How anally retentive are you: dish washing edition
September 19, 2007
I know I will make a good mom, if by mom you mean She who nags you mercilessly, and has only one correct way of doing anything-her way.
I’m not sure how I got to be the way I am, but I suspect my own mother has a lot to do with it, that and the fact that I came out of the womb bossy, overbearing and rude.
Anyhow, let’s compare answers on the following questions and we’ll see how good a mummyJummy (no they don’t rhyme) you’ll be:
- Is there only one correct way to load the dishwasher? If so, how?
- When loading cutlery into the handy cutlery holder in the dishwasher, should they be put in dirty side up or down?
- You get to the dishwasher and it’s full of dirty dishes. You have a dirty dish to put into the dishwasher but it’s full to capacity. What do you do with your lone dirty dish?
- You get to the dishwasher and it’s full of clean dishes. You have a dirty dish to put into the dishwasher but it’s full to capacity. What do you do?
- Your dishes are freshly washed and the cycle on the dishwasher is complete. When you go to unload the dishwasher, do you do any of the following:
- Dry off any water left on cups, mugs and other dishes that have a tendency to accumulate water due to their ridges?
- Check cutlery to make sure the fork tines, knife edges and spoons are clean?
- Check the front and back of each plate and bowl before stacking them away in the cupboard?
Go to my comments and answer the question. Once you’re done, click on ‘more…’ to get the answers…and the scoring scheme.
Time to award yourself points:
- Of course. I don’t care what order you do it in but I’m all about making sure every nook and cranny is packed with dishes in a way that permits optimal cleanliness for all dishes. The topmost rack is for cups, mugs, glasses and bowls. I do not like to see saucers on this level unless absolutely necessary. The lower rack is for plates, saucers and bowls if you have any. I would go into more detail but dishwashers are different. Needless to say I have to rearrange the dishwasher before starting it because it is never loaded perfectly.
Give yourself 3 points if you have some version of this down, 1.5 points if you make sure the dishwasher is pretty full, but don’t do any space maximization exercises, and 0 points if you’re guilty of starting the dishwasher when it’s less than half full.
- Funny enough, I’m not too picky with this. I never load it all the same way though: a bit of both works for me. And I try to make sure cutlery is evenly distributed throughout the holder thingy. How about you?
Ok: 2 points if you care and make sure all the cutlery is going one way, 1 point if do what I do and 0 points if you dump all the cutlery in one section
- This should be an easy one: start the dishwasher! And your dirty dish gets washed–by hand.
1 point for doing it this way. As much as it pains me, I will give 0.5 point if you leave the dirty dish in the sink but go back and load it once the dishwasher is emptied of its clean dishes. We all know this doesn’t happen so you should just give yourself 0 points.
- Another no brainer I hope: unload the dishwasher, then load your dirty dish in. You could also just handwash your dish like in the previous scenario.
Give yourself 1 point if you handwash your dish, 0.5 if you load it in the dishwasher, 0 points if don’t unload the dishwasher and -3 points if you put your dirty dish in with the clean dishes!
- Your dishes are freshly washed and the cycle on the dishwasher is complete. When you go to unload the dishwasher, do you do any of the following:
- Dry off any water left on cups, mugs and other dishes that have a tendency to accumulate water due to their ridges? Yes please!
1 point if you do, 0 if you don’t
- Check cutlery to make sure the fork tines, knife edges and spoons are clean? Of course!
1 point if you do, 0 if you don’t
- Check the front and back of each plate and bowl before stacking them away in the cupboard? Uh huh!
1 point if you do, 0 if you don’t
My score: 8.5 out of a possible 10 (and it’s my own quiz!). How did you score?
Too funny.
1. Hm. I always pack as much in as possible, and of course specific things go on the top and bottom.
2. I put the dirty side up, just because I feel they get cleaner that way.
3. Put the dish on the counter and run the dishwasher.
4. Unload dishwasher or make husband unload. If totally impossible at the time, leave the dish on the counter and unload at next opportunity.
5. * Dry off any water left on cups, mugs and other dishes that have a tendency to accumulate water due to their ridges? – Yes
* Check cutlery to make sure the fork tines, knife edges and spoons are clean? – Yes
* Check the front and back of each plate and bowl before stacking them away in the cupboard? – No
I should also add on that last one that I "dry" first, so then I have a damp cloth to wipe the cutlery with as I put it in the drawer.
I should also also add on #2, that I try to put the same types of cutlery in the same spots. All forks together, spoons together, etc. Of course if husband gets to dishwasher before me that falls apart, but it doesn't bug me because I'd rather have him helping and it's not that big of a deal.
