I would like to thank Josephine Cochrane of Illinois. I'd like to, but I can't. She's been dead for more than a century. But if I could, I'd thank her for inventing the first commercially successful dishwasher. Personally, I'd give up just about anything but my dishwasher.

I'll admit to being a stickler when it comes to properly washed dishes, glassware and utensils. If they come out spotted, gritty or cloudy, I'm not happy.

If your dishwasher is not turning out beautifully clean, cloudless, spotless, sparkling dishes, pots, glassware and flatware — without you hand-washing them first — don't assume the dishwasher is broken. If it runs, you can make sure it runs well. And you can stop that prewashing

Years ago, before we remodeled and sold our home in California, I'd lived with a well-used low-end plain-wrap 18-year-old dishwasher. All was well until I began to notice that it wasn't. Dishes came out feeling gritty, glasses were streaked and cloudy, and food remained stuck to flatware. Ugh. It was really bad. I assumed my Tappan had lived out its useful life and deserved to be put down.

At a total cost of nine bucks and a crash course in dishwasherology, I had good ol' Tappan working like new in no time, and I didn't resort to pre-rinsing. I still refuse to pre-rinse.

DE-GRUNGE. Just like a car, a dishwasher needs routine maintenance. From time to time you need to get rid of the lime scale, soap scum, iron and grease that builds up in your dishwasher — much of which is hidden in the hoses and other out-of-sight places. It needs a monthly acid bath. You can do this with unsweetened lemonade Kool-Aid, Tang powdered drink mix or a product called Dishwasher Magic (about $6 for 12 ounces).

All of these products contain citric acid. Unlike the drink powders, Dishwasher Magic also kills 99.9 percent of germs and extends the life of your dishwasher while improving its cleaning performance. If you use the drink powders, fill both detergent cups with Tang, or pour one package of the lemonade powder into each of the cups. Run the empty dishwasher through a complete cycle. If you opt for Dishwasher Magic, follow the package directions. I credit Dishwasher Magic with giving my old, old dishwasher another six years of life.

WATER TEMPERATURE. To effectively clean dirty dishes, a dishwasher needs water heated to 140 degrees F*. And the water must enter the dishwasher that hot. If you raise your water heater temperature, beware of the potential for water hotter than that to scald in sinks, showers, bathtubs and your washing machine. (You can get scald-protection devices for sinks and tubs, like those used for children.) The single most important factor for getting good results is hot water. If your dishwasher is newer, it may have its own in-line water heater. Check your manual.

DETERGENT. It's difficult to beat the line of Cascade powdered products, but Costco and Wal-Mart store brands come pretty darn close. Make sure you use fresh powdered automatic dishwasher detergent. It loses its ability to clean properly when exposed to humidity and air. Never store your detergent under the sink. And unless you are a heavy user, don't opt for the largest box of detergent.

DO NOT RINSE. Scrape food to remove all the chunks, but don't pre-rinse items for the dishwasher. Automatic dishwasher detergent is highly alkaline and needs the acidity of the food to reach optimum cleaning action. Besides, rinsing wastes time, energy and water.

RINSE AGENT. A rinse additive like Jet-Dry improves the sheeting action of water and leaves dishes sparkling clear, but it can be pricey. Hint: White vinegar is a reasonable substitute. Fill your rinse additive dispenser with straight white vinegar. Occasionally toss in a cup of white vinegar with the last rinse.

SAVE WATER. It takes 6 to 10 gallons of water to run your dishwasher, compared to the 9 to 24 gallons you would use doing dishes by hand. So give yourself a break, and let your dishwasher do the job Josephine intended it to do.

*Caution: Water hotter than 120 degrees F can scald children and elderly adults. If your dishwasher does not have its own heating device, take proper precautions by installing anti-scald devices. Or consider installing an in-line water heater for the dishwasher.

Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.