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Yes, there is actually a best way to load a dishwasher

This info could save many a relationship.

dishwasher, dishes
Photo by Wendelin Jacober via Canva

Best practices for loading a dishwasher can end the dishwasher wars.

There are two types of people in this world—people who care about how the dishwasher gets loaded and those who don't, and never the twain shall meet.

Those who do care are frequently driven bonkers by those who don't, as well as by their fellow carers who disagree on the proper methodology. Dishwasher loading is serious business for those who care, and many a ladle has been raised in exasperation at those who load the dishwasher "wrong"—as if there were a definitive "right" way to do it.

There's a difference between "right" and "best," of course. Everyone thinks their way is right, but that's a completely subjective judgment. There really are some best practices, however, based on manufacturer tips and experts who test dishwashers for consumer rankings lists.

One caveat: There are different reasons why people load the dishwasher in certain ways due to how their kitchen is set up and for efficiency of unloading, so there may be specific practices that aren't addressed here. For example, someone might always load their glasses on the left side of the dishwasher and their bowls on the right because the glasses cabinet is to the left of the dishwasher while the bowls cabinet is to the right of it. What's "best" at that level of detail will differ, so defer to the resident person-who-cares in each kitchen.

One more caveat: Always check manufacturer recommendations first. Some dishwashers may have features that require loading a certain way to work the way they should.

Generally, however, these best practices apply across the board:

1. Don't pre-rinse, just scrape off chunks of food.

Getting controversial right outta the gate here, but unless your dishwasher genuinely doesn't work right, you don't need to rinse food residue off dishes before loading. We had an old dishwasher that basically just sanitized the dishes but didn't clean them, so we spent years rinsing, but that was simply a case of needing a new dishwasher. Once we got one we learned that it's actually better to not rinse dishes first. Pre-rinsing not only wastes water and time, but it may actually make your dishwasher's performanceworse. Newer dishwashers have sensors that detect how dirty dishes are, so if you rinse too well you may fool the dishwasher into thinking the dishes aren't really dirty.

2. Cups and bowls upside down, plates facing the center.

Loading cups and bowls face down might seem like a no-brainer for most, but there are people who don't understand how a dishwasher washes. Water sprays upward from underneath each rack, so if you want the inside of cups and bowls to get as clean as possible, they need to be facing down. They'll also get filled with water if they're not upside down.

Everything should be facing or angled toward the center of the dishwasher, as water sprays from the center out. Yes, plates look more uniform when they all face the same direction, so this might be hard for the visually fastidious among us, but facing center makes for the most effective cleaning.

3. Plastics on top rack only, and only if labeled dishwasher-safe.

The top rack of the dishwasher doesn't get as hot as the bottom, and plastics can melt. Even if there's no visible melting, high temps can cause potentially harmful chemicals to leach out of plastic dishware and containers, so look for labels that say "dishwasher safe" and only place plastic items on the top rack. (Or wash by hand, which is recommended for plastics that aren't labeled as BPA-free.)

4. The great silverware directional debate settled, sort of.

Some new dishwashers have a flat rack for silverware on top, which eliminates the question of what direction they should face. For the traditional vertical baskets, there are various schools of thought. Some people put all the knives together, forks together, spoons together, etc. for ease of unloading. And then there's the handles up or handles down question.

Consumer Reports, which tests dishwashers, recommends placing spoons and forks handles down and sharp objects such as knives handles up. It also recommends mixing different types of silverware in each basket. Total chaos, I know.

The handles-up method makes for quicker and more sanitary unloading, it's true. But placing silverware handles down allows more space between the eating ends and mixing them up prevents nesting, both of which help them get cleaned better. Just make sure whoever is unloading has clean hands when they're grabbing the silverware by the eating ends and all will be well.

5. Don't overload.

This may also seem like an obvious statement, but again, you'd be surprised. The key here is to visualize the sprayers and where the water is going to reach inside the dishwasher. If bowls are stacked on top of each other, even loosely, the water won't reach inside the ones on top. One layer of dishes with a bit of space between each item—not a lot, just a little—will ensure that water can reach in and around every piece and will keep glass and ceramics from getting chipped or broken.

Give the top rack sprayer a manual spin with both racks pushed in before closing the lid as well. Stuff that's too tall on the bottom rack will stop the sprayer from spinning, which will inhibit its ability to clean the top rack.

