Tuesday, May 26, 2009

A house divided

There are two kinds of people in this world

1- Those who place their silverware in the dishwasher the safe and logical way, with the pointy parts down. These people realize that children could run and trip and impail themselves on pointing up forks and knives in the dishwasher, they also value the efficiency of quickly grabbing a bunch of handles rather than the eat-off of part (does that part have a name?).

and

2- Those who like to make absolutely no sense and put the silverware handle down in the dishwasher. These people like to dirty their newly cleaned silverware by grabbing it to unload it and touching the part that you eat off of and contaminating it before it's even gotten into the drawer.

Which camp are you in? Don't worry, I won't judge. I happened to marry someone in the opposite camp as myself, and it happens to be one of the first things we ever "disagreed" about (on about our second day of marriage).

Being the peacemaker I am I finally relented (on like day three of marriage) and now put all the silverware handle down except the knives, so as to spare our children impalement risk. But I just want you all to know that I don't agree with it, not one lick.

33 comments:

G said...

Depends on the dishwasher. One of our apartments had SUCH tiny compartments for silverware and so few of them that we had no choice but to put them in handle down to able to fit everything in each time. It's not like we were going to HAND wash our excess dirty stuff or something crazy like that... That phase of our lives made me pretty flexible though of my own volition I go with handle up for ease of putting away.

Janae said...

I guess you wouldn't want to eat at my house. I have never given the silverware a second thought. I am just lucky to get it in there before little hands are helping to take it out.

Karina said...

I used to put them in the dishwasher handles up, but without even thinking about it, I changed my ways after noticing that Steve does it the other way.

I shouldn't say "without even thinking about it" because EVERY time I load and unload the dishwasher I at least subconsciously wonder why I do it that way:)

Bart said...

When Janssen revealed to me the true way (yours), I immediately agreed. I had grown up with the wrong way, but have four years of handle-up dish washing to prove my true and deep conversion.

Jules said...

I think forks carry greater impalement risk than a standard table knife.

But anyway, I put the handles down; however, our silverware holder is long and skinny and after you take it out you can open the side up to easily grab the handles instead of the eat off part.

Before this dishwasher I was much more conflicted over this same issue!

Janssen said...

Tell Blaine to change his ways or we'll never come over for dinner again :)

meleah said...

There must be three types of people in the world. Those that don't even notice how they get in or out as long as it gets done :)

Shanon said...

I put them in handle side down. I don't have enough space to put it the other way. Plus, from some of the things I've seen my kids do, eating off of a fork that I touched is not going to hurt them. I also prefer that way because it drives me crazy with all of the pokey ends get caught in the holes...handles go in so much easier. Okay, that's my opionion. Let the judging begin.

Anonymous said...

Also not heretofore mentioned is that there is a greater area of the silverware left better exposed for a thorough washing when it is eating-side-up than if they are all crammed in eating-side-down. The water not only has to get between all the crammed silverware but also through the little holes of the holder. What are the chances that the spoon James picked up foul vomit off our carpet would get a nice, high-pressure washing if it was crammed right behind another spoon in the unfortunate eating-side-down position? I'm just saying. . . . And by the way it wasn't one of my kids' vomit, it was a neighbor kid. All the more reason for a thorough washing. *shiver*

Kristi said...

Oh Blaine is going to love you forever because that is EXACTLY his argument. I say that "business end" down is closer to the sprayer and therefore gets cleaner.

Robin said...

Only one of us does the dishes in this house and it's always handles up. So, it's my way or the highway. :) Truth be told, that's because I also like to leave a little space between the plates, etc., so the particles actually come off the first time.

Also, am I the only one who wouldn't think to scrape vomit off the floor with an eating utensil and then wash and reuse it. Yeah, *shiver*! :D

Judkins family said...

my mom does to handle up, myself... I'm a handle down gal myself. luckily Jeff follows me an thatta one

Anonymous said...

In my defense to this onslaught of accusations ;), we do run a conscientiously sanitary home. In fact, those said carpets had been cleaned and scotch-guarded THAT VERY MORNING for the first time in a year (no irony there). And though, in hindsight Robin, he could have just as easily used a plastic spoon and then thrown it away (we were in an irrational state of panic at the time), I must say that in order for anyone to maintain peace of mind when it comes to cleanliness, we must abide by the rule that once something has been sanitized, it's clean. For example, do you ever lick your fingers after eating a salty chip? Well, have you ever changed a diaper with those same fingers? Do you ever use the same silverware as someone your family member who is sick has used, after it has been washed? Do you eat produce that is partly made of the poop that fertilized it? You see my point? We must believe that germs and nastiness can be eradicated. Not to mention that people who are less germ-protected actually get sick less and have better immune systems. But we'll save that debate for another time.

JoAnna said...

handle up. Dangerous part down. No questions about it. Not even a debate. Makes NO sense to do it the other way. I'm thoroughly impressed that you changed your ways for your hubby. That one would be a difficult one for me to concede on.

chelon:) said...

handles up...they definitely get cleaner that way!! nice debate too :) although i would have made my husband change!! you are a good wifey!

Haley Hale said...

I actually didn't really think that much about the subject in our first five years of marriage, since I was HANDWASHING everything. Now that I have a dishwasher, I put the knives in, pointy parts down, and the rest of the stuff in eating parts up. Gross that my hands touch it after it is clean? Maybe. But I find it much grosser when they get in there, handle side up, and have small food particles caked all over them. And, usually when I unload, it is right after I have handwashed the boys' bottles, so my hands are pretty clean. Are you still gonna come stay with us now that you know my "dirty" little secret?

Kristi said...

Turns out there is an official way! And it's my way!

