# Cup storage- up or down? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332 "2008-02-20T00:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/41 "2008-02-21T15:21:35Z")
Upside-down. Reasons: Asian lady beetles/box elder bugs and gravel road/cheap cabinets. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Thalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Northern\_Thalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Thalia)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/42 "2008-02-21T15:48:45Z")
Born and raised up side down kind of girl, recent convert to the up side right side of the fence. Apparently, if you have fancy glasses, like [Waterford](http://www.waterford.com/region.asp) they recommend that you store them up side right because the base of the glass is stronger than the top, and therefore less likely to break if putting your glasses away ever goes horribly awry. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/43 "2008-02-21T16:41:54Z")
Bottoms-up here. I live in a very dusty area. You condensation-fearin’ folk do realize that they make shelf liners that are kinda “ribbed” so that air can circulate through an upside-down glass, don’t ya? ---
**Author:** ![Paragod22510](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b5ac83/32.png) [@Paragod22510](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paragod22510)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/44 "2008-02-21T16:51:28Z")
I always place my drinking glasses rim down. Mugs, rim up. Wine glasses are rim up. I honestly have never given it any thought as one being better than the other. It’s the way my mother did it. And she was ALWAYS right. Just ask her. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2008, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/45 "2008-02-21T17:51:59Z")
Rim down. Because that’s how I’ve always done it, and never really given it much thought. I don’t expect I’ll change. I am not unduly worried about either the dust that might fall into the glasses were they rim up, or the dust that may touch the rims should they be rim down. I just don’t worry about germs and such very much. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/46 "2008-02-22T06:03:52Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] Upside down. We don’t worry about condensation because we don’t put them away until they’re, um, DRY. [/QUOTE] Well lat-ti-da, Miss Fancy-Pants. I bet you have hot water and doors to your cabinet too, don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/47 "2008-02-22T07:59:42Z")
I put glasses right side up and coffee mugs upside down. Why??? I have no idea. Perhaps it’s got something to do with the fact that I was born on the cusp of two horoscope signs? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/48 "2008-02-22T12:40:12Z")
I store mine top up. However years ago we had a contractor at work who kept a cup and a glass on his desk and for each he had a glass coaster that he sat on top of the cup and glass when not in use. I asked him why he did that and he said, “To prevent dust falling in them.” I must have looked puzzled because he added, “Once I found out that indoor dust is composed of dead skin cells, dust mite faeces and corpses and everyone’s clothing fibres I got creeped out and this is easier than obsessive cup washing.” “What an oddball,” I thought, but of course it turned out that he is right about the composition of dust. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/49 "2008-02-22T17:26:43Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] Well lat-ti-da, Miss Fancy-Pants. I bet you have hot water and doors to your cabinet too, don’t you? [/QUOTE] Well, I don’t want to brag or anything… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/50 "2008-02-23T01:58:45Z")
[QUOTE=don’t ask] However years ago we had a contractor at work who kept a cup and a glass on his desk and for each he had a glass coaster that he sat on top of the cup and glass when not in use. I asked him why he did that and he said, “To prevent dust falling in them.” [/QUOTE] You see this sometimes in Thailand at the fancier places. But I really noticed it in Indonesia; done a lot there. ---
**Author:** ![Pixilated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aeb1de/32.png) [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/51 "2008-02-23T02:12:55Z")
I used to store them open up when I lived at home with my Mom in Nebraska. Living on my own, and moving down South, I’ve gradually started putting them away upside down. I’d rather wipe the rims off if needed then find a dead bug or dust or whatever in one. Anyone ever see the the Dirty Jobs episode when they went into a trailer infected with roaches of many varieties? That just gives me the willies - and we dont even have roaches in our house! PS I usually store my pots&pans upside down as well… surprisingly, I dont do this with mixing bowls or plastic storage bowls. ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2008, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332/52 "2008-02-23T13:38:35Z")
[QUOTE=Pixilated] I used to store them open up when I lived at home with my Mom in Nebraska. Living on my own, and moving down South, I’ve gradually started putting them away upside down. I’d rather wipe the rims off if needed then find a dead bug or dust or whatever in one. Anyone ever see the the Dirty Jobs episode when they went into a trailer infected with roaches of many varieties? That just gives me the willies - and we dont even have roaches in our house! PS I usually store my pots&pans upside down as well… surprisingly, I dont do this with mixing bowls or plastic storage bowls. [/QUOTE] See, I was going to ask those who store them upside down if they store all their kitchen stuff (plates, bowls, pots, etc) upside down, because it would seem silly to freak out about stuff in your cups but not in everything. At least be consistent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cup-storage-up-or-down/438332.md?page=2)