How to load your dishwasher this Christmas

While it's less work than hand-washing everything after Christmas dinner, loading the dishwasher is still a chore. But you can lighten the load by stacking your dishwasher efficiently.

Read on for the best way to stack so that you can squeeze everything in and still get it clean, plus our top Christmas dishwashing tips.

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As is often the case, planning is key - the best dishwashing strategy can be summarised in four key steps:

1. Prepare as much food as you can in advance to reduce the amount of washing up you'll need to do on Christmas Day itself.
2. Before you sit down to eat your Christmas feast, stick your dirtiest cooking dishes on an intensive wash (as long as they're dishwasher safe). This should get roasting trays and pans off the to-do list.
3. After dinner, use the main program to clean your dinner plates, cutlery and glassware. Depending on your dishwasher and how delicate your glassware is, you may be able to add champagne flutes into this wash, too.
4. If you've had the good crockery out, use a third, gentle wash, for any fine china or crystal.

Here's how to get the best results from your first and second dishwasher loads.

First dishwasher load: pots, pans and trays

For your first wash we recommend going for an intensive program. This washes at a higher temperature and water pressure, enabling the dishwasher to really clean the grimiest pans and trays, as long as you follow these rules:

• Remove excess grease and oil so it can't solidify and block the filters or drains. Collect any excess and dispose of it in your regular food-waste bin.
• Check what your roasting trays are made of. Stainless steel is safe to go in; cast iron is a no-go. Aluminium is fine if it's been anodised, meaning it has a protective layer of oxide. If not, harsh detergents can cause it to turn black.
• Place dishwasher-safe roasting trays face down to give your dishwasher the best chance of dislodging baked-on food. Some dishwashers even have a separate, larger spray head for heavy-duty jobs.
• Use adjustable racks for taller items. Check the instruction manual for whether your dishwasher has an upper rack that can be lowered or raised. Others use a system that requires you to remove the rack and adjust the runners.

Find a dishwasher that's great at cleaning and drying by reading our round-up of the best dishwashers

Second dishwasher load: plates and glasses

With Christmas dinner come and gone, you'll have stacks of dinnerware to deal with - from plates and cutlery to gravy jugs and glasses. Many champagne flutes and wine glasses are dishwasher-safe these days, too.

• Avoid the temptation to overload your machine. Leave spaces between dishes and cutlery to allow water and detergent to spread around. Try alternating larger and smaller plates next to each other to aid this.
• Consider using a tall gravy jug, rather than a short and wide one, as it will take up less space in the dishwasher.
• Use a separate delicate wash program for wine glasses or champagne flutes. This will wash at a lower temperature and water pressure to better protect the glass.
• If you're bringing out the good crockery with delicate gilding for the Christmas meal, you'll probably want to wash this by hand. Even delicate dishwasher settings can fade or damage the decorations.

Christmas dinner dishwashing tips

How to get ahead

Prepare vegetables on Christmas Eve and parboil the spuds for your roast potatoes. You can even get them crisped up early on Christmas morning, avoiding the need to clean a crusty pan later in the day, if you follow our roast potato recipe.

Run your first dishwasher load of the day as soon as you're done with breakfast, so it will be empty of any breakfast plates and ready to take a full load of cooking pans and trays.

Get a clean dishwasher and warm plates

If you have a delay timer, set it so your dishwasher finishes your pre-dinner wash just before you plate up. That way your plates will be pristine and hot, straight out of the dishwasher, so your Christmas dinner stays warm for longer.

How to wash champagne flutes

Wash champagne flutes in the top rack, using a gentle program. You might worry that this will cause them to go cloudy over time, but modern dishwashers and detergents prevent this from happening, even in hard-water areas. Just make sure the salt and rinse aid are topped up beforehand.

As your flutes will come out dry, you won't have to worry about carefully drying them with a tea towel once you've had a few sherries, or leaving them precariously drying on your drainer.

If your dishwasher doesn't have a delicate or glassware program, we'd recommend washing crystal and delicate china by hand.

Even the best dishwasher may struggle to get things clean without a decent detergent. Use our dishwasher tablet reviews to identify the best we've tested.

Scrape plates, but no need to rinse

Most dishwashers now have a quick rinse at the start of each program. This means you often only need to knock off lumps of leftover food before loading. Pre-rinsing could waste water unnecessarily.

The exception to this rule is if you've left your dishes sitting around all day before washing. If so, do give them a rinse before putting them in the dishwasher, for the best chance of getting everything clean.

Read our tips on how to load your dishwasher for everyday use