How I (Laurie) Loaded My Dishwasher The Correct Way

I have finally learned how to load my dishwasher the correct way. That doesn’t sound like an extraordinary feat, but for me it is. I used to laugh at my mother-in-law because she was so precise at loading her dishwasher. When it looked full to me, she could put 20 more things into it. My poor husband tried to show me a better way. He was very concerned when he saw that in the bottom of dishwasher were broken pieces of glass, bent spoons etc. Not to mention, the amount of food that was left over after the wash cycle. Every month or so there would be water left in the bottom of the dishwasher. After ignoring it for a few days, I would bring it to his attention. He is a patient man. He suggested next time I saw water left, I should tell him in a more timely fashion. Turns out the reason for the left over water, was that the poor dishwasher was running a deli in the drain pipe. (I keep this idea in the back of my mind should a depression, not a recession start.)

I should mention that my husband was concerned about many things concerning how I loaded the dishwasher. For instance, when he would pull a glass out of the cupboard and fill it with lemonade, he would notice that there was a big chunk of the glass missing. When he used a dish for his sandwich, he always wondered what the special crunchy herb was that I put in his tuna sandwich. I told him I put no crunchy herbs in it. Turns out it was the chips in all the dishes causing this problem. I wonder if you can be arrested for perforating your husband’s innards.

I am happy to say I have now learned the correct way to load my dishwasher. I put glasses together, with little spaces between them. I put dishes that are alike together. If I see spoons in the bottom of the dishwasher, I no longer leave them there. I don’t put cast iron pans next to the good china. I make sure the dishes are rinsed before I put them in the dishwasher. Now my husband doesn’t go to tag sales to buy our dishes. He doesn’t sing the praises of the beautiful plastic glasses at the Dollar stores. He will go to Walmart or Target now. I look longingly at the Pfaltzgraff stores. He asks me to be patient and someday we will go there. Somehow I don’t think so!