Loading a Dishwasher Question?

[larry_stewart]

So here's the deal.
My wife is out of town for the next few days, and if she comes back to a mess, I'll be sleeping on the couch.

Problem
Im great at making a mess, but not the best at cleaning them up

Before anyone gets on my back, I do %99 of the cooking.
The only %1 she does is heating up what I've already cooked ( on my late nights)

So basically I do the cooking, she cleans up my mess, and it has worked for 25 years.

Anyway, my question is:
When loading utensils into the dish washer ( in those little baskets on the side), Do they get cleaned better if the handle goes in first , leaving the dirty part sticking out above that little basket thingy, or is it better to put the 'head( for lack of a better word) part in first, leaving the handle sticking out? or does it not make a difference?

Larry

 

[cinisajoy]

When I wash the utensils I always put them heads up.

 

[Chef Munky]

Large ladles and serving spoons I load them up on the top rack facing down.
They clean and dry much easier.

If I put them in the silverware racks they sometimes interfere with other dishes I have on the bottom rack.Or they slip to the sides and get caught in the door.Drives me nuts when that happens.

If they can fit in the silverware holder handle side down is just fine.

 

[Dawgluver]

Having been the victim of a butter knife impaling, I put the butter knives and any other potentially injurious things like vegetable peelers blade-side down. Everything else, like spoons and forks, upright.

I have an extra deep basket at the front of the silverware tray for ladles, graters, spatchulas and such.

 

[RPCookin]

Everything goes business end down. Been doing it like that for 40 years, they always come clean and I've never been impaled. Although we don't have any now, in the past we had tableware with fairly small handles and they would drop through the holes in the basket, so we got in the habit of putting the dirty end down. Seems to work just fine.

One thing I watch for is that spoons don't get nested.

 

[Kayelle]

Like Dawg, we always put the steak knives and such, down. All other tableware goes up. Just be sure spoons don't nest on each other though. Cooking spoons and spatula's etc. go flat on the top rack.

Nobody will get after you Larry since you do all the cooking and she does all the clean up. I'm the cook, and we have the same arrangement. It's wonderful, as I'm sure you'll agree.

 

[bethzaring]

From my safety and sanitation classes of decades ago, always put the dirty/eating end down, always. The rationale was when retrieving them from the dish machine, you never touched the end that would go in your mouth.

 

[Kayelle]

From my safety and sanitation classes of decades ago, always put the dirty/eating end down, always. The rationale was when retrieving them from the dish machine, you never touched the end that would go in your mouth.

That never occurred to me Beth...good point.

 

[taxlady]

For cutlery, I always put the business end down. I want to be able to grab it by the handle when I'm emptying the dishwasher. The only stuff I put in handle down is ladles, spatulas, and spiders.

edit: I just saw Beth's post. Same reason I want to grab the handles.

 

[larry_stewart]

Thanks guys and gals ,
Now I just have to figure out how much soap stuff to put in and how to turn it on , and Im all set

 

[cinisajoy]

For cutlery, I always put the business end down. I want to be able to grab it by the handle when I'm emptying the dishwasher. The only stuff I put in handle down is ladles, spatulas, and spiders.

edit: I just saw Beth's post. Same reason I want to grab the handles.

What is a spider?

 

[Cheryl J]

As mentioned above, anything sharp, business end down. Handle down on anything else - more room in the basket that way. Good knives get washed by hand, same with anything with a wood handle such as some of my grilling utensils. Long utensils on the upper rack.

 

[Kayelle]

Interesting, I just went and looked at our brand new fancy dishwasher. There are small individual oval openings for each piece of cutlery, and slits for knives. No way to put the handles up.
I will say they all get very clean that way.

 

[Dawgluver]

What is a spider?

A little colander thing with a handle, used for frying stuff.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Thanks guys and gals ,
Now I just have to figure out how much soap stuff to put in and how to turn it on , and Im all set

Whatever you do don't use regular dishwashing liquid!!!

I did that many years ago and a typhoon of suds poured out of the dishwasher and across my kitchen floor, it was like an episode of "I Love Lucy"!!!

I still have no idea how the suds got out of the machine.

 

[Kayelle]

Whatever you do don't use regular dishwashing liquid!!!

I did that many years ago and a typhoon of suds poured out of the dishwasher and across my kitchen floor, it was like an episode of "I Love Lucy"!!!

I still have no idea how the suds got out of the machine.

Oh you brought back a horrible memory AB! I had surgery 20 years ago, and my dear husband thought he would "help" while I recuperated....
the suds went all the way out the kitchen, under the door out to the garage and into the street.

 

[larry_stewart]

If I do have a suds incident, Ill be sure to take and post pics

 

[cinisajoy]

Well your wife would come home to a spotless floor unless you have a carpeted kitchen.

 

[Zagut]

Years go I read business end up so that's what I do. I think it was Dear Abby.

No matter what you do be ready to enjoy the couch.

 

[Andy M.]

Larry, it doesn't matter which way you put in the silverware. If you have individual slots, you have to put them into the slots provided so they have to be business end up except for the knives which have to go tip down.

If you wash your hands before emptying the DW, it doesn't matter if you touch the business ends of the silverware.

Don't try to cram too much into the DW and try not to let food residue dry onto the dishes etc.