If men are so good at spatial relationships...

[ladelfina]

..why can't they ever seem to load a dishwasher correctly?

 

[mathjak107]

for the same reason a pigmy cant play pro basketball . see men arent built right to load a dishwasher or push a broom. we dont have those wide hips for stability. men are more adapt with bigger biceps to holding a beer, pushing a remote for long hours , and keeping our little friend entertained.

hope that clears it up ha ha ha ha

 

[chinaco]

We play dumb. And it works.

All I had to do was wash the color cloths and whites on warm once. DW no longer expects me to wash them.

Yes, thats right... it is a tactic, stumbled upon by accident of course.

But dumb ole me can still change light bulbs, mow the grass, etc.

 

[mathjak107]

usually ill stand in the kitchen holding a quart of milk going HONEY, WHERE DOES THIS GO?

 

[Gumby]

Learned incompetence has saved many a man from domestic labor.

 

[Purron]

While we're on the subject, here are a couple of other things I noticed about men:
1. Inability to see the dirt they tracked in or the mess they made. "Geez, the place looks OK to me."
2. Propensity to return empty containers to the fridge. "It has a few molecules left in it."

 

[clifp]

..why can't they ever seem to load a dishwasher correctly?

Contrary to the numerous opinions on the internet... According to the GE engineer in charge of dishwasher design (a woman BTW) the best way to load to the cutlery rack is not with all of the fork or spoons point up and the knifes point down or vice versa. Instead the best way to load the cutlery is RANDOMLY, mixing spoon, forks and knifes together some pointed up some pointed down. She came to this conclusion after conducting several tens of thousands of dishwashing cycles and measuring the effectiveness.

I suspect that most men actually perform this task better than woman.

As for the rest of a dishwasher, I don't what is the right way.. but I am a believer in the chaos theory!

Its not what you don't know that will get you in trouble it is what you know that ain't so...

 

[Walt34]

It is DW who can't load a dishwasher correctly, she puts the spoons next to each other so they don't get cleaned, and puts bowls in the top rack. Grrrr!

I do not track dirt into the house. It just follows me and then falls off. It is an act of God and there's nothing I can do about it.

Dropping and breaking three plates when I was 12 meant I was never asked to wash dishes again. Sounds like a plan to me.

 

[Fireup2020]

They (men) really are different creatures! (Thank goodness on a side note!)

Not merely hairy women

 

[donheff]

Dishwashers, vacuuming, cleaning the counters - I do it all and DW always follows behind cleaning up my left over mess. My opinion is that it is simply different standards. When I lived alone my abode was always reasonably clean and uncluttered - just not up to women's standards. That doesn't make my standard bad - just different. Why is it that so many women expect us to change our standards to match theirs but never consider the opposite?

 

[Moemg]

When I lived alone my abode was always reasonably clean and uncluttered - just not up to women's standards. That doesn't make my standard bad - just different. Why is it that so many women expect us to change our standards to match theirs but never consider the opposite?

That is why in our house we have separate dens . His is a mess most of the time and I just ignore it . Mine is neat and clean and he ignores it . Works great !

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

loading isn't a problem. in fact if i didn't load it so well, i wouldn't be able to fit every dish in the house in there. it's getting the dishes back to the shelves that's the problem.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Speaking of cavemen, for reasons posted above, we settled on an inside-outside arrangement. Mostly she does the house and I do the yard/pool. She's scared of leaf blowers. She can't stand being near gasoline (it causes cancer and stinks if you get it on your hands). Weed trimmer: stains your ankles. Fill a tire with air? You kidding? You can take an eye out with that thing. I also got to be the one who picked up the dog poop.

All in all, it works out .

 

[freebird5825]

DH2B has his own method and will rearrange whatever i do. i just smile and wave...

poor freebird - denied the freedom of stacking her own dishes.

the dishwasher thing is our equivalent of the rolled up toothpaste or the bathroom TP over/under.

makes for very good laughs.

 

[samclem]

Dishwashers, vacuuming, cleaning the counters - I do it all and DW always follows behind cleaning up my left over mess.

