The question about scraping/rinsing/loading dishes made me realize that maybe mamapedia can solve another years-long argument with my husband :-)
How do you load your dishwasher? Which dishes go in the top rack and which go on the bottom? I do glasses, bottles and delicate things like wine glasses in top rack. Plates, bowls, baking pans and anything really dirty go in the bottom rack. My husband has this (to me) bizarre system in which glasses and large items like bowls (even serving bowls) and baking pans go on the top rack, and the bottom rack is basically only for plates. His theory is that the large items on the bottom "block the cleansing spray action" from reaching the other dishes. I say that's stupid!! There's a whole separate sprayer for the top rack made specifically for delicate or not-food-caked dishes.
When hubby loads the dishwasher he can only fit a few things in there and leaves the rest for a second round. It drives me insane (and my way drives him insane). We are constantly redoing each others' work. What do you think?
Glasses up, plates and bowls down, and everything else where I can fit it in to make a full load. When my husband loads, I rearrange everything. He leaves too many empty spaces. I can fit twice the ampount in as him.
I am a little ocd so the plates are lined up according to size on the bottom. Cups and glasses (including wine glasses and anything fragile and tupperware) are lined up according to size up top. Cereal/soup bowls go on top rack but large bowls, baking pans and anything really dirty get hand washed.
You're both right.
If you can't get big things vertical, the block the top from being cleaned and rinses properly.
But FAR more goes on the bottom than plates!
Plastics, thin glass, etc. needs to be on top. Anything else can go on the bottom.
HINT: I've never met a modern dishwasher that the bottom doesn't have partitions that lay down so big things can fit vertically.
Haha, sounds like my husband and I. He puts things wherever, but me, I am the loading queen! I can fit a ton of stuff in there while still getting everything clean. It's like a game to me!
But yes, *I* put all glasses, plastic Tupperware, my son's plastic plates, lids etc and anything that is easily broken on the top rack.
And baking sheets, pots, pans, plates, bowls, all that stuff on the bottom.
To me anything fragile= top rack, heavier duty items=bottom rack.
I thought my husband was the only one who is incapable of fitting a sink full of dishes into the dishwasher. Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate it when he loads the dishwasher but please, I can fit twice the number of dishes in there as he can. There are always dirty dishes left over!! Drives me nuts.
I load exactly as you do.
I do it exactly like you. I also put plastics on top if they aren't too big. If you still have your dishwasher manual, check to see if it has a drawing on the correct way to load. Ours does, and that solved the 'how to load' back and forth with MY husband. 'Course, he still does it his way and fits barely anything in!
I am with you! Delicates on top... Heck, you will even notice that on some items, it will SAY "Top rack only" like some bowls I got for my DD that have suction cups... or bottle nipples...
