Standard Operating Procedures

February 15, 2008 | Filed in: Happy Homemaking, Quirky Me, haiku friday

I am curious
Dishwasher, laundry, TeePee
How do you do it?

(Sorry I think that haiku qualifies as the LAMEST one ever!) (Do I get a trophy for how terrible it is?)

I have some very pressing questions I’d like to ask. You know me, always tackling those controversial issues head on. Or not.

This is what I want to know…

1. When you load the dishwasher with silverware, do you put them in so that the handles go up or down?

For me, I prefer the handles to be up. This way when I go to unload the dishwasher, I’m not touching the part of the utensil that you eat off of, therefore it’s more sanitary. And me being a food safety freak, this makes it the RIGHT way.

As if one controversial issue wasn’t enough for today, here’s another one…

2. When doing laundry, do you start the water and add the detergent before or after you put the clothes in?

I put the clothes in THEN I start the water and add the detergent. It’s how I’ve always done it, even when it drove my roommate in college berserk when she saw how I did laundry. This is probably not the right way, and I haven’t ever read a washing machine’s owner manual to find out the proper procedure since I DO have a life.

And last, but certainly not least…something you could get really pissed about (pun intended)…

3. Toilet paper…over or under??

I could be tinkling at Oprah Winfrey herself’s house and if the toilet paper was coming from the underside of the roll, I’d be compelled to flip the roll around to fix it and make it RIGHT. Toilet paper MUST be dispensed over the roll.

*Clap, clap* Settle down now everyone. Settle down. Don’t everyone talk at once, there is a space for each of you to leave your dissenting opinions in the comments section.

No cat fights or name calling. Keep it clean, please.

I go berserk the other way on the laundry issue. My in-laws put in the water first, which I find so very annoying. I can NOT put my clothes in without getting a little wet. Just spent 6 1/2 weeks with them…luckily in Aruba our washer is outside so they didn’t hear me bitch every time. She thought she was being helpful starting the washer for me…aghh!

I have a front loader at home in NH. LOVE IT. Saves water. Makes it completely impossible to fill first :):):)

Toilet paper = over…at least that is what hotels do and I’d assume they do it the “correct” way.

I get your dishwasher challenge. We put our forks and spoons up and our knives down. It may be less sanitary while you’re unloading, but it’s the only way that my dishwasher gets my utensils clean. I end up with crud in my forks otherwise.

Great questions
MommyCosm’s last blog post..Haiku Friday: Snip, Snip. Happy V-Day

1. Handles up - I’m with you on hygiene!

2. I have to add the soap first now. We have a tiny German front-loading washer and you have to add the soap before you close the door and start it. Otherwise, I actually have no opinion either way on this one.

3. Toilet paper must be OVER. Although, right now toilet paper sits on the window sill because we have a toddler whose favorite activity is to unroll entire rolls of toilet paper and can undo any mechanism designed to stop her. Placing it on the window sill above our heads is, while annoying to guests, the only solution we have.

handles up
water and soap first…unless i forget!
toilet paper over…otherwise, it always gets stuck!

Toilet paper under, always.

Start water, add detergent, then add clothes.

And handles, usually up because I just don’t think they would get as clean. However, knives always go down for safety reasons.

Irene’s last blog post..Me and My Valentines

Im going to try MommyCosm’s idea of forks up knives down see if the crud gets off. Im usually a down girl or if the oldest is doing it however he puts it in.

Water-detergent- clothes. For some reason my philosopy is the soap wont get as sudsy with it soaked into the clothes and possibly wont rinse out as well. Since I use liquid detergent and it’s like a solvent it needs water to activate. I probably have no clue what I’m saying but gosh darn it sounds all ass vicey for 630 in the morning.

TP has never bothered me either way but over seems more accessible.

Jean’s last blog post..I Think Cupid Threw Up A LIttle

1. Handles up.

2. Clothes, detergent, water. Probably the wrong way, but also the fastest.

3. Usually under. Don’t hate me!

Maggie’s last blog post..Theme Thursday - Pure

Handles Up
Water, detergent, then clothes
Over! Definitely Over!!

dude, I waited for you. I ended up drinking your margarita, too. The chips and salsa were awesome.

Rachel’s last blog post..Cupid: Angel or Demon

Totally forgot about Haiku Friday today!!!! Gah.

1. Handles up. I don’t want to cut myself on the knives.
2. Laundry in, detergent & fabric softener in, close lid, begin water cycle. (It’s my new washer…I used to start the water first but now I can’t because the water won’t start with the top open.)
3. UNDER always. I’ll come to your house and change it if it’s the other way.

Happy Friday.

~JJ!’s last blog post..Ah, go frisk yourself! (Forgot about the Haiku)

1- Handles up.
2- Detergent then clothes.
3- Over (Oprah is right dude).

Ahh, all the world’s problems solved in one blog post!
MamaGeek’s last blog post..Haiku - Happy, Sappy 1.5

1. agree

2. disagree - but totally don’t care as long as laundry is getting done

3. totally agree - especially in the middle of the night when peeing for the 647th time when I’m pregnant. but I love my husband so … fine, I’ll live with it.

