# Flatware: up or down in the dishwasher? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 14, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118 "2009-04-14T22:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/1 "2009-04-14T22:09:32Z")
You know, growing up my Mom always told me to put them “up” because they get cleaner. Now as an adult I question if this is true. Despite all that I still put them up. Even tho’ I’ve managed to poke myself about a gazillion times trying to get the knives out. Yeah, I know I’m clumsy. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/2 "2009-04-14T22:19:47Z")
This is actually a real bone of contention at our house. I say it’s dangerous to have them points up and my husband doesn’t give a rat’s ass and is apparently trying to kill me. If one doesn’t come out clean toss it back in to run through again - what’s the big deal? Snopes has accumulated several accounts of dishwasher-related deaths for you to enjoy: [Child Falls on Knife in Dishwasher | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/dishwasher.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/3 "2009-04-14T22:31:38Z")
I posit that any possible miniscule gain in cleanliness by putting the items in with the pointy bits up is massively outweighed by the frequency of significant injury from said pointy bits. QtM, who has sewn up plenty of lacerations and treated multiple puncture wounds (some infected) arising from things left with their pointy bits up in the dishwasher and dishdrain. But doesn’t recall seeing anyone who was sickened by flatware inadequately cleaned by being placed “wrong” in the dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/4 "2009-04-14T22:32:34Z")
I’d suggest that whoever loads the washer gets to choose . . . and to unload. That way they’re only endangering themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/5 "2009-04-14T22:35:25Z")
I tripped over my open dishwasher in the dark and ended up falling right on the silverware basket - landed directly on my ribcage. My mom always taught me to turn all the cutlery pointy side down. I was living alone at the time, I imagine I wouldn’t be typing this story now if I made a habit of turning the knives pointy side up. It is the only time I’ve ever tripped over the dishwasher, but I consider it a significant lesson learned. I was bruised and banged up, but just fine - and more in awe of my mother’s wisdom than ever! YMMV ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/6 "2009-04-14T22:45:58Z")
Another reason for pinty side down - that way when you grab them you do so by the handle and keep the end that goes into your mouth untouched. Brian (hand washes - but did spend two summers as a professional dishwasher) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/7 "2009-04-14T22:53:00Z")
Maybe I’m an oddball, but I do spoons and forks “up,” while the knives are all “down.” ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/8 "2009-04-14T23:25:48Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Maybe I’m an oddball, but I do spoons and forks “up,” while the knives are all “down.” This is what I recommend. Water spots are influenced by gravity and tend to appear on the part that’s down. They’re usually not noticed when on the handles. This, of course, is trumped by the safety factor when it comes to knives. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/9 "2009-04-15T00:22:28Z")
Knife-point-up is just plain dumb. I’ll put spoons and forks in whatever direction they were pointing when I picked them up, but KNIVES? Uh, down, always. Duh. **voguevixen** , you can tell your husband that a completely anonymous stranger on a message board agrees with you and thinks he gets dishwasher duty alone until he figures it out!😃 ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/10 "2009-04-15T00:29:47Z")
All in all, it seems the lesson here is sharp objects pointed downward (to me, that would include forks - they stab into our meat, so there would be no problem stabbing through us) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/11 "2009-04-15T00:49:32Z")
**EpicNonsense** has it in one. (Another emergency room trip-and-fall accident. Minor, but very unsettling.) [![](https://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ](https://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/12 "2009-04-15T00:49:42Z")
Knives need to point down for aforementioned reasons, but other than that, each little holder should have a mix of cutlery that’s pointed upward or downward to keep it from “nesting”. Eww, after seeing the above picture, lets keep the forks pointing downward too. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/13 "2009-04-15T00:52:40Z")
Knives go down in our dishwasher. Especially after I read the story (true story, forgot where I read it) about somebody whose cat jumped off the counter and landed on an upward-pointing knife. I’ll spare you the details (I’m sure you can fill them in) and happily the cat survived the experience, but it still makes me shudder when I think of it, since we have 5 and a couple of them are fascinated by the dishwasher. We’d put the forks down too, except the little basket where silverware goes has slots in it, and the slots are too big for forks or spoons. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/14 "2009-04-15T00:56:07Z")
Neither. They are flat. We have a Miele dishwasher that has 3 racks. I’d never go back to any other kind. [http://www.miele.com/usa/dishwashers/product.asp?cat=2&model=491&series=118&nav=20&snav=70&tnav=73&oT=125](http://www.miele.com/usa/dishwashers/product.asp?cat=2&model=491&series=118&nav=20&snav=70&tnav=73&oT=125) ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/15 "2009-04-15T00:57:56Z")
When I lived in a place with a dishwasher, knives and forks were always points down, spoons were heads up. And because I unloaded the dishwasher, I got to make the rules. Of course, now that I am the dishwasher, anything that goes into the dishrack still goes points down. It’s just good sense. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/16 "2009-04-15T02:03:04Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Neither. They are flat. We have a Miele dishwasher that has 3 racks. I’d never go back to any other kind. > > [http://www.miele.com/usa/dishwashers/product.asp?cat=2&model=491&series=118&nav=20&snav=70&tnav=73&oT=125](http://www.miele.com/usa/dishwashers/product.asp?cat=2&model=491&series=118&nav=20&snav=70&tnav=73&oT=125) Brilliant! I want one. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/17 "2009-04-15T02:36:30Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Another reason for pinty side down - that way when you grab them you do so by the handle and keep the end that goes into your mouth untouched. This is how my Grandma Bodoni taught me, and the explanation she gave me as well. **Qadgop’s** reasoning makes sense to me, too, as I am almost terminally clumsy, and it’s getting worse. More than likely, I would have cut myself on a pointy bit long ago had I been in the habit of loading knives and such pointy end up. ---
**Author:** ![Tortuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@Tortuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tortuga)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/18 "2009-04-15T07:50:26Z")
> [@voguevixen](#): > > **EpicNonsense** has it in one. > > (Another emergency room trip-and-fall accident. Minor, but very unsettling.) > [http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2eqaz6e&s=5](http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2eqaz6e&s=5) Is that picture real? How on earth are that kid and his mom not drenched in blood? Wouldn’t an injury like that be a complete gusher? ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/19 "2009-04-15T08:40:06Z")
Today I learned that flatware means cutlery! I have my cutlery poking both ways. I like to live dangerously. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2009, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118/20 "2009-04-15T09:05:59Z")
Spoons, forks, dinner knives up; paring and steak knives and skewers down. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatware-up-or-down-in-the-dishwasher/493118.md?page=2)