Community Chat

[drizzellla]

I always put the handle side down. Guess I learned to do that as a kid when I loaded the dishwasher. Probably always under duress.

So I continue to do it that way now.

I also wash sharp knives with points by hand. So even the flatware knives are put in handle side down.

[Nonametoday]

I asked the guy who sold me the dishwasher, because DH and I always argue about this, just like toilet tissue.  He said "either way, but the reality is that placing them food side down will cause your baskets to go bad in a few years; on the other hand, if you have knives and forks sticking up, you could suffer hand injuries that cost more than baskets. It's your choice, but I side with the ladies to put the eating side down."

[pupwhipped]

Wow, guess I'm a weirdo as I do both. I put some up and some down. 🤷‍♀️   

[chickenbutt]

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@drizzellla wrote:

I always put the handle side down. Guess I learned to do that as a kid when I loaded the dishwasher. Probably always under duress.

So I continue to do it that way now.

I also wash sharp knives with points by hand. So even the flatware knives are put in handle side down.

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Like you, I always hand-wash my knives (aside from the regular butter-type knives that come in a set of flatware), as I truly believe it's the best thing for taking proper care of them.  

[meallen616]

Handles down and eating up!

[Pagan]

Random thoughts:

1) if you put them in head first, the cleaning job might not be so good because there's a basket in the way. Also spoons head down can collect water deposits etc and that wouldn't happen if they were upright.

2) if upright, you can lift them out of the basket without touching the heads by reaching further down the shafts to grasp them. 

3) if heads up, you need to be careful of sharp edges.. 
 
4) laying things flat in a basket, unless unavoidable, would seem to be the worst choice for effective cleaning. The items could bunch together or turn over leaving still soiled surfaces and spoons full of watery ******. 

5) I don't think you should put more than one of each type of item in each basket section if possible. If you do, you need to be really careful that similar items don't nest.
 

[Puppy Lips]

We always put them eating side down.  I think it is just easier to take them out and put them away when they are cleaned.

However, I was at the home of the woman who used to watch my kids and she had a dishwasher repair man there.  I remember him saying that the cutlery should be placed with the handles down, I think so that they would clean better.

We need a new dishwasher as ours is 15 years old and having "issues."  At this point, we are rinsing things really well before they even go in the dishwasher.

[drizzellla]

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@chickenbutt wrote:

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@drizzellla wrote:

I always put the handle side down. Guess I learned to do that as a kid when I loaded the dishwasher. Probably always under duress.

So I continue to do it that way now.

I also wash sharp knives with points by hand. So even the flatware knives are put in handle side down.

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Like you, I always hand-wash my knives (aside from the regular butter-type knives that come in a set of flatware), as I truly believe it's the best thing for taking proper care of them. 
 

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@chickenbutt You got that right. I used to put all my carbon steel knives in the dishwasher. I figured the high temperature scrub and sani-rinse would kill any germs.

Well, my brother was showing off one Thanksgiving. He tried to pierce the lid of the can of cranberry sauce with one of the carbon steel knives. He broke the tip off the knife.

When I bought a new Wusthof knife to replace the broken knife. The new knife is not carbon steel. The first statement on the information was to not put the knife in the dishwasher. OOPS!  I now wash all sharp knives by hand.

[Citrine1]

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@J Town Girl wrote:

I've always placed my flatware in the dishwasher with the eating side up.  I don't think I could even place it handle side up because of the way the flatware holder for my dishwasher is designed. There's a little slot for each piece and the spoons and forks wouldn't fit handle side up.  

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Same.  That's the only way my flatware fits in my dishwasher.  However, in my old dishwasher, I used to place it handle up.  

[Citrine1]

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@OKPrincess wrote:

All handles up to avoid touching the eating part of the utensils when unloading.

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Right!  That's why I liked my old dishwasher better because that's how I feel, but new dishwasher won't let me load them that way.  Argh.