Dawn’s last blog post..Haiku roadtrip

I put mu utensil handles down-only because I can fit more this way and I cram my dishwasher full the way I cram my washing machine!

I put my detergent in first then turn the water on then load as many clothes as I possibly can in the machine.

Toilet paper has to roll off the top-no exceptions!

I’m changing my blog address to:
http://www.homeswethomealabama.blogspot.com

Lisa’s last blog post..I’m Moving, Sort of

1.Handles down, except for knives, so that soapy water can hit utensil heads without any obstruction.
2.Start water, add detergent, then add clothes.
3.My husband’s an under, I’m an over. Soooooo, under in the master bath, over in the guest/main bath.
(4. Just another note to let you know that next Tuesday I will be dining on the fine cuisine that is Mexican Villa. Burrito Enchilada Style here I come!!!!)

Your haiku made me laugh! It was cute.
Let’s see…
I am handles down except for sharp objects, then up.
Laundry first, then detergent.
T.P. over, unless it’s been pulled off the tube by the baby, then it’s bunched into a ball.

Scylla’s last blog post..Haiku Friday…

1 - handles up - but hubby does handles down
2 - have a front loading washer so clothes MUST go in first.
3 - I used to not care, but hubby always does over and now I do too.Oh and I totally dare you to go to Oprah’s house and change her toilet paper roll!!! Double Dog Dare You!

wright’s last blog post..Haiku Friday - For Whom The Bell Tolls

Handles UP- I tend to fork myself and knife myself a lot, plus its GROSS to touch someones utensils. Ick.

I have a washer that dispenses detergent by itself. When I had the other kind of washer I dont remember. I swear I didn’t know I head a laundry room until my husband found it by accident one day.

OVER the roll- over. Over achiever. It gives me hives when it’s under. Pass the calamine.

The Milk Maid’s last blog post..Milk Maid’s Friday Mish-Mash

No dishwasher, but when I had one I did handles down. I grab utensils by their “necks” so I don’t touch the part you eat with–but I don’t care about that, anyway. It’s not like I’m dripping in toxic germs that will live forever on metal.

Laundry soap: before. That makes the detergent dissolve evenly into the water. Otherwise you’re pouring it onto some clothes and it soaks into those clothes, then has to get rinsed out of those clothes (not easy: if you’ve ever spilled liquid detergent on your clothes accidentally, it’s like HONEY) before it can get to the other clothes.

Toilet paper: over.

Swistle’s last blog post..What I Did During Naptime

1. Silverware - eating side UP, because food gets caught in the tines of the the fork when they face down!! Spoons up because…well, because they shouldn’t be lonely. Knives DOWN because…well, who the hell wants to cut their hands to bits?

2. I put the soap in first…unless I happen to be spacing that day…and accidentally put the laundry in first. I don’t have a freakout about it if it’s done wrong…but in my case the laundry soap often gets stuck to the clothes if I do it backwards. But I have a crappy washer right now

3. TP OVER!! No if’s and’s or but’s!!

*G*

Sadie’s last blog post..Thursday Thirteen #3

Handles Up
Water, then soap, then wait a bit for that to swish around before adding clothes
Over the top - ALWAYS

Shelly’s last blog post..Random

~Forks and spoons up, knives down (This is how mom made us do it! But when I’m putting them away I don’t really touch the eating part of the silverware.)
~No preference on toliet paper. Sometimes I’m lucky if the roomies put it back on the roll holder.
~Laundry? If I take it to mom’s the magic laundry fairy does it for me so I don’t know. If I’m doing it, I put the soap in, turn the water on and let some water mix around with the soap then start loading. (I spent a lot of time under black light at a former job and doing it this way prevented the “laundry soap splash” marks.)

CourtneyRyan369’s last blog post..Happy Pitchers and Catchers Day!

Handles DOWN so the part you eat off gets super duper clean.

Water in, then soap.

Toilet paper–as long as it’s on the thingie-mabob, I don’t care.

Sister Honey Bunch’s last blog post..Fight The Frump: Beauty in Aisle Ten

handles down…only way to get the stuff clean
water and soap first, but I don’t wait for it to fill…
and I might be the only person in the country who feels this way, but I actually have no tp preference. go figure.

melissa’s last blog post..Friday Haiku 2/15/08

Utensils-handles up.
Laundry-water and detergent first. Then clothes.
TP-under!

I’m not disagreeing with anyone here, I just want to clarify that when I wash my silverware with the handles up, it still get clean!

I’m most shocked that several of you prefer the TP under! Really! Verrrrry interesting.

I really like your reasoning for water, soap THEN laundry! I may try this! I *might* be able to scrounge up some laundry to try it on today.

1) Handles up - always. Not sure why. I don’t think I ever thought about it like you as being more sanitary, though it IS. You’re right! And they always do get clean, it’s just that it’s the way I’ve always done it! Growing up, we didn’t have a dishwasher. Everything was by hand. So, when I got married and got a dishwasher, my husband had to show me how to load it, and that’s how he showed me. Although his mom does it the exact opposite way. His defiance is my routine. ha ha!

