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If your house is anything like mine, a great amount of tension can be attributed to a single appliance – namely, the dishwasher.
Everyone has their own way of stacking which, quite honestly, can just piss everyone else right off. There are rinsers, non-rinsers, plastics in together, over-stackers. Everyone has an option, and no one’s willing to back down.
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But finally, a new study has determined once and for all the best way to stack the dishwasher. (Feel free to print this out and stick it to the fridge/wave it in people’s faces or leave it laying around in typical passive aggressive form.)
According to researchers at the University of Birmingham, the trick to dishwasher success (and harmonious households) lies in stacking the appliance using a circular motion, rather than in straight rows as most of us would currently do. (Post continues after gallery.)
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Allow us to explain, the way you place the dishes should follow the dishwasher’s rotating arms. The position of your crustiest plates is also important when stacking the dishwasher.
Dr Paul Perez-Mohendano, who led the study, says dishes with carbohydrate residue (hello spaghetti bolognese) should be closest to the centre where they’re get the biggest water blast.
Your plates with residue from meat or eggs can be stacked around the outer edges of your dishwasher, where the water blast isn’t as strong and detergents have a bit longer to do their thing.
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The study further recommends that dishwasher owners reject the advice offered in user manuals by manufacturers because often the supplied instructions neglect to consider symmetry and water projection which occurs during the wash cycle.
The study also called out those among us known as "over-stackers'" who try to cram every item into the one wash (husband, take note, please) and recognised that by not overloading the machine, we will almost immediately see an improvement in wash quality.
Related:Study says the recipe for a happy marriage is to have the world’s biggest, cheapest wedding.
So there you have it. The official word on how exactly we should be stacking the dishwasher. I think we can all look forward to much happier living conditions from now on.
Do you have ongoing dishwasher war in your house?