6. Load back to front.

This best practice is particularly important if you are loading the dishwasher gradually throughout the day. It's easier to open the dishwasher a crack and place a glass or bowl in the front of the rack, but you'll save yourself a lot of guesswork about how full the dishwasher is if you train your household to start at the back and move forward. You'll also save yourself a bunch of rearranging before running.

7. Listen to people's reasons for loading certain ways and stay open to new ideas.

Beyond the basics listed here, there are all kinds of individual preferences for loading a dishwasher, some of which are simply habit and some of which are based on logic and reason. With the exception of the vertical silverware mix-up, it makes sense to put cups or dishes that go in the same cabinet together in the dishwasher, for instance. And there are ways to place your household's unique dishware most efficiently for space, so asking the resident person-who-cares for their recommendation isn't a bad idea.

Having some basic ground rules for dishwasher loading is helpful to avoid kitchen conflict, but so is being open to sharing ideas and learning from one another. With a little humility, we can put the ladles down and end the dishwasher wars once and for all. (Unless someone tries to cook a steak in the dishwasher, in which case bring on the battle.)

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household tips
Pop Culture

A 'Daily Show' correspondent asks a millionaire about inequality and gets an unexpected response.

Wealth inequality has never been funnier.

Photo by Laurel and Michael Evans on Unsplash

This could be the guest house.


Inequality has gotten worse than you think.

An investigation by former "Daily Show" correspondent Hasan Minhaj is still perfectly apt and shows that the problem isn't just your classic case of "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

As much as we hear about wealth inequality these days, one disparity remains mostly ignored: the gap between the wealthy and the ridiculously wealthy.

Minhaj spoke to Richard Reeves, an economist with the Brookings Institute, who painted a dark picture:

wealth, comedy, Hasan Minhaj

Wealth inequality on the rise.

All GIFs via Comedy Central.

The study Reeves refers to points to the growing wealth of the top 10th of the top 1%:

"The rise of wealth inequality is almost entirely due to the rise of the top 0.1% wealth share, from 7% in 1979 to 22% in 2012 — a level almost as high as in 1929. The bottom 90% wealth share first increased up to the mid-1980s and then steadily declined."

And no one's paid any attention.

Between the cries of the 45.3 million people in poverty and a dwindling middle class inevery state, the voice of the average millionaire is all but drowned out.

the one percent, inequality, investment

Millionaires unconcerned with financial disparity.

All GIFs via Comedy Central.

But not all millionaires are worried about growing inequality in the top 1%.

In his search for a concerned millionaire, Minhaj met Morris Pearl, a retired investment banking director and member of an organization called The Patriotic Millionaires. Minhaj was baffled by what Pearl had to say:

resources, rich, Ronald Reagan

Investment banking pays well.

All GIFs via Comedy Central.

What about trickle-down economics?

Trickle-down theory was popularized under Ronald Reagan's presidency. The idea was that clearing a path for the rich to make more money would spur more private investment, which would lead to more jobs and higher wages for all workers.

tax breaks, income, classism

Attempting the preach the reverse.

All GIFs via Comedy Central.

Reagan put trickle-down theory into practice in two basic ways: by lowering taxes for the wealthy and by freezing wages for the poor.

In 1981, he cut the top marginal income tax rate — which only applies to the highest-income households — from 70% to 50%. Then in 1986, he more than doubled-down by slashing the rate to 28%. (The current rate is 39.6%.) And under Reagan's leadership, the minimum wage was frozen, even as costs of living were rising.

Pearl and other so-called Patriotic Millionaires think top one-percenters like themselves should pay more taxes.

trickle-down theory, financial institutions, comedy show

Making rich people richer.

All GIFs via Comedy Central.

Not only that, they believe raising the minimum wage is critical to reducing inequality.

OK, maybe not everyone — including millionaires — are convinced that giving more money to the rich will fix the economy. So why do our policies do just the opposite?


This article originally appeared on 3.23.15

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Joy

Why you should ask your loved ones to let your pet see your dead body after you die

Something nobody wants to think about, but definitely should.

Photo by Diana ✨/Pexels

Pets don't understand when their human just doesn't come home one day.

Few of us want to think about our pets dying, but I imagine even fewer of us want to think about how our pets would handle us dying.