2)I ALWAYS put a bit of water in with the detergent first, and let it swish a little bit. I agree that it makes it get a bit sudsy first, and it seems that the clothes get stains of blue on them when I don’t do it that way. But I do put the clothes in pretty soon after I start the water. I remember that my dad told me that there is a sensor that fills the water as much as needed to compensate for the clohtes. If you wait until the water is full, then it’s used that much extra water that probably wasn’t necessary.

3) I am soooo with you on the toilet paper. OVER. ALWAYS! And, since I’m the only one who EVER changes the toilet paper in this house, that is the way that every bathroom is - and always will be - forever and ever - amen.

1. Handles up! Definitely. I’m with you on the cleanliness of this one. Besides, otherwise I’d stab myself with a spoon or something.

2. I dump the clothes in, pour the detergeant on top and start the water. I also live in an apartment without hookups so I have to use the community laundry room. Dude I don’t have TIME to sit and wait for those things to fill up. You’re lucky if I actually seperate clothes other than a basic routine of “this is kinda dark, this is kinda light…oh this is a towel”.

3. I don’t care about the TP. I know…the horror! I’m just happy if there’s not an empty roll there.

Indygirl’s last blog post..Envy me

Supposed to be water and soap, then laundry. I’m usually in a hurry and all three go in at once.

TP from OVER, clearly. And my maid (do not throw things at me for having a maid / she’s not there every day and I have to CLEAN before she comes to clean) my maid folds the top square into a little triangle. That’s why I keep her even though she’s expensive.

And about that oldies station (I tried several times to comment on that most disturbing post but your site wouldn’t load for me — argh!) Soft Cell? Pet Shop Boys? on Oldies???

I’m off to my rocking chair…

amy’s last blog post..My Funny Valentine

1. my silverware rack in my dishwasher takes forks/spoons handle down and knives handles up. I too think about the cleanliness of the “unload”, but as long as no one is coughing as the empty it, i just let it be.

2. I have a front loading washing machine now so I don’t get to choose when the detergent goes in. Although, my previous washer was an upright and I always put clothes in, let the water fill up a bit then dumped in the detergent.

3. whichever way it gets on there is just fine with me. When my mom visits, she always turns the TP so the paper is coming over the top. she’s anal like that.

1 - I prefer eating part down, but sometimes they just go in willy nilly.

2 - I do clothes, turn on water and add soap at the same time. Sometimes I turn on the water, add clothes and then soap.
I think you’re supposed to wait for it to fill up with water before you add soap but who has time to wait for that!?

3 - TP goes over the top. Period.

Devan’s last blog post..E-F-F-O-R-T spells love.

I ditto all of your things except tp, which I just stick on the holder & don’t care either way. Silverware handles up for me. My new washer works differently, so I put the clothes in & the detergent dispenses on its own.

Anglophile Football Fanatic’s last blog post..Hai-kachoo! Oh, Paul-en?!

Handles up on the sliver ware and I also don’t like to put two forks or spoons in the same area so that don’t ’spoon’ each other and not get clean. Hubs puts sliver ware in all willy nilly and it drives me crazy.

I have a front load washer and I believe it is impossible to start the water before putting the clothes in.

I have to have the toilet paper going over. I hate when it is under and husband loves for it to be under so I let him have it that way in his own bathroom that I do not use. I also fold the little triangle for myself because I like it.

Also…I’m not pregnant. Just very late!
Connie’s last blog post..Pork and Tomatillo Stew

Silverware-mixed, as this way the spoons don’t “spoon” as much. And I also separate them by type, because I’m crazy. Spoons can’t spoon if you put them with knives, but I can’t do it.

Laundry-start water, add detergent so it mixes some, and then clothes while the water is filling.

TP-under, because we had cats and they cannot unravel an entire roll if it’s under, but oh, the disaster if it’s over.

all things bd’s last blog post..Happy Valentine’s Day!

Silverware - handles up, no particular reason, but I bet I’d get more in there if I put them handles down. But that’s just the kind of mess it would make. I have 2 kids who regularly use forks and spoons and then PUT THEM BACK so I don’t have a sanitary leg to stand on.

Laundry - I used to put the soap in first, then turn the water on, then put the clothes in, but who the hell has time for that? Now I put the clothes in, sometimes the night before, then I turn it on and pour the soap over the clothes.

TP - mostly over, but the upstairs master bath I put it under because the roll is so close to my body it’s actually easier to get it off that way. So I really don’t care, to be honest. My husband has no idea that you can make it go over/under, and if he puts it on, that’s a miracle in itself. If it bugged me I’d switch it while I was sitting there. Gives me something to do besides read shampoo labels.

jen’s last blog post..T was outsmarted by a dog

1. Handles down - it seems to get cleaner that way.

2. I use that liquid soap where you throw the whole cup in with the laundry. So I throw the cup into the bottom of the washer first, then put in the clothes, then turn it on. Not sure if this is a good way to do it, but I’ve never claimed to be domestically gifted.