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2008/03/best-dishwasher.html

Sheyenne said...

Handles down, except knives. And I would totally scoop up vomit with a spoon and then eat off of it. After only rinsing it in lukewarm water.
And seriously, my hands are not filthy when I put the silverware away. Is that even a real consideration? Would you not eat out of the same bag of chips as me then because I may have touched a chip that you would put into your mouth and ingest? Seriously people. Let's talk about something important. Like which way the toilet paper should be installed on the holder, paper coming over the top, or underneath. Now THAT is a conundrum isn't it?

Melissa Ash said...

Handles down. I haven't even thought about it. I agree with the point that it gets much cleaner with "business side" up!! I don't like the thought of pulling out my silverware and having caked stuff on it. Plus, my silverware goes in the door of the dishwasher. There is no risk for impalement. Knives are the only thing that go sharp side down! Don't want to chop the fingers off!

Melissa Ash said...

I am confused! It said that the handle goes down on that consumer report. So, that is your way? For some reason I thought that your way was the other way!

Joe(y) Speredon said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqUstwcPzp4&feature

Are you up to date on Lost? This is from the first episode of season 5. It was all I could think about while reading this.

Kristi said...

The consumer reports says to do it the way that we compromise, everything handle down but knives.

Wendy said...

20 comments on silverware! I hope I get the last word!

I knew there was a reason I liked Angela (and Melissa Ash - whoever you are) Obviously things get cleaner if the part you eat off of is not hidden deep in a basket with tiny little holes. It seems so obvious!!

But mostly I want to commend you Kristi for doing it "Blaine's" way all these years - that is true love. (BTW - most of the extended Bassett's do it your preferred way)

Jeannie said...

I'm a handle down, except for knives, kinda girl :)

Anna said...

This whole thing makes me laugh!!!!! You know how I feel, Kristi. I told Rick he was in good company with Blaine. I also gave in but only after he started doing dishes almost as much as me (lately - more). I have decided that as long as it is getting done, I don't care. I DO make things interesting, tho, by putting some spoons up and some down so they don't get stuck together. It makes it interesting to unload. ;)

Andrea L. said...

Once your kids start doing it, ANYWAY is the correct way. I don't complain when they want to put their dishes away - I doubt that they would do it again if I nagged at them. I'm just sayin . . . I CANNOT believe how many people feel SO strong about silverware. Wow, if we all cared this much about the "important" things in life :)

Blaine said...

Wow, this is a lot of comments! The argument that things would get CLEANER when they are business end down? Cmon people! That makes absolutely no sense. At best you could say that everything gets equally clean (though I don't buy that either) but there's NO WAY that anything in the basket could get cleaner than the things that are sticking out. To Janssen--I take your comment and send it right back at you (smiley face included)--do people really want to eat on silverware that was hiding deep inside the basket while the cleaning was going on in the rest of the dishwasher? And to Kristi--the consumer reports doesn't support YOUR way--it supports MY way! Knives down for safety, everything else up for cleanliness. I know that you have agreed to do it my way (and for that I am grateful) but if you haven't actually converted--if you still insist that you "don't agree with it, not one lick"--then you can't really call it your way, can you? I think this argument is over and we win, handles down (yes, that was an intended pun...haha)!

P.S. I really did love hearing everyone's opinion and hope that the lightness of my tone is obvious with this--seriously though, what a lively debate! :-)

Bret said...

I hope I'm not too late to cast my vote. I know the right answer to this one... When I married Blaine's mom 29 years ago, I too was a handles up kind of man. But 2 days into our wedding, I was informed by my dear, dear wife (of 48 hours) that I was doing it wrong. So I changed a lifelong habit to please my wife. It wasn't easy, but it has made things nice at home. My vote...go with whatever the wife wants. That's always the right answer.

Shanon said...

Bret is a smart, smart man! I agree...do whatever the wife wants. Except in this case when the handles should clearly go down.

Anonymous said...

Okay, might as well make it an even 30. I just want y'all to know that this debate really made my day yesterday. Even though I was alone with the kids from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed, I laughed and laughed, out loud, while I did the dinner dishes, thinking of a few comments in particular. Blaine, dude. You should have heard me laughing in bed last night about your comment. I couldn't stop. I was probably just in one of those rare moods, but the tears were soaking my pillow. I kept quoting lines to James: "If you still insist that you 'don't agree with it--not one lick,' then you can't really call it your way, can you?"

And Sheyenne, though we have never met, I believe you and I would get along juuuuust fiiiiiine. Also laughing about your comment: "And seriously, my hands are not filthy when I put the silverware away. Is that even a real consideration?"

Robin said...

I realize this post is about silverware, but I have to apologize to Angela. I didn't mean to come off so apparently critical of your vomit clean-up methodology. It was just something I had never heard of before, and let's face it: Vomit, ALONE, makes me shiver. While I have typically used towels in the past for such a job (and, yes, reused every one of them after a heavy cleaning in the same washer that washes all of our clothes), I might just think to try a spoon next time for the health benefits you mentioned. I will also then invite Sheyenne to my house for dinner. A win-win situation, so thanks! :)

Anonymous said...

Funny that this post is still getting comments, and that this is like my fourth one. :) Robin, I wasn't offended by your comment at all, in fact, it made for a heartier conversation. I echo Blaine's sentiments in hoping that the "lightness of my tone" is obvious as I pretend that I am deadly serious in this gridlock debate about silverware/germs. Besides, any friend of the Bassetts is a friend of mine!

JoAnna said...

"I think this argument is over and we win, handles down!"
Ha! That is hilarious!! Got me laughing even if I am in the losing camp.