DH requests this question be answered...

[GeorgiaAristocat]

Handles down, except for knives. Good knives are washed by hand. (otherwise, as has been said before, I don't feel like they get really clean.)

I also pre-sort- I have a six section basket. I HAD sort of thought about the nesting thing, but I REALLY like how easy it is to unload. Each type of utensil has its own little section. And they are the same EVERY time I load the dishwasher.

It MIGHT be a teensy bit compulsive.

 

[NMAmy]

To the OP.....
My husband likes to sort and wash clothes in monocromatic colors only...orange w/ orange, pink w/ pink , etc.
Suddenly your world doesn't seem so bad, does it????

MY DH does this, as well. I don't want to discourage him from doing the laundry, though, so I just avoid the laundry room like the plague when he's doing it.

Handles down. I surely can't be the only person whose silverware is long enough that I can take it out of the basket by only touching the top part of the handle, can I? No "grubby fingers" involved with the eating portion of the utensil. Does everyone else have really tall baskets or teeny tiny silverware?

 

[CheshireSmile]

All 3 dishwasher-loaders in this house prefer the handles down approach; it gets everything cleaner. I always remove the basket and put it on the counter to unload it, so I grab them around the middle to unload so no worries about getting the eating end dirty.

 

[Girlie1]

Handles down for everything but steak knives

 

[Momvic5]

Wait ... There's a systematic way to do this??

Mine go in hodgepodge.....don't tell my wife there's more than one way to do it, she might start expecting more of me

My wife is just happy I help....

We are hodgepodgers too! I am just happy my Dh and children are putting their utensils in the dishwasher. Handles may be up or down.

I tend to put the handles up - only because I have jammed a fork under my fingernail while unloading before.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Only my knives go handle up, so no one gets cut grabbing one out . Others are handles down to give the actual utensil "space" and get it CLEAN!

Either way, its an awful job

 

[Scrapfriend]

I could care less as long as I get help! I learned long ago that I get more help from my family if I don't nit pick the details (as long as the dishes get clean, and I believe they get clean either way)

 

[StephMK]

Only my knives go handle up, so no one gets cut grabbing one out . Others are handles down to give the actual utensil "space" and get it CLEAN!

That's exactly how I do it too. And wash my hands to pull the other utensils from the top of the handle so I'm not touching the "eating parts" too much. I also don't arrange them by type cause I don't want them nesting together during washing.

 

[Halbleib1]

Handles down except for knives they go handles up to prevent being cut. We found that silverware comes cleaner with handles down.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Handles down for me. The dishwasher doesn't get them clean otherwise.

I handwash and sharp knives (they break on me if I use the dishwasher),all pans and nearly all cups since I get them cleaner handwashing them.

 

[schewy]

Handles up. I guess it is becuase I'm left handed. Dang right handed utensils.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Handles up, my logic is that the yucky foodstuffs gets washed down the utensil as the water flows down toward the drain. That and no one gets stabbed!

 

[CLR4321]

I do knives with handles up and in the furthest little bin from the front. All other stuff I do handles down. This is just how I've always loaded a dishwasher.

 

[polynor]

I find it amazing that his has already generated four pages of posts. But then this is bone of contention at our house too...

If I load the dishwasher - handles up. Safety reasons for the knives and forks, the ick factor on touching the eating end for the spoon. And as someone else asked-- my basket is actually fairly tall that it's not that easy to grab the spoon neck for my teaspoons.

If DH loads the dishwasher -- he'll do handles up on the forks and knives due to safety (esp. now that DS3 wants to "help" alot). But he's adamant about spoons being handles down.

CBS Sunday Morning had a small segment on dishwasher loading -- they interviewed someone from Good Housekeeping. They said handles up for knives, down for spoons and forks.

 

[grace&philipsmom]

This made me laugh. I actually always load the dishwasher because my husband "does it wrong" . We load ours handles up for safety reasons.

 

[LWatson]

Handles down, except on sharp knives which go point down (or preferably not in the dishwasher at all!). I also don't think the "business end" gets clean enough through the mesh. My silverware tray opens, so I can load and unload easily using the handles.

We are the same here.

 

[daleswife]

My DH load a dishwasher?????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....It will NEVER happen!!!! He says he'd rather do ANYTHING else than load that darn dishwasher....go figure.

So those of you who's hubby loads....share your secret on getting him to do it!!!!

 

[dis75ney]

Handles up in the dishwasher...nobody gets stabbed that way. DH forgot about this one time and when I went to unload the dishwasher I got a nice chunk taken out of my palm when I grabbed a bunch of silverware. Dishwasher was run again while I went to the ER for stitches...

 

[disneynewbee]

Knives handle up, spoons and forks handle down. I do the knives handle up so that the kids don't reach for them and cut themselves when I'm loading and unloading the dishwasher. I have a 14 month old and she is quick. The forks and spoons I do handle down because I think they get cleaned better that way then if they were smooshed up in the basket.

 

[tpettie]

handles up......