3. Shockingly, I don’t care. Sometimes over, sometimes under. Apparently there are some things we actually don’t have in common!
andi’s last blog post..Valentine’s schmalentines

Dishwasher:

Utensils: facing up, except knives, which of course go down. Although I occasionally get an irrational fear of losing my balance and falling on the forks as well and poking holes in my hands, so then I’ll put them pointing down for a while until I get over it.

Laundry: If I’m using liquid detergent, then clothes go in first and then detergent and water. Unfortunately, we have powdered detergent at my parents house (where we are now) and if you put in last, then you end up rewashing the clothes because they still have powder all over them. UGH. So, with powdered detergent, it’s water and soap first, then clothes. I should mention that trying to sneak my clothes in without shoving bubbles up and out of the washer makes me insane (as if that were the only thing that made me insane) so I try to get the clothes in before the thing is completely full.

TP: I prefer it over the top, and I HAVE gone into other peoples bathrooms and changed it, but lately I’m doing good if it gets in the roll at all, so I don’t stress it.

I’m really glad that I’m not the only one who thinks of things like this.

Sorry if this posts twice, my puter is not behaving today.

TP: I prefer it over the top, and I HAVE gone into other peoples bathrooms and changed it, but lately I’m doing good if it gets in the roll at all, so I don’t stress it.

I’m really glad that I’m not the only one who thinks of things like this.

Swistle has the moral authority on laundry, dude. Water, detergent, clothes.

Henny Penny’s last blog post..Another Auction

1. I alternate the silverware so that they do not rest or “spoon” inside each other, thus getting each piece clean. I empty the dishwasher with clean hands so I don’t worry as much about the sanitary issues at that point. Plus, my kids set the table which would ultimately veto any attempt I had made beforehand to keep the ends of the silverware clean.

2. I start the water, then add the soap, I give it a minute or so for the soap to be taken into the water and dissolved a little and then I add the clothes. My mom does it the way you do it and her clothes have always been clean. I’ve had problems with the soap not getting enough water and finding pockets of it in the clothes after washing with that method though.

3. I feel the same way!

My question is…. how do you motivate yourself to do these things???

IIII IIII
IIII IIII
IIII * IIII
IIII * * IIII
IIII * IIII
IIII IIII
IIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIII
IIIII
IIIIIII
III***III
IIIIIIIIIIIIIII
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

A trophy for you, not for a lame haiku but for asking the IMPORTANT questions. By the way, my laundry is sitting in the machine ALL wet with no one to put it in the dryer. I don’t know how to find the time to do it all. ; )

That trophy looked different in the comment section!

1. Handles down. The silverware gets cleaner!
2. Clothes first, then detergent (I have a front loader)
3. TP always over the roll! I’ve been known to fix it in other people’s houses if it’s “wrong”.

In the Trenches of Mommyhood’s last blog post..Happy Valentimes Day

When I read the manual to my NEW dishwasher (the apartment was totally renovated right before we moved in! No more dirty stuff from someone else! LOL) it said to put the SPOONS alternating up and down otherwise they will nest and not get as clean. I put them all bowl up as I have a little thing for bottle nipples with slots…and I can keep then separated with that thing to get clean. Everything else goes point down for no other reason than if my son runs in there he won’t impale himself of a knife or fork if he accidentally falls on the basket.

I put the soap in, then the clothes, then the water. If you put the soap at the top it may not make it to the bottom if you have a heavy load and only clean what is on top. If it is on the bottom when you start the way the agitator works it will work all the soap to the top and get all the clothes clean…not just the top. This is especially true if you use the powder…ever had a clump of soap powder in your laundry? This is why.

As for the toilet paper…it depends on if there are cats in the house. No cats…doesn’t matter. Cats…under…they are less likely to claw at the roll and pull all the paper off.

Sandy’s last blog post..On Valentine’s Day

I agree with handles up on the dishwasher and I do my laundry the apparently wrong way, too. Clothes, soap and then the water. I’m good at getting stains out so I must be doing something right.

I honestly don’t care about the toilet paper. Once, my ex went on a fifteen minute tirade on how I’d done it “wrong” (and then it was fifteen minutes for my bad mopping skills, etc.). So now I refuse to pay attention. I think Hubby switches them to over a lot, but he never complains so I still don’t pay attention.

Jerseygirl89’s last blog post..Happy Valentine’s Day

1. Handles definately up…I don’t like grabbing the part we eat off of either and much safter that way with knives. Don’t want to bleed all over the clean silverware!
2. When we had a top loader I did water, detergent, then clothes. But with the front loader it’s all separate. So I do clothes, close the door and then add the detergent to the little dealy at the top.
3. OVER! It drives me bonkers when my dh puts it under….I always change it when it’s like that.

Carrie’s last blog post..Quality Brother Time

Handles up! Totally - no germy hands on the eating parts!

Jen M’s last blog post..Bliss

1. handles up, because of hygiene and my sister got a fork in the back when she fell onto the open dishwasher and my mom did not load with the handles up.