Putting like cutlery together: What a brilliant idea! I think this is where I shamefacedly confess it never occured to me to do this. You get bonus points!
1. Yes – and no one else in the house seems to know how to do it. Certain things go on the top rack (glasses, plastics, bowls); others on the bottom rack (plates, pitchers, trays, etc). Plates must be arranged facing the center, large to small. Bowl are arranged so that they do not overlap. Glasses & cups in a specific order of big to small with similar items together.
2. Forks and spoons – dirty side up. Dinner knives – dirty side down. I prefer NOT to have any similar items in the same holder – I will put a dinner knife, lg fork, sm fork, large spoon, small spoon, etc but not 2 of the same size spoons. I imagine they will nest together and not get clean.
3. Wash it by hand
4. Empty the dishwasher, then put the dirty dish in
5. Yes to all
I think that I also scored 8.5. Darn it! I would have liked to have a perfect score!
I don't have a dishwasher… :(
dirty side up
wash the plate if the washer is full
empty the clean dishes for new plate
scored 7 points points off for not checking plates and cultlary
I didn't expect you to score well, alas!
1. Yes. You need to put all the glasses and cups at the top, and the other dishes at the bottom. The plates close to the middle should be small (like dessert/salad plates), with the dinner plates on the outside. Cutlery goes in the holder, with them well separated so that you don't end up with 2 forks stuck together…
2. Dirty side up baby.
3. If you can't stuff the extra dish in, then wash it – that's what the dish soap is for.
4. Duh – see above. Then enjoy the feeling of the sparkling clean dishes as you put them back in the cupboards where they belong.
5. Your dishes are freshly washed and the cycle on the dishwasher is complete. When you go to unload the dishwasher, do you do any of the following:
* Dry off any water left on cups, mugs and other dishes that have a tendency to accumulate water due to their ridges? Well – yes, or I turn them upside down and let them dry for a while, while I put away the dishes at the bottom.
* Check cutlery to make sure the fork tines, knife edges and spoons are clean?
Not on purpose, but if I notice a dirty dish I hand wash it in the sink.
* Check the front and back of each plate and bowl before stacking them away in the cupboard?
Again not on purpose.
I think you should award a bonus point, for people who read about how to arrange their dishes in the dishwasher manual, and then actually followed the instructions.
1) Q: When loading cutlery into the handy cutlery holder in the dishwasher, should they be put in dirty side up or down?
A: I pre-rinse and wipe all dishes and cutlery with a sponge before loading into the dishwasher…so this doesn't apply :) I do, however wash all cutlery facing up including knives (which I keep in only one compartment so as not to cut myself while unloading)
2) Q: You get to the dishwasher and it’s full of dirty dishes. You have a dirty dish to put into the dishwasher but it’s full to capacity. What do you do with your lone dirty dish?
A: I rinse the dish and put it in the sink to be loaded later. I then run the dishwasher…
3) Q: You get to the dishwasher and it’s full of clean dishes. You have a dirty dish to put into the dishwasher but it’s full to capacity. What do you do?
A: I rinse the dish and put it in the sink to be loaded later. I then WASH MY HANDS and begin unloading the dishwasher (since there is only 1 dirty dish I would put this in immediately after unloading)
4) Your dishes are freshly washed and the cycle on the dishwasher is complete. When you go to unload the dishwasher, do you do any of the following:
Q: Dry off any water left on cups, mugs and other dishes that have a tendency to accumulate water due to their ridges?
A: I open the dishwasher once it’s complete and flip over anything that collected water. I then leave it for a few minutes or more to let the water dry before unloading
Q: Check cutlery to make sure the fork tines, knife edges and spoons are clean?
A) I do a visual check of each item as I put them away. If I see a speck of dirt I put the item in the sink to be washed again
Q: Check the front and back of each plate and bowl before stacking them away in the cupboard?
A: Always. For bowls, I stack the dampest one on the bottom to air dry in the cupboard
I did not have you in mind when I wrote this quiz, but I forgot how anal you are about dishwashing, Rich! My germaphobic heart thrills at the handwashing (it is essential-how could I have left it out? Maybe because it should be a given [though I know it isn't]) and at your sponge-pre-rinsing efforts, although I deem it generally unnecessary (unless your dishes will be sitting in the dishwasher for days).
I take points away only for the fact that you don't dry damp dishes. The thought of putting away dishes that may still have water on them makes me twitch.