Dishwashing causes more relationship distress than any other household task

I definitely have monstrous tendencies. :wink:

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Dishwashers are a scam. You have to clean the dishes before they go in (else you end up with baked on crid and crumbs) AND dry the bloody things when the come out?

What’s the fucking point?

At BEST they are just a slightly more aesthetically pleasing place to store dirty dishes.

Also; I don’t mind doing dishes, and expect to clean up after myself when I cook - and even before and while I cook. Living with a tiny kitchen for over a decade will do that to you :slight_smile:

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I realize that was quite insensitive, and I apologize to all who were affected or upset. :smiley:

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Ha! I still haven’t figured out why this drives me bonkers, but it does. Nice I’m not alone.

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Same here. My husband took over dish washing duties when he noticed I wasn’t doing a very good job of it (which is true, as I find it unpleasant). On the other hand, I do the laundry because if it was up to him, he’d do laundry whenever we ran out of underpants. You can not let yourself run out of underpants.

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I was that resentful partner doing the washing up for a man who cooked well. He was completely, and I firmly believe deliberately, careless about the mess he made cooking because he didn’t have to clean up afterward. Wipe a spill? Why bother? Use only one of a particular utensil? Never!

That relationship didn’t last.

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My roommate prefers doing them by hand instead of using my dishwasher.

So they don’t get done usually.

Hence this article.

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It is for this reason that, years ago, I simply decided that I would be the one who did the dishes. It was settled and ne’er was there an argument again.

Yup. Two things are essential for a good and lasting relationship:

  1. You’ve got to like each other.
  2. A dishwasher.

Everything else is optional.

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I have a friend working to change from that rule. The problem is that when other people cook they manage to use every pot and pan in the building.

I know, living alone, that most of my meals are chosen specifically for how few dishes are involved in the preparation.

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My partner and I argue over dishes more than anything else. Never again will I move to a place w/o a dishwasher. SO OVER DISHES ACGGHJLLDD!@?$&#%¥!!

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I will mention I’ve never needed to pre- wash dishes before using a dishwasher. To me that’s a sign there’s something wrong with the dishwasher. Whether by you or the machine, more than once means something’s wrong.

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This right here is the secret to getting through mundane chores.

Each person comes to the table with their own experience and prefrences. It’s insanity to expect someone else to share your enthusiasims and pet peeves when it comes to domestic drudgery, and even crazier to to treat them poorly because of it.

Your SO, spouse, etc isn’t your employee- they’re just another person who liked you enough to hang around for a while and have fun. Share the chores and pay special attention where you see fit, and enjoy.

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What brand do you have? Bosch used to be good (supposedly) but they started making them in North Carolina for the US market instead of in Germany like before. May have something to do with it.

Dishes with dried-on cat food is the worst, even after soaking overnight.

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I don’t have one right now, and have no idea what brands the others were… it’s just never been a problem.

On the issue of pre-washing or not: I’ve heard that rinsing or pre-washing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher is a cause of unsightly etching on glassware (not the same thing as spotting that’s caused by hard water deposits). The way I heard it explained is that the soap chemically acts on the food that’s on the dishes in order to remove the food, and if there’s no food there for the soap to act on, then it eats away at the dishes themselves. In other words, you want to leave the food on, so as to give the soap something to do.

(Disclaimer—I don’t have, and have never had, a dishwasher. That’s just something I heard.)

I know of a retreat center that doesn’t use a dishwasher. The dishes are done by hand, and then just run through a sterilizing machine as the final step.

So this leads me to wonder: if people feel a need to pre-wash their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, maybe it would make sense to then not use soap in the dishwasher.

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Oh hell I go that route for ALL COOKING.

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Dishwashers are a godsend. Rinse only before they go in (unless you leave food on them until it hardens :face_with_raised_eyebrow:) and there’s no problem.

Not unless you’re doing it wrong. Even if they are a bit ■■■■■ when the cycle ends, just open the door, give the racks a little shake and let them air dry for a while. No drying needed.

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Big commercial dishwashers don’t wash dishes. They polish dishes that are already rinsed free of most food. Would you put a plate with a whole pork chop on it into a dishwasher? Commercial kitchens have a rinse wand and a waste bin that you rinse all the major crap off, then place the mostly clean dish in the tray and when the tray is full, initiate the wash cycle.

Home dishwashers, being even less robust, should also have the plates rinsed free of most food scraps and streaks, then placed in the rack.

The reason this is right is: have you ever cleaned out the traps and screens on your dishwasher? If you open up the bottom of the dishwasher to clean out its innards, you will be unpleasantly surprised at all the stinky black food residue. Minimizing that residue will increase the efficiency of the machine, especially for the long term.

But, ymmv. I tend to coddle the machine so it lasts longer and I don’t have to deal with malfunctions or rewashing dishes.

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That’s pretty much how it is in our household. Just me and my wife.
I tend to get to cleaning up after a big meal right quick no matter what, though if we have people over because I can’t stand to wake up the next day and have a ton to wash. My wife can chat up the company for a bit while I do that.
As for the laundry, I’d prefer she leave all that to me. I have a very specific way to get the loads done and I don’t like her messing with my settings. :slight_smile:

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