2. Load laundry, turn on water…add detergent.

3. As long as they change the empty roll, I am happy around here.

Penelope Anne’s last blog post..Saying goodbye to a dream

IF I had a dishwasher I’d put the handles down, because I despise trying to pry the forks out of the little tiny squares after they get good and wedged in.

Laundry, I wouldn’t remember to come back in and put the clothes in after the washer had filled up - it would just run through its cycle empty. I am not one to stand around and wait for it so I just put the clothes in, soap and then turn it all on. I use liquid soap, my mother used to use the powdered, which it was much more likely that you’d have soap marks with powdered if you threw it on top of the clothing.

TP, never noticed which way to put it. I just throw it on there. Right now it is under.

Mama DB’s last blog post..The Perfect Photo: A haiku

1. handles up.

2. I have a front-loading washer, so I guess I put the clothes in first too.

3. Over! Always over!!

the dragonfly’s last blog post..my funny valentine

toilet paper MUST be over. or else it gets changed. even in other peoples’ homes.

ali’s last blog post..how ali celebrates

For as anal as I am about things, I finally gave up on the way I load the dishwasher. The kids (ages 3 and 4) put their own dishes in the dishwasher now. So the way they put them in is they way they stay.

Laundry soap: I put it in first, start the water, add some Biz, then throw in the clothes while the water fills up.

TP: You are doing it the RIGHT way! It hurts my nails to grab it the other way!

Happy weekend! When you move to your new digs?

tommie’s last blog post..The Romantics - Talking In Your Sleep

Handles go whatever way the kid puts them in. Dishes are Numero Uno ont he chore chart, and it is divine!

My Weekly review is in Ku this week!

Mr Lady’s last blog post..This week in Haiku

Handles down. If it hasn’t killed me by now, I don’t think I need to worry.

TP…OVER the roll. HATE under.

Clothes go in before I start the water. I stay drier that way.

Queen of Shake Shake’s last blog post..Line Dancing

Utensil side down, because it’s just more sanitary and also, because I’m not a fan of gorging my hands with knives and forks, every time I unload a dishwasher.

Um…I generally put the clothes in, then soap, then start the laudrey. Never knew there was a right way.

TP - Well honestly, I probably do it differently each time. So no idea.

Phoenix’s last blog post..Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends

I LOVE this!
Okay, handles down…that way the dirty water doesn’t run down the part you put your mouth on.

The other two are very good…we argue about this at my house ALL the time!

Clothes go in first, then detergent. Hubby always fills first, but then you can’t fit as much in…and isn’t that the goal..to cram as much in as possible to limit the number of loads!

If the TP is not OVER the roll, Hubby will have a fit and change it. Me? You are lucky there is a roll on there….so I put however it falls!

Val’s last blog post..And The Winner Is…………..

Hmm…What is so funny is that I started doing dishwasher loading with the handles up for the same reason but got TOTALLY freaked in a food science class I took and so I load them handles down now. I am very careful in the removal of them from the dishwasher.

Problem? Now that I have turned dishes over to my boys, they are NOT careful and so, we reversed. I’ll take my chances with the wash cycle, thanks! :S

I also USED to put in clothes, then soap, then laundry. But there was a problem. I HEART Tide with Bleach. Do you know what happens to your clothes if for some reason a slightly wet clump of tide with bleach gets caught in the folds of your clothing and doesn’t dissolve completely in the wash?

Your item of clothing looks like it should be on Haight-Asbury with a hemp necklace and bong saying “Groovy”.

After quite a few ruined articles of clothing, I just started doing it the other way. (I confess, I still have the instinct to do it your way though. Sigh.)

And?

I don’t have a preference with toilet paper. *GASP!* Just not anal enough (Hee.)

I guess if someone tied me down and threated to show me a Gunsmoke Marathon unless I picked, I would probably say “Over”, but again. Not something I get my knickers in a twist about (Double Hee!)

Loralee’s last blog post..Scenes from a mall, co-starring Matthew McConaughey

I put the knives handles up, just so no one gets hurt, but the rest are handles down. Cuz, you know, you couldn’t possibly get hurt by a 4 pronged fork, right?

I put the detergent and water in first, let it fill a bit and then add the clothes, unless the clothes were already in there because, ahem, they were washed 3 days ago and left in there.

Toliet paper always goes over!!!! And, I would be compelled to turn it too!

Rachel’s last blog post..Part V

OOPS! I meant to say “I used to put clothes, then soap, then WATER.”

Duh.

Loralee’s last blog post..Scenes from a mall, co-starring Matthew McConaughey

1. Not only do I put the handles up, when I load the dishwasher I put all the forks together, all the spoons together, etc., so that it’s really easy to put away.

2. Water, laundry liquid, then clothes. Otherwise, I get detergent bleach marks on my clothes.

3. Toilet paper over.

anne’s last blog post..Haiku Friday: Winter Blues

Okay, about the dishwasher…I definitely agree with those above who won’t put utensils together for fear of spooning! I thought I was the only one who ever thought of that. I am so OCD that I load the silverware one to a section and then start again, being careful not to put two spoons or two forks in the same section.

