is completely watertight it never actually completely fills with liquid instead a small tray at the bottom of the machine is filled with water and mixed with the detergent. It is in this tray that the heating elements are located and these then warm up the water to the required temperature.
A pump then gets the water to the jets where it is then sprayed over the dishes to wash them. The power of this also moves the arms where the jet sprays are located round so that it gets to the whole machine.
When the wash is done the pump once again gets to work by getting the water out of the machine which usually goes straight out of the waste pipe or sometimes it will go into the sink in the kitchen.
The heating element is then used to heat the air in the dishwasher so that everything dries, but the dishes can be left to air dry in a bid to save energy.
Once this cycle has finished the sensors in the machine will automatically shut off and the dishwasher can then be emptied.
As long as the dishwasher has been properly filled and a quality detergent and machine used then there should be spotlessly cleaned dishes after every wash. However, carrying out a few simple tricks like rinsing dishes off should help the machine along.
For more information on dishwashers please visit Miele.co.uk.