Cut the Pre-Rinse

Do you tend to distrust the ability of your automatic dishwasher to actually get your dishes clean?

You can save more than 20 gallons of water per day by resisting the urge to wash-or even just rinse-your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher.

Most modern dishwashers can clean thoroughly enough without you doing much more than scraping food debris into the trash (not into the sink).

If you're worried about rotting food stinking up your kitchen, use the "rinse only" cycle on your dishwasher. This cycle will rinse away any residue on dishes with just a gallon of water. It's convenient and efficient.

The average person who uses a dishwasher could save 20 gallons of water by not rinsing their dishes before placing them in the dishwasher; and the total savings across the country would equal more than 1 billion gallons of water-in just one week!

After a whole year of each dishwasher saving a weekly 20 gallons, the effect would be equivalent to nearly 3 million single-family homes turning off their outdoor sprinklers and cultivating a rock garden instead of a lawn.

Energy Star (PDF)