Issues? Who me?

Dishwasher: I always put my handles sticking up. My daughter’s always in the kitchen when I am torturing myself, I mean, doing things like unloading the dishwasher. I’m scared she’ll grab the blade or something. Or that I will. And, of course, I don’t allow my spoons exotic pleasures like spooning.
As for laundry, I put all of the clothes in the washer, and then, I add the water and detergent. I know no other way. It kills my mother. Allegedly, you aren’t supposed to do this. I say pish-tosh.
Lastly, no one (read: my husband) in our house ever puts the toilet paper back on the holder. They usually sit it somewhere vertically. So the real question here is do I like paper hanging to the right or the left? I’m not really picky about it. But when a it is on the roll, I like for it to hang over. I

amanda’s last blog post..Haiku Friday: Ode to Mommies of More Than One & Other.

1. Dishwasher - i used to put them up so they’d get clean but now I put them down so little hands don’t grab the messy/sharp ends.

2. I have a front loading washer so it has a place on top to pour the detergent. I do that first then toss the cup in with laundry so it gets all rinsed and clean as well. before the front loader though I think I just did it either way. Mostly clothes in first though I think.

3. I agree that the TP should go over however, when little hands get a hold of it that means the whole roll ends up on floor. Whereas if it is under it doesn’t unravel. So in my house now it is under but it is so very wrong.

ImpostorMom’s last blog post..Haiku Friday

1. Totally agree. For the same reasons. Because I’m a food safety freak too.

2. I use liquid detergent, which changes things, I think. See, because if I put the clothes in first and then put the liquid in, then the top garmet gets all the detergent and then I wonder if all the detergent will come out of that one garment when I wash it. So, I start the washer then add detergent and OxiClean (I love that stuff!) and then add the clothes after the washer is at least 1/3 full of water. To save time, I usually start the washer filling with water and then get the clothes ready - so when I come back with the basket, the washer is filling with water. Saves, like, 1 minute, but in 1 minute the kids can go from best friends to physical fight so that 1 minute is important.

3. Over. Because when you’re peeing in the middle of the night and the TP goes UNDER then you can’t always find the end and sometimes it’s because the end is on the floor from all the rolling. Gavin likes the TP to go under because he grew up with cats and apparently that’s the way to prevent the cats from playing with and unrolling the TP. But I grew up with cats too and never had cats who played with TP. And I’m the same way.

Shauna Loves Chocolate’s last blog post..My Life Is A Joke

I’m with you on the toilet paper - always always over. I change it if my husband does it wrong!

Detergent first, then clothes. I have a top loader with an agitator which I hate - I need to let the detergent dissolve so that we actually have some hope of the clothes coming out clean!

I intentionally mix my silverware handles up and down so that they all get clean, especially the spoons, which won’t get clean if the bowls of the spoons rest inside each other - hence the some up some down approach.

Annie’s last blog post..Valentine’s Slacker Mom

I didn’t read your comments in this regarding the spoons before I posted!

Annie’s last blog post..Valentine’s Slacker Mom

1. Utensils go in with handles inside, so the part that is dirty can get clean. Except sharp knives, they go sharp part in. I never thought about the fact that I was getting them dirty when I take them out!

2. Clothes, water, detergent. Sometimes the detergent right ON THE CLOTHES. Hey, I have a busy life! It seems to work fine.

3. Over, OF COURSE. I am always astonished that anyone would make it come out the bottom, where you have to hunt for it.

1. Handles UP. Especially for the sharp knives. I hate touching the part that is used to eat, and even more so when it is dirty. Geh.

2. Detergent, then clothes, then bleach into the bleach dispenser (as needed), fabric softener into the fabric softener dispenser, then water.

3. Meh - however the roll lands in the holder is how it goes. This is one I’m not picky about. An ex-boyfriend insisted that one of the ways was “wrong” (can’t remember which one it is now), so whenever I was in the bathroom at his house, I would swap it, just to mess with him.

Erin’s last blog post..He wants WHAT?!

i always put in clothes, start water, then add soap. i always use liquid soap. i think if you use powder, you need to let it disolve a little in the water before you add the clothes. that’s why i always use liquid soap.

we don’t have a dishwasher, but i think i was taught to put handles down, except for knives.

toilet paper, always under. my partner likes it over. we decided that whoever puts the new roll on gets to put it the way he or she wants it. it works nicely, and motivates one to change the roll instead of leaving it for the next person. however, i have occasionally put the roll on “his way,” as a gesture of affection.

just found your blog.
i’ll be back, i’m sure

cake’s last blog post..some/thing blue

Yeah Haiku Friday!

All right, Silverware- Sorry, but it’s handles down in our house

Laundry- Yes, laundry, water, then soap. I think it distributes it more evenly that way. Maybe I’m just mental.

And TP, I really have no preference, as long as it’s whole and hasn’t been shredded by the cats. lol.

