Expert: Walter Hintz - 5/21/2008

Question
my partner when he does the dishes doesn't rinse and it bothers me because I firmly believe you should rinse the dishes to get rid of the detergent. is there a study that has been done on rinsing highlighing the problems that not rinsing can cause to your body, that I can use to prove once and for all tht I'm right and he should rinse the dishes!!

Answer
Hi chris;
There have been studies showing that children can be poisoned by ingesting detergents.  But only if they drink it. I would think that the amount of detergent that you would take in from unrinsed dinnerware would be insignificant. On the other hand it just makes to me that it is best to avoid taking in any chemicals when it is not necessary. Point out to your partner that automatic dishwashers always rinse everything many times.  There must be a reason