If you've ever been disappointed by your dishwashers performance with glasses that came out foggy or food stuck to the plate, The Good Housekeeping Institute has some good advice.

After you close the dishwasher door, do you ever wonder why plates, glasses, plastics and pots sometimes come out wet, dirty or even damaged?

The best thing a consumer can do to get good results from their dishwasher is to make sure they load it properly," says Carolyn Forte, Home Care Director, Good Housekeeping Institute. "The spray arms turn around inside and send water all over the dishwasher. So you want to make sure that your dishes get exposed, as much as possible, to that spinning water.

All machines have a spinning arm that sprays in an outward fashion, so tipping plates in toward the spray provides the best cleaning power. And don't put flat pans or platters up front near the door, because they may block water from reaching the detergent dispenser.

For really burnt-on residue, we recommend that you give it a spray of Dawn Power Dissolver," says Forte. "Just thoroughly spray the sides and the bottom. And, you dont have to rinse it off. Put it right in and then select the pots and pans or tough scrubbing cycle for your dishwasher.

Be sure to separate silverware. You never want to wash stainless steel and silver or silver-plated flatware together. If sterling or silver-plate flatware touches stainless steel flatware inside the same basket, it can get damaged," says Forte. "It can get discolored; it can get little black marks or little pits. To avoid that you can wash them in the same cycle but just make sure they dont touch.

Finally, Good Housekeeping says if your glasses come out cloudy, try using less detergent, under-load the racks and take the glasses out before the drying cycle.

Good Housekeeping says that some dishwashers are quieter than others. As a rule, the more expensive the model, the quieter. But if you are shopping for a dishwasher and want to minimize noise, look for a one-piece design, rather than two-piece.

For more tips on how to make the most of your appliances, check out the January issue of Good Housekeeping, or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.