Just realized I've been loading the dishwasher wrong for 15 years

My wife's aunt was over for Sunday dinner and saw me loading the dishwasher. She said "you know those little prongs on the top rack fold down for a reason, right?" I had no idea. I always just jammed tall glasses in between them and wondered why they never really got clean. She showed me how to fold them down to make room for bigger items. Felt like a complete fool. Been doing dishes wrong since I moved into my first apartment in 1999. Anyone else have a basic household thing that took way too long to figure out?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_roberts412d agoTop Commenter

Fold both rows of prongs down for big mixing bowls - total game changer.

richard_anderson12d ago

Funny you mention that because it clicked something for me. Most kitchen tools have these hidden tricks that nobody tells you about, like how you can use the flat side of a chef's knife to crush garlic instead of buying a special press. I've noticed it's the same with a lot of stuff around the house once you stop following the instructions and just experiment. Your mixing bowl trick is a perfect example of that whole idea using things the way they actually work instead of how they're advertised. Makes me wonder what else I'm missing because I never thought to try it.

the_nathan1d ago

Kinda like how @richard_anderson mentioned experimenting, I once ran my cast iron through the dishwasher before the internet told me that was a mortal sin.