Many pets form bonds with their humans, some to an extreme degree. When an animal's human dies, it's a major life event, but it's not like someone can logically explain why their person just isn't around anymore. From the animal's perspective, their person just disappeared.

A quote that's sometimes been attributed to David Attenborough (though its actual origin is unclear) offers an intriguing idea that might help a pet deal with an owner's death:

"If I die while I have a pet, let my animal see my dead body, please. They understand death and seeing me dead will allow them to mourn, but if I just never show up one day they’ll think I abandoned them. I know what it feels like to be abandoned and I never want anyone to feel that way, especially my dog."

Many people who have witnessed a pet losing their human have noted their grieving behaviors. President George H.W. Bush's service dog, Sully, famously spent the night lying by his casket two days after he died. A Canadian police officer's service dog, Danny, whimpered next to his owner's casket throughout his funeral, according to the American Kennel Club. There are countless stories of people's pets exhibiting mourning-type behaviors after a human passes away that make it clear that they are affected by their human's death.

But is it true that seeing the body can help them process it better?

a woman sitting in a courtroom with a dog on her lap Photo by The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash

VCA Animal Hospitals says that exposing the pet to a companion's dead body might help provide closure: "Pets have a limited understanding of death as finality. Some behaviorists think that a dog’s grief response may be reduced by having an opportunity to investigate the deceased. It could be helpful to let your pet see the body of his deceased friend. He may not totally grasp the situation, but one last visit may help him understand that his pal is gone."

Greenlin Pet Resorts also includes in a list of helping pets through the loss of their owners, "Let them see the body of their deceased owner: This may not be practical in all situations, subt by allowing a mourning pet to see the body of their deceased companion you are providing the only real kind of communicable closure a human can give a pet in this situation."

People on Reddit have shared their own personal anecdotes of animals seeming to process the death of an owner or a fellow pet companion better after being near their body.

"We did this with my grandpa when he died. His dog knew but also went into a deep depression. He would just lay down and cry. He didn’t want to eat but then they remembered my grandpa would give him some McDonald’s cheeseburger as a treat. They went and got him one and he ate some! It took a few months of him being depressed but he would still sleep in my grandpas room and bed until he finally started to feel less sad."

"I can confirm this. My mom died at my home and I asked the nurse if I could get my dog so he could see and sniff her. He came in, gave her a momentary sniff and then went to his normal 'gotta say hi to the nurse.' Until that day if I said 'grammy' he’d go looking for her, now he doesn’t react at all when I say it. He definitely knows."

a dog sitting on a chair in front of a woman Photo by DEAD GOOD LEGACIES on Unsplash

"Years ago a friend’s dad died at work. His dog spent the next couple of days pacing & looking for him, so they took him to the funeral home. Once he sniffed the body he understood & stopped searching for him."

"Same with pets in a multi-pet family. When one of our two cats was put down due to age we showed the body to the other. She had a slightly shocked reaction so I think she understood he had died."

"100% agree with this. My family had two little dogs, boy and girl. The boy passed in a boating accident and was not found for a few weeks, every single night the girl dog would howl and cry for the boy dog. When the body of the boy dog was finally found, we brought him home to be buried and she got to see his body, from then on she never cried but she is routinely found sitting under the tree next to his grave. She totally knows that he is there, it’s heartbreaking."

Of course, we can't know what actually goes on in the minds of our pets, so we rely instead on observing their behaviors. We do know that animals often behave differently when owners die, and if seeing and smelling the deceased might help them process the loss, it certainly doesn't hurt to give it a try.

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Family

Psychologist shares 15-second trick to make kids of any age less rude and more cooperative

All it takes is a single question.

via Hunter Johnson/Unsplash

A child being rude.

Sometimes, it can feel like half of parenting is repeating yourself over and over again, asking your child to brush their teeth or take a dish from the living room to the sink. It’s exhausting and makes you feel like a nag. Don't you wish there was a simple way to make your kids listen the first time?

Dr. Rebecca Kennedy, aka “Dr. Becky,” is a clinical psychologist and founder and CEO of Good Inside who says she has a quick way to make your kids more cooperative and less rude. Talk about killing two soul-crushing birds with one parenting stone.

Dr. Beckly got into psychology after growing up with anorexia as a teenager.

“Okay, no matter how old your kid is, you can use this 15-second tip to decrease rudeness and increase cooperation,” she says in a TikTok video with over 32,000 views. “Find your child today and ask them this question. 'Hey, I was just wondering, what could I do better as your parent?'”