Sarcasta-Mom’s last blog post..Haiku Friday

Handle down. Cleans the part with the food better.

Clothes, water, soap. Or maybe water, soap, clothes. The second happens when I finish one load and start another.

Toilet paper? I DONT CARE.

Are you gonna break up with me now? Please dont.

Miss’s last blog post..Happy Valentine’s Day. Or whatever.

Melody’s fear of falling on the forks is not totally irrational. Well, maybe the forks, but definitely not when it comes to knives. A couple years ago, a little girl was killed here in Kentucky while staying with her grandmother. She ran into the kitchen as the grandmother was loading the dishwasher, lost her balance, fell onto a point-up knife, and died.

That said, I put all the handles down, except for the all-stainless steak knives. Good knives never go in the dishwasher around here, so they’re not an issue.

Clothes, water, then liquid detergent after the machine fills a bit. Not the proper way, but as long as the two teenagers don’t cram the washer so full that clothes have no room to agitate, I’m a happy woman.

Toilet paper has to be over the top. My husband puts it on the holder the other way. I’ve tried to tolerate it, but just can’t.

1. I’m the dishwasher here, so this isn’t an issue.
2. I put in clothes first, then soap, then turn it on. UNLESS it’s powdered detergent, then it goes in first with a little water and I add the clothes as the water is running.
3.OVER, always over.

Mommy Daisy’s last blog post..Be mine?

1. handles down. I feel the forks and spoons have less of a chance laying into each other and therefore get more clean this way. I just wash my hands before I empty the dishes.
2. We have a HE washing machine. Which means I have no option but to load the clothes first, then add the soap to the side dispencer thingy, and then start it up.
3. OVER.

Cathy’s last blog post..Heavy Haiku

Handles up. (I got stabbed once really bad because I didn’t do it. Five stitches in the underside of my arm)

On the laundry it doesn’t matter to me. I just do it as fast as I possibly can.

Toilet paper–under. I have cats. I try not to help them spin the roll and shred the paper anymore than I have to.

Sleeping Mommy’s last blog post..Why I love him Wednesday…the father daughter thing.

Toilet paper? Definitely OVER. Diswasher? Handles down for me, but I know it’s supposed to be handles up. Old habits just die hard. I’m not too particular about laundry, but I always turn it on, put the detergent in, let it fill up for a while so my powdered detergent can dissolve, then throw my clothes in. I used to do it the other way when I used liquid detergent, and I can’t tell a difference in cleanliness or anything. I only do it this way with powdered detergent because I want to be sure it dissolves and doesn’t clump onto one article of clothing.

Devilish Southern Belle’s last blog post..Still sooo tired….

I don’t have a dishwasher, so no opinion there.

Front load washing machine, so I HAVE to put the detergent in before I shut the door and start the water.

Toilet paper under.

Veronica’s last blog post..I Can’t Cope Without A Nap!

Silverware - knives should point down (sharp knives), forks up, and spoons…well however they get put in by my seven year old son. LOL

Laundry - start the water, add the soap and fabric softener (in the downey ball), and add the clothes.

TP - it doesn’t get hung because the dog would just eat it…he’d say, “YUM! Giant marshmallow on a steek!”

AtomiK Kitten’s last blog post..Haiku Friday v. 1

1. We wash our silverware handles down because our dishwasher is crap, and the food collects at the bottom of the silverware holder *gag*

2. We turn it on so the tub starts to fill, and then add the soap. Less chance of getting soap colored stains that way. Plus, less build-up on the clothes

3. Over. It doesn’t dangle as much that way
Sarah’s last blog post..Writing in All Caps

1. Handles are up.
2. I have a newer front loading washing machine so i put it in during the fill up and after the clothes are already in. It actually goes in a nice compartment on the top of the machine.. I love my washing machine and dryer.
3. Either actually. I usually am too busy to even care anymore. /sigh

oh good LORD, girl. tp MUST go UNDER. it’s harder to tear when it goes over the roll….

janet’s last blog post..Haiku Friday: the barracuda dinner edition

Dude. I’m totally with you on all three. TP MUST be over. MUST.
Silverware MUST be handle up, but for a different reason. Because I’m afraid one day my kids will somehow fall down and IMPALE themselves on a fork or knife sticking UP out of the holder. Your reason sounds so much more sane, doesn’t it?
I, too start water & add detergent after I’ve loaded the clothes, although apparently this is the wrong way, according to the stickers on the door of my washer (I DON’T have a life).

AMomTwoBoys’s last blog post..A Dylan Update

Uh . .. drink more . .. clean less!

BlueBella’s last blog post..Happy LOVEY Day!

I put the utincil side up and grab it from the bottom as I pick them up. I feel like they get cleaner if they are facing up.

Laundry det. Well I have front load, so I just put it in the dispenser.

Toilet paper, I like it from the topit seems to roll off better that way.

Christy’s last blog post..Favorite Foto Friday #2 Sleeping angels

Have you been listening in on my fights with my husband (again)?

