As of late September 2026, the rinse still happens before the load in plenty of Riverside kitchens, mine included until not long ago. Somebody stands at the sink running warm water over a plate that’s headed straight into the dishwasher anyway. I did it for years in my old ranch house, sure I was helping the machine along and being careful with water.
Turned out I was doing neither. ENERGY STAR’s dishwasher guidance says it straight out: rinsing dishes before loading them increases the total water and energy used. And Riverside Public Utilities, the people who send my water bill, put it in terms anyone can picture: an average dishwasher uses about 10 gallons per load, and running the average faucet for just four minutes uses the same amount…