The psychologist says that even if the child has a random or impractical answer such as “Let me stay up ‘til midnight” or “I’d like to eat macaroni and cheese for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” just to listen. Simply by listening, you can change your child’s behavior.

She says we should also ask more questions to further the conversation: “Tell me more. What would that be like?”

Want to improve your relationship with your kid in less than 15 seconds? Watch this reel for a quick-win strategy. 

@drbeckyatgoodinside

Want to improve your relationship with your kid in less than 15 seconds? Watch this reel for a quick-win strategy. The best part: When we use strategies like this in calm moments, we reduce the frequency of difficult moments with our kids. Of course, I’m a realist… I know you need in-the-moment strategies too! Cue: My Conquering Problem Behaviors Workshop. You’ll get an entire toolbox of in-the-moment and outside-the-moment strategies for reducing outbursts and strengthening your bond with your kid. Learn more in the link in bio!

“I mean, imagine your boss coming to you randomly and asking how they could be a better manager to you. Just by asking the question and listening,” she continued. Dr. Becky says that asking our kids how we’re doing as parents communicates three essential ideas: “I care about you. I respect you. I'm invested in this relationship.”

This type of questioning builds a connection with a child that can spill over into other behaviors. “You're building connection. And with more connection always comes more cooperation,” she ends the video.

The big takeaway from the video is that when we enhance our connection with our kids, they will be less likely to disobey or be rude because they feel heard and respected, so there’s no need to act out. They will also return that respect by listening to you when you have a request, such as taking out the trash or putting down their phone and coming to dinner.

Some people in the comments got funny responses when they asked their kids what they could improve. “I asked my 5yr old. I got a mildly scathing look and she said ‘erm, maybe try and burn dinner less next time?’” Collette wrote. “My 5 yo told me to look better and get a haircut,” Mark Amend added.

Dr. Becky’s quick question is a great way for parents to strengthen their relationships when things are going well instead of trying to forge connections during conflict. It’s a great reminder that even when parenting, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.

Dr. Becky sums up the importance of prevention in her TikTok caption: “When we use strategies like this in calm moments, we reduce the frequency of difficult moments with our kids,” she wrote.


This article originally appeared on 6.6.24

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parenting
Pop Culture

19 years after writing ‘Grease,’ the Bee Gees performed it for the first time and it was amazing

The song was a massive hit for Frankie Valli, but Barry Gibb wrote it

via Bee Gees/YouTube

The Bee Gees performing "Grease" in 1997.

The title track to the 1978 film "Grease," starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, brought three generations together and hit number 1 on the Billboard Charts. The song is based on a movie about teenagers in the ‘50s, sung by a legend from the ‘60s and written by one of the biggest hitmakers of the ‘70s.

"Grease" was written by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees but sung by doo-wop legend Frankie Valli. Although the Bee Gees toured in the late ‘70s and made a comeback in the '90s, they never played the song live until 1997, when it was part of their “One Night Only” concert and album featuring many of their biggest hits.

What’s impressive about the song is that even though Valli does a great job singing it on the original recording, when you hear the Bee Gees sing it, it sounds exactly like something you would have heard them perform in the late ‘70s.

During the performance, Barry Gibb points to “Grease” star Olivia Newton-John, who’s seen dancing with her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi in the audience. In the third verse, Valli's vocal from the original is played so you can hear the difference.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The magic started when producer Robert Stigwood, fresh from the Travolta-starring ‘77 hit “Saturday Night Fever,” went into production on a film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Grease.” The film promised a killer soundtrack filled with new versions of the classic show tunes, but it needed a song for the film's opening credits.

So Stigwood tapped Barry Gibb, lead singer of the Bee Gees, the band that had just launched into the stratosphere after being featured on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack. Stigwood also happened to be the band’s manager and planned to feature them in a Beatles-based musical, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Barry wrote the song “Grease" in one day. Instead of sounding like a '50s doop-wop or rockabilly track, it was a slick-sounding dico-adjacent number about a feeling of generational confusion. The song was given to Valli, who’d had a recent comeback with the songs “My Eyes Adored You” (1975) and the 1976 nostalgia-dazed Four Seasons doo-wop disco number “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night).”