DW used to starch and iron my uniform shirts when we were first married. She caught me doing some touch-ups to one she'd already ironed. That was the end of that.

LG4NB,
What is this talk of "putting the dishes away?" When I was single, my techniques was just to use them from the dishwasher. Stack the dirty ones neatly in the sink. I'd run out of clean stuff just about the time the sink was full, so then load everything in the dishwasher and start over. Worked great.
. . . Until company was coming over. "Quick, the girls are here! Pile all the dirty dishes into the oven!"

 

[Notmuchlonger]

..why can't they ever seem to load a dishwasher correctly?

I laughed! Yes I am a dish washing loading failure. However I try!

 

[Nords]

..why can't they ever seem to load a dishwasher correctly?

Learned incompetence has saved many a man from domestic labor.

Well, Ladelfina, I can predict who's gonna be in charge of dishwasher-loading in your house.

I made the same observation when I was a marriage rookie and ended up being CINCDish for over two decades. Today I've managed to get everyone to load their own dishes and spouse will even put in the detergent. Then she calls me for the extra 10% "dense pack" and I get to push the button.

The dishwasher is loaded correctly by whichever bill-payer loads it first.

I don't have to unload the dishwasher, either-- we have a teenager for that.

Worked great.
. . . Until company was coming over. "Quick, the girls are here! Pile all the dirty dishes into the oven!"

Worked like a charm for me too. The women I dated were highly unlikely to open oven doors in their own kitchens, let alone in mine...

 

[Khan]

Learned incompetence has saved many a man from domestic labor.

What if the woman involved is also incompetent at domestic labor?

 

[HFWR]

What if the woman involved is also incompetent at domestic labor?

Paper plates?

 

[W2R]

Paper plates?

Eating out!!

 

[haha]

Contrary to the numerous opinions on the internet... According to the GE engineer in charge of dishwasher design (a woman BTW) the best way to load to the cutlery rack is not with all of the fork or spoons point up and the knifes point down or vice versa. Instead the best way to load the cutlery is RANDOMLY, mixing spoon, forks and knifes together some pointed up some pointed down.

I don't have a dishwasher, but when I did the kinves always pointed down, and the other cutlery pointed up. Contrary to your engineer frined, this makes very good sense for anyone who 1) keeps her knives sharp, and 2) doesn't like cuts and puncture wounds on her fingers.
Ha

 

[Khan]

I don't have a dishwasher, but when I did the kinves always pointed down, and the other cutlery pointed up. Contrary to your engineer frined, this makes very good sense for anyone who 1) keeps her knives sharp, and 2) doesn't like cuts and puncture wounds on her fingers.
Ha

The cutlery rack in my dishwasher is in the door, and when the door is open (horizontal) I can lift the cutlery rack side/top and pick up by handles a bunch of knives that were washed point up.

 

[ladelfina]

While I embrace chinaco, Gumby, and mathjak's answers.. It's not a matter of willingness or sloth. It's literally not figuring out how to fit things in the most optimal way. It can take either the form of wacky overcrowding where stuff is completely blocked.. or saying "I can't fit this" and in 2 seconds I come over and make it fit.

Also with the fridge: there is "no room!" for a large platter until I come over and "make" room.

However, he is better at navigating while driving. But give him three things to put in the d/w and they will all end up in various nonsensical orientations.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

While I embrace chinaco, Gumby, and mathjak's answers.. It's not a matter of willingness or sloth. It's literally not figuring out how to fit things in the most optimal way. It can take either the form of wacky overcrowding where stuff is completely blocked.. or saying "I can't fit this" and in 2 seconds I come over and make it fit.

Also with the fridge: there is "no room!" for a large platter until I come over and "make" room.

Well some of us are not blessed with your abilities in life Keep up the good work.

 

[ladelfina]

notmuchlonger, thanks for the "compliment".. see my original post. I really am curious about this phenomenon which I've always noticed in just about every male I have ever met.

plus I was just trying to lighten up a bit.. take a break from Bear Stearns and the plunging dollar, ya know?