The Dishwasher Loading Thread Derailment Prevention Thread

SMan

I hardly ever buy dishes or utensils- get a steady supply of them as gifts.

So when I get a new piece of kitchenware, I take the "survival of the fittest" approach, kind of lik @JellyBean with her kid's toys. Whether the box says it's dishwasher safe or not, it goes in the dishwasher. If it comes out in one piece and unwarped, it gets to stay.

You'd be surprized how many supposedly "not dishwasher safe" items do just fine in the dishwasher, or at least last a few dozen wash cycles.

SMan

@Cowboy said:

If you're going to obsess over something, it should at least be something worthy of the name

Ahh, but @Cowboy , dontcha realize dishwasher loading peace could be the key to world peace . . . ?  

Angeline

Cowboy said:

I can't believe there are so many people in the world who are this passionate about loading the damn dishwasher. If you're going to obsess over something, it should at least be something worthy of the name (like sports or Pinewood Derby racing  )

Other than pointy stuff pointing down and trying to both cram it full and make sure it all gets sloshed with soapy water, I'm pretty lasseiz faire too. I think tne folks that obssess about it are the ones we need doing this, where that kind of meticulousness is really important:

Angeline

SMan said:

I hardly ever buy dishes or utensils- get a steady supply of them as gifts.

I wanna know what you do that you get a steady supply of dishes and utensils?! I would love that.

stillasamountain

The thing I never understood is that you have to basically wash items before you "dishwasher" them. Doesn't make a lick of sense to me. Instead of a pre-rinse, just add a little soap and elbow grease and you're done.

Saves energy, nothing to break or buy, no safety issues, no arguments and a chunk of storage space freed up. Win all around, no?

Scarlet

@stillasamountain only if you have a crappy dishwasher.  

stillasamountain

Well, I could just be terminally out of the loop. Since the last time I used one was the late 70's... that is probably a safe assumption. Still seem like space hogs to me. Gotta go, the kids are on my lawn again, dammit!

SMan

@Angeline said:

SMan said:

I hardly ever buy dishes or utensils- get a steady supply of them as gifts.

I wanna know what you do that you get a steady supply of dishes and utensils?! I would love that.

Well, there's a catch. You have to not mind getting other stuff for birthdays, Christmas & the like.

I happen to be very hard to buy presents for, and I'm one of those people who doesn't really need much of anything. People routinely get my size wrong when they're trying to buy clothes.

So when people fish around for present buying ideas, I put out the word that  kitchen items would be great. I get my broken glasses replaced, get new useful gizmos. LOL- you should have heard the noises when I said I wanted a splatter cover for the frying pan a few years ago, or when I said I wanted one of those handheld electric eggbeaters

LazyAlpha

Back when I was a single guy and had to load my own dishwasher, here was my loading pattern:

1. Never unload anything until you need a plate or a utensil.

(I only had three plates and 4 sets of flatware after the divorce.  We were young and had little in the way of house wares.  Ex took half of the 8 place settings, except one plate was broken, so I got three in the divorce and she took four).

2. If the plate in the sink is not clean enough to use again, swap with something cleaner from the dishwasher.  If the chosen item is not clean enough to use, put it back in and let it ride the next cycle.  Pick again.

3. If everything in the dishwasher seems too dirty to use (very unlikely for a single guy), set it to run.  Meanwhile, rinse out the one plate and fork from the sink or find something to eat that doesn't need a plate or a fork.

Reborn

I just don't like dishwashers. They are a pain in the ass in so many ways. 
For one thing, either you have to essentially clean everything before it goes in there, or else you end up having to clean horrible gungey horribleness out of the filters and the outlet pipe and the door seals. And occasionally it will flood your kitchen. And it makes noise. And takes up space. And the wash is so hot it makes plates brittle over time. And because it cleans by abrasion, it dulls the glassware. And of course wooden and nonstick stuff can't go in there. Gah. 

Maria

The biggest advantage of a dishwasher is its ability to make the kitchen look tidier.
I wouldn't mind the washing up of dishes, but I don't want to do it after ever meal or snack.
Love just putting dirty stuff into the washer and get it out of sight!

HildaCorners

For 1-2 people, both out of the house most of the day, a dishwasher is unnecessary. When I lived alone between husbands, working in offices full time, I never used one.

But when you are responsible for the dishes of a whole family, 3 meals a day for everyone but one person, plus 127 kids and their friends who have snacks and drinks throughout the day, a dishwasher is wonderful for handling the mountain of dishes every day.

And a good dishwasher can actually wash dirty dishes. The best dishwasher I ever owned even had a disposer built in, no filters to clean. For that one, I scraped into the trash, then put the dish in the washer, that was all.

Jek

I love my dishwasher!

My only frustration really, is she drags her feet a bit in the mornings while getting ready for school.

spartacus

You naysayers a are missing a whole new world dishwashers can upen up...who cares about the dishes, they.wash.anything.  floor vents, kids toys, greasy tools, car parts you name it..if it fits you can wash it.  Sadly, Wife drew the line at putting the kid in there, although he was game.

mrsozzy

I hear you can wash your keyboard in the dishwasher. Anyone here done that?

Currently ramping up to OCD spring cleaning mode here.

Maria

spartacus said:

You naysayers a are missing a whole new world dishwashers can upen up...who cares about the dishes, they.wash.anything.  floor vents, kids toys, greasy tools, car parts you name it..if it fits you can wash it. 

That's what one of my son's comrades thought.
He cleaned his gun in the dishwasher

Angeline

But then your dishes taste funny for weeks.

Ray

And I thought loading the dishwasher was getting the wife drunk.

dalef

Old keyboards could be washed in the dishwasher; the new ones have a lot of electronics built in.

However, the dishwasher is the invention of the century...the nineteenth century it turns out.

SMan

@Maria said:

Love just putting dirty stuff into the washer and get it out of sight!

OK people . . . It's time to confess!

Who has put dirty dishes into the oven when company is coming to visit?