Pgh Lesbian Correspondents

Here’s a fun exercise about one of the most controversial household issues of the modern era – loading the dishwasher.

I created 10 questions plus three bonus questions. Read on.

1. Utensils. Handles up or down? Explain your work.
2. Plates facing one direction or two. Explain your work.
3. Where do plastic items belong? Explain your work.
4. Will you run a partial load? Explain your work.
5. Wooden spoons. Yay or nay? Explain your work. 
6. If you wash a lid to a reusable cup, do you “close” the sipper part or leave it open? Explain your work.
7. Will you put a large bowl leaning partially over smaller items if there is room for the sprayer? Explain your work.
8. What belongs along the outside lane of the lower level, around the tines? What does not belong? Explain your work.
9. At what age did your parents have you start loading the dishwasher? At what age did your kids start? Explain your work. Also share your generational cohorts if known.
10. Do you thoroughly prerinse before loading or trust the machine to get it done? Explain your work.

Bonus

• How do you choose a dishwasher detergent? Explain your work.
• Have you ever used buttons/cycles/features outside of a normal load? Explain your work.
• Does anyone in your house “reload” before running a load? Explain their work.

The funny thing about quizzes like this is that there is no way to score it. There’s no astrological match, no ‘type of TV housekeeper’ rating, nothing.

The best we can do is have a sense of humor, proportion, and awareness. In our household, I load and unload every day. She rearranges and runs the machine. We both do dishes by hand as needed.

We have clean dishes and an empty sink. Of course, it’s a process refined over nearly 20 years.

Tell us about your process in the comments.