This post is written in collaboration with Finish. All opinions are my own. The dirty dishes are my husband’s.
Beyond duvet hogging and dutch ovens, dirty dishes and dishwasher duties are the most contentious issues in our marriage.
I cannot stand how every morning, he leaves half eaten bowls of oats at the sink, only for them to turn into concrete by the end of the day.
It sends him crazy how after eating red chillies, I leave the remaining stems on my plate, leaving the dishwasher clogged with them after a cycle.
These are the post meal moments he regrets marrying an Indonesian girl with a steel gut and a penchant for all things spicy hot.
While these arguments always sound arbitrary when they arise, you know there’s a deeper message beyond dishes:
Compromise is the secret to a happy union.
Our old dishwasher died last year and let me tell you, there is no other kitchen white goods that can determine the grounds of a divorce.
It was a time when everything seemed to be falling apart in our kitchen, including the oven that almost burned down our house.
However, when it came to our new dishwasher, we set some stock standard guidelines:
- Rinse all dishes before throwing them in the dishwasher
- All knives to be placed downwards
- Non stick frying pans as well as special kitchen knives are to be washed in the sink
- Throw out all food scraps – including stubborn red chilli stems before throwing dishes in the dishwasher
- Use a reliable, powerful dishwashing tablets.
While our dishwashing rules aren’t consistently complied, we haven’t used any other dishwasher tablets other than Finish. Unlike other products, they don’t seem to leave behind gluggy lumps of residue after a cycle.
On a side note, how awesome does it feel when you first open your dishwasher and all that steam hits your face? Just like having a facial, is it not?
In 6 years of marriage, you can learn some big lessons about love, sacrifices and selflessness.
But it’s the mundane, minutiae of domestic life and dirty dishes that teach you the every day secrets of a happy union.
Tell me, what’s your domestic secret to a happy relationship? Is dishwashing a contentious issue in your home? Am I the only one that loves dishwasher steam?
Joining Essentially Jess for #IBOT
Trent pretty much never does the dishes so if he ever complains about the way Im washing something I throw it back in his face and tell him he can do them if he wants. It usually shuts him down. He also hardly ever loads the dishwasher O.o
Toni @ Finding Myself Young recently posted..Mummy Must Have Review | Sinchies reusable food pouches
Ha! I live alone, so I can’t blame anyone but myself. I hate dirty dishes so rinse and get stuff in the dishwasher as soon as possible. However… unstacking is another thing entirely. I’ve been known to buy a new baking tray as I’m too lazy to unstack my dishwasher!
Deborah recently posted..Anger and self forgiveness
Haha this is hilarious! I swear these things happen in every house! What drives me insane is when Dave puts his dishes in the sink instead of into the dishwasher… which is right next to it!!!
Lucy @ Bake Play Smile recently posted..Chicken and Vegetable Sausage Rolls
Ooops, I think I fail on every one of those things!! I put EVERYTHING in my dishwasher. Luckily Finish is so awesome :))
Robyn recently posted..Printing memories at home – Epson XP 860 review
Hubby vowed to cook, clean and slave after me many years ago and this includes the dishes. I was hoping for our 20th anniversary in November that we might have organised to sell our house in NSW and build over here and my gift to hubby would be a dishwasher. lol
Raych aka Mystery Case recently posted..Worth Casing Blog Spotlight | Zamamabakes
I might be a little OCD but I think not only should knives be put in facing down, but they go in the inner right compartment, forks in the left, teaspoons at the front, dessert spoons behind. Mind you I am the only one that packs the dishwasher this way, makes it so much easier when I unpack it! As I am the only one that ever unpacks it, hubster just doesn’t GET it … grrr!
Visiting from #teamIBOT x
Janet aka Middle Aged Mama recently posted..A Brush with Death
SNAP – I just said the other day to hubby that opening the dishwasher is like a facial. Meanwhile we’ve had ours since we built in 2006 and quite frankly it’s letting the team down, despite the fact we only have eyes for Finish!
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me recently posted..7 habits that healthy couples have – or do they?
Dirty dishes are the source of many grumps and groans of a morning in our household :/
Seriously, amen to Finish. I’m not normally one to wax lyrical about brands but I’ve found them so much better than that other options. The dishwasher in our new house is on the older side as well, so nothing else works anywhere near as well.
Hugzilla recently posted..What If Toddlers Had Their Own Version of the Paleo Diet…? Oh Wait. They Do.
We don’t have a dishwasher. I do have children though so that’s almost the same thing 😉
EssentiallyJess recently posted..The Mystery of Fishermans Paradise. A Choose Your Destiny Story
I would die without my dishwasher – ours broke and I tried valiantly to get a new one delivered the same day (can’t be done). I’m the only person that stacks and puts the dishwasher on, though it gets magically unstacked from time to time…
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