How Do You Put Away Dishes?

My boys have the job of unloading the dishwasher. Don't care how they do it.
I put in dirty ones as soon as possible, then run it when it is full.

I think putting in dirty dishes while there is clean is gross. I would never ever do that. I do it exactly like you.

I put away the bottom rack first and then the top rack before loading in the dirty dishes. I like to do the bottom rack first because sometimes water pools in some of the cups or bowls on the top rack, and I don't want any of it to spill on the dishes below.

And I rarely pre-rinse dishes before loading them. I want to give the dishwasher a chance to do its job! If I have to pre-rinse a dish, I may as well just the wash the whole thing.

I agree with you, I think I would have a hard time keeping track of whether the dishwasher was clean or dirty if I started loading dirty dishes before emptying it of all the clean ones first.

Ok..your husband's way sounds so complicated to me...but kudos to him for doing dishes and feeling superior in his skilzzz!! My husband and I do dishes but not usually simultaneously.

I unload the bottom rack then unload the top. If I reversed that then water that sometimes pool in the glasses would fall down and get bottom ones wet. So I take out bottom first. After everything is put away I load with dirty dishes then wash by hand the ones that won't fit in.

I find it funny that my husband will wash by hand all the dishes in the sink instead of unloading clean dishes then putting the dirty ones in. He grew up without a dishwasher so he spent many years washing dishes...I guess it is just natural for him. To me..it is just more work.

Huh? Lol. I empty it (or my 10 year old does) and then we load it again. No dual stuff going on...

Well I do it your way, but after thinking about it, why don't just one of you do the dishwasher while the other one is clearing off the table and putting away the food? That's what we do. My husband used to want to rearrange our kitchen to his liking, and we have argued about it some, but I told him to leave my kitchen alone, or he would go out to his workshop to a surprise, because I just might go rearrange that. I won.

Your way is the correct way for the reasons you stated.

I do not load the dishwasher when clean dishes are still in it. I am a clean freak. My laundry baskets are labeled dirty and clean...yes I have separate ones for each. I change the dishtowels every day not to spread germs.
Your husband and I would have real trouble sharing a kitchen. I'd never trust him to unload the dishes.

Tell your husband that he is not "making a return trip empty handed", He puts a dirty dish into the dishwasher, and then with the same hand that was just on the dirty dish, he touches a clean one to take it out? Lets see, he just touched a plate that someone ate off of. It has old food, bacteria, saliva, spit, bones spit out, half chewed foods, and then touches a plate someone else might eat off of? Dont invite me to dinner if hes doing dishes please.
I empty the top rack first just because its the first one I pull out. Altho I have done the bottom rack first a few times but for no particular reason. Once its empty I fill it with whatever dirties are in the sink. I do fill it the same way each time. Large plates go in one spot, bowls in another, small plates in another, Tall glasses on one side because thats where they fit, and short glasses on the other. Makes me nuts when someone puts short stuff on the tall side and I have to move them to get the tall stuff in. I put the silverware in handles down, sharp knives used to get hand washing only but I dont care anymore, so they go in points down and only it the very back section of the silverware basket.

I don't have a dishwasher, but we've had similar "arguments" about dishes in the past. When I wash dishes, I am very particular about how they go into the dishpan (to fit the most in at once), I wash them thoroughly (no re-washing for me!), load them in the drainer in a certain way, then leave. The dishes are done.

DH, on the other hand, would freak out at my putting the sharp knives into the dishpan (because he didn't get that I always put them in the same place in the same direction so I knew where the handles were), he did not take care to make sure each dish was totally clean (I'd always have to re-wash several things after he did the dishes), Put them in the dish drainer in such a way so that nothing would actually dry (plates stacked together so no air could get in between them, cups turned upright, etc), then put them away immediately before they even dried (because according to him, the job isn't done until they're away. He hated that I left them in the dish drainer!). Arg!!! Lol.

At first I would get annoyed if he didn't do dishes. But then It actually got to the point where I didn't WANT him to do the dishes because his ways irritated me so much. I don't really even like anyone else doing them (as much as I hate doing the chore myself). Now he rarely washes dishes. If he does, it's because he is really trying to help me out because he sees me having a really stressful evening or something. So I thank him. He's taken to leaving the dishes in the drainer, too! When I put them away, I just don't say anything about the ones that are still dirty and dry the ones that are still wet. I know he means well. <3

I put away the bottom first,then reload it, then put away the top and reload it. Like your husband says, I find it a more efficient way to work.
I have no idea how my husband does it, nor do I care. If he's doing the dishes, he can do them any way he wants.

I usually do it your way, but sometimes, I do it your husband's way!

As for loading, I prefer loading... men just aren't capable of doing it correctly ;) I always end up redoing what he did.

When we were first married, he would only rinse one side of the dish. I turned the plate over (which when stacked on other dirty dishes, food is on both sides) and I said, "Plates have TWO sides, honey."

