Method of pre-treating articles to be washed in a dishwashing machine

A method of reducing cooking residue left on a working surface of an article of dishware after it has been washed in a dishwashing machine, the method including the steps of:

• providing an article of dishware having cooking residue on a working surface thereof;
• providing a container having a pre-treating composition therein, the container having a top, a bottom and a mid-section between the top and bottom, the container being configured to dispense the pre-treating composition in a downward direction onto at least a portion of the working surface that has cooking residue thereon, the container further including an actuator disposed adjacent the top of the container, wherein the container is designed to be held and dispensed by a single hand of a user;
• placing the dishware into the dishwasher;
• dispensing at least some of the pre-treating composition onto at least a portion of the surface of the dishware while the container is disposed in an upright orientation with the top located further away from the working surface than the bottom of the container is from the working surface;
• and
• running the dishware through a cleaning cycle of the dishwashing machine.