1. Pointy side down, for goodness sake. Not only is it cleaner, but I HATE GETTING POKED WITH THE STUPID KNIVES WHEN I EMPTY THE DISHWASHER. Ahem.

2. Soap first, then clothes. Otherwise, sometimes clothes get funny spots on them.

3. OVER. OVER. OVER. Under is simply not acceptable.

I’m with you on everything except the laundry. Unless I’m too lazy to put the armload of clothes down to start the washer and pick it up again. Then it goes in first.

Bren’s last blog post..Major Points For Monkeyman

1) Handles down, since the toddler likes to help unload she’s less likely to impale herself with them that way.

2) We have a front loader so clothes, then water, then detergent oh and the fabric softener too.

3) MUST! be over but I somehow got mixed into a family of ‘unders’(along with a few other annoying habits) so i’m the odd woman out.

Mackenzie’s Momma’s last blog post..Of course it is, a ruined lunch

Helloooooo out there! So glad somebody missed me, 3 kids has officially sunk my battleship…seriously Crazy! Your little girl is sooooo cute…are you going through a bit of night waking suddenly (since they are exactly the same age, thought i’d ask–don’t tell me if you’re not or I’ll hate you–JK :)? It’s almost as if i am back in the newborn stage at 9 months–ugh!
To answer this blog…I must say I always put my teeth in first, handles up, until my newest dishwasher which has tiny holes for handles down only—i agree though, it’s cleaner to only touch the handle!
Detergent–i have been burned with stains from putting detergent in last, so I now always put detergent in the water then add my clothes. Anywhoo! Hope you are well–always fun for a laugh when i get to readyour posts!
ed’s girl’s last blog post..Brooks’ dedicated…

Dishwasher: When we were in the CRAPPY apartment last year, we did everything “eating end” up, just because the dw was such a giant turd that it didn’t get them clean the other way. Now that our dw ROCKS, we point them down - and not just for the sanitary reason, but also b/c it is entirely possible to imbed a fork in your hand. Ask my mom. Just one little slip.

Laundry: I used to do it your way - that’s how my mom did it. Lately I start the water, throw in the detergent, then put in all the clothes while it’s still running. I can think of reasons why, but none of them are pressing enough to change one way or the other.

TP: It has to come from over. Or I will die.

Sarcastic Mom’s last blog post..16 Months

1. Handles up - I’m with you on the hygene thing.
2. Laundry in first, then water. Although lately I’ve noticed it gets done a lot faster if I start it first and let it fill while I Oxy Clean nearly every piece of my preschooler’s duds.
3. Honestly, this made me laugh. I never pay attention either way, but actually had a VERY JEALOUS boyfriend once long ago who claimed, if you can believe this craziness — guys put it on one way and women put it on the other. And the fact that he found my toilet paper coming out OVER the roll (or under, I can’t remember), must have been something that I’d learned from a stint living with a college boyfriend, and how much that bothered him, yadda … yadda … yadda.

Mommypie’s last blog post..Conversation With My Heart

I can not believe you have nearly 90 comments about toilet paper. I, for one, prefer my toilet paper to be OFF the little dispenser thing. In fact, when we remodeled our bathroom we did not put a dispenser in it. Our tp lives on the back of our toilet and its very happy there.

As for laundry, I start the water and detergent and start filling with clothes as it fills up with water. HOWEVER I do not EVER, no not EVER, separate darks from whites or whatever it is normal people do. It all goes in one. Yes. For real.

And, sadly, my dishwasher doesn’t work properly because we have hard water. So, I hand wash my dishes. But, I did used to do it the same as you.

Karly’s last blog post..They Are So Cute Until They Eat Your Eyeballs

If I had a trophy, you could have it because that was pretty bad (but fun!), handles up (of course), laundry just like you (of course), toilet paper OVER (of course) DUH! It’s the best way and I promise I have written worse haikus…

HRH’s last blog post..The grass is (getting) greener…

1. I try my best to put them handles up for the same reasons as you. Plus, I’m teaching my toddler to help with chores and I want him to learn sharp ends down. (with supervision of course)
2. It depends on what mood I’m in but I usually put the detergent in first, wait till I see suds and then start adding the clothes. After putting the clothing in then I add some of that white powder like Oxy Clean. This way, I figure I can have my cake and eat it too!
3. Oh HELL no! I’m with you. I don’t care where I’m at. If I’m at a place where it’s loaded with the paper under, I take the roll off and switch it. I’m evil. I can’t help myself! OCD perhaps?

TheMacMommy’s last blog post..de Composition

1. Silverware goes in any way. I could care less.
2. I have a front loader, so the soap has to go in the tray before starting her up.
3. Toilet paper rarely stays on the rack. Sacha pulls it off all.the.time.

Mrs. Mustard’s last blog post..I don’t need sex on Valentine’s Day: I’ve got Bernard

[...] Standard Operating Procedures [...]

Everyone else have given the good explanations, so I guess I’ll just add:

1. Handles up
2. Water & detergent, then clothing while it continues filling.
3. TP always comes over the top.

Christina’s last blog post..Sigh

Handles out, b/c it’s