He has never let me forget that almost 8 years later.

I do both sometimes. But lately it is our 7 y/o job to empty and our 11 to fill.

I no longer put the dishes away. My husband and my kids do that.

Empty dishwasher after each wash. Dishwasher always empty. Rinsing dishes after use right away and put them to a dishwasher, activate dishwasher once full of used and rinsed dishes. No rguments about dishes here, it's a learned process in our house. Even my 4 year old daughter paticipates in this routine, she is in charge of her cups and utensils.

I unload the entire thing of clean THEN rinse and load the dirty dishes.
Everybody in our household does it that way but every interesting to see how everybody else does it.
Good question!

WELL... LOL... I hate dishwashers and the arguments in this house about dishes are not fun. I like to rinse and stack everything into buckets because I can then wash all the counters and have the buckets to easily move them around if I don't get to the dishes right away. I'm a stickler about using the hottest water I can and I use bleach in my water. I also insist on having 2 dish drainers set up because I won't put anything away that's the least bit wet. It'll breed bacteria if I do.

My mother throws all kinds of dishes into a sink and the water gets gross and she puts dishes away still wet. I chase her out of the kitchen. I can't stand dishwashers because they don't seem to me like they get things clean. We have to use plastic because of having so many kids and things will blow around, turn over and fill up with water. I don't ever want another dishwasher again.

I think that the most appropriate way to do it is to WASH YOUR HANDS and then put away all clean dishes. Then, load the dirty dishes. The thought of putting away clean dishes with unwashed hands or with hands that are also touching dirty dishes is gross. You might as well just empty the cabinets into the sink and wash them.

I empty dishwasher completely then load the dirty dishes. I've never seen anyone do it your husband's way - but our rule is when I do it, I do it my way & when he does it, he can do it any way he wants (even though it takes him fully twice as long as me AND he never seems to fit all the dishes in there). I would never have both of us try to load or unload the dishwasher at the same time. Only one person at a time.
On-going "fun" arguments in our house - he insists that the word pliers should never be used without an "a" before it - as in - honey, can you hand me A PLIERS. What???? He also thinks it's A SCISSORS. His english is perfect and he knows the difference between things like your, you're, etc. This is one of the few things we disagree on.

The dishwasher should be empty, it's just cleaner/more sanitary. If a dirty dish drips yuk onto the clean rack all those dishes must be washed again. What a waste of time.

I do it like you! :) That's funny though.

Ok, When I was younger I did it along the lines of your husband. I currently unload the bottom first, then the top then load top and load bottom... I also take the silverware rack out and load that first. I unload the bottom first because I do not want the dirty water from the top (glasses or bowls that tip or have deep rims on the bottom) to get all over the clean dishes on the bottom. I also stopped loading and unloading simultaniously because I was finding finger prints on the glasses from dishes that may not have been rinsed off correctly.

I take all the dirties out and then load clean, for the same reason. Men will probably never get that the children are going to come to us first, interrupt us first etc. Mommy brain can overload easily!! As to how my hubby loads....who knows??? I don't think he ever has since we have been married, YIKES!!!!

how funny!!

I never put them away the same way twice...I do both what you and your husband do - it all depends upon WHEN I'm unloading/loading the dishwasher...

If I've got dirty dishes in the sink (usually from Friday night) I empty the bottom first and then reload with the dirty...

If it's first thing in the AM and there are no dishes in the sink - I start at the top and work my way down...

My husband DOES NOT LIKE the way I have our kitchen arranged....oh well...he doesn't cook in it every day...I do.

Verrrry interesting. I can see pros and cons equally for both ways. They're both good, just different.

When two of us empty the dishwasher at our house; one takes the dishes out of the washer and hands them to the other to put away. Either of your two ways sounds more efficient and a better use of time and energy.

I wipe off the water that's standing on cups or other items before I ever unload the dishwasher. That way when I do unload it the dishes are ready to be put away. It really doesn't matter, tho, if water from the top gets on the bottom dishes because the water is sterile after going thru the wash and rinse cycles. And putting away dishes that are still wet in places doesn't breed germs or mold. No germs because the dishes are sanitized by the dishwasher. No mold because we use the dishes every day. I do doubt that there would be mold anyway. Most dishes do not stack so that the sides are airtight. I've found that they actually dry in the cupboard.

I put the top rack then the bottom. Then load the dirty dishes. I do not want to be touching clean dishes and dirty dishes at the same time to get them all dirty again! My husband and I have been through entirely too much in our five yr marriage to bother with having fun arguements. were kinda past that point and in the thank you God for no more drama (family death, loosing job, two babies in four yrs it goes on and on). Point is be greatful your husband is helping you number one and realize it truly dose not matter. your a lucky duck and i would not bicker of over this tiny little issue! you might think its fun but even little dissagrements adds unnessisary stress to a family.

fully empty the dishwasher first. then reload with dirty dishes.

I tend to empty the bottom rack first, but it really doesn't matter.