Valli had the option of recording the song or appearing as the Teen Angel who sings “Beauty School Drop-Out.” The “Walk Like a Man” singer opted to do the theme song and Frankie Avalon was given the Teen Angel role.

“I just remember that it all happened in one afternoon,” Barry Gibb recalled. "I was babysitting and my wife was out. And Robert Stigwood called up and said. 'I have two wonderful new songs by John Farrar called ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ and ‘You’re the One that I Want.’ But we don’t have a song for the film's title. Could you come up with a song called ‘Grease’?” I said, “How do you write a song called ‘Grease’? I don’t understand what direction I would take to do that.' And Robert said, 'Just Grease duh-duh-duh-duh-duh, Grease duh-duh-duh-duh-duh.' So he wasn’t very helpful. But I understood that they really wanted something that was positive and sunny. It really all happened in that afternoon. I walked on the dock for a bit…."

“Grease” was a box-office smash and became the highest-grossing film of 1978. Unfortunately for Stiugwood, his follow-up film, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” starring the Bee Gees, would be one of the biggest flops of the decade.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Grease” in 2018, Barry Gibb released the demo he originally recorded of the song accompanied by piano.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

From Your Site Articles
music
Pop Culture

People share unique, funny and downright weird things that show you're getting older

"Not recognizing most of the guests on late night talk shows or SNL."

Saturday Night Live/Youtube

Growing older is a privilege…right?

Ah…aging. It sure sneaks up on you. You go about your life enjoying all the perks of adulthood—the self awareness, the autonomy, the ability to have chocolate cake for breakfast without anyone telling you “no.” Then one day you wake up and suddenly…something aches. And it never goes away, ever again.

But besides the creaking joints and wrinkles, there are also, apparently, other signs of getting older that aren’t so obvious.

Recently someone asked folks on Reddit “what’s something that really shows your age?” and while some mentioned common aging tropes like frequent urges to pee and grunting while standing, many contributed some surprising answers as well.

Scroll below for 17 of our favorites:

1. “Not recognizing most of the guests on late night talk shows or SNL. Maybe have heard the names but no idea what they do”.—Curious_Kangaroo_845

2. “I was born in a country that doesn't exist anymore.” —Cutiesposter

3. “I discover a great new band I've never heard of but when I Google them I learn that they won like 10 Grammys and had a no. 1 album ten years ago.”


via GIPHY

—GoKartMarlys

Similarly CheeryChiffon02 wrote:

“Every time a band posts on socials that their big single was released 20 years ago, and I realize that I was rocking that shit in high school.”

4. “Having a favorite burner on the stove.” —AlwaysSalamander

5. "According to my 24 year old friend- holding things up in clothes shops and saying I had one of these in the 90s. I did, though. Half that kid’s wardrobe is things I could have saved her money on if I’d kept all my teenage clothes."


via GIPHY

-MrsCosmopilite

6. “I put periods at the end of text messages.” —Stipes_Blue_Makeup

“I double space after periods :( “ admitted Zaziel

7. “I prefer a Desktop computer to a laptop. I do all important transactions on a big monitor (could be a laptop).” —CyberWarLike1984

8. “Apparently my wearing ankle/no show socks lets everyone know I’m old. I don’t understand how wearing crew socks halfway up your calf when it’s 90° outside is comfortable.”


via GIPHY

— ScottyToo9985

9. “I read the articles myself instead of watching a [TikTok] of someone talking about the article.” —Chairboy

10.“Want a hard copy ( recipes , invitation, menu…)” —B_true_to_self2020

11. “I attended a professional conference this spring and there was a 7 day pill organizer in the swag bag. Not only did I recognize a need for it and keep it, I got excited about it. Not only that, it was my favorite item from all the conference swag.” —dottmatrix

12. “I call people in their 20’s ‘kids.’” —Late-Republic2732

13. “Pointing to my wrist to ask someone for the time.” —ZedsDe4dPool

14. “I have the ability to drive a stick shift and write in cursive.” —1robotgirlfriend

15. “Spending weekends at home chilling instead of partying.”


via GIPHY

—Exciting-Aside-356

16. “Whenever I see a building in my town, I tell people about what used to be on that same site.” —Juan_Calavera

And last but not least…

17. “Willingly go to bed at 9.” —loustone1955

Listen, if going to bed makes you old, then perhaps no one of really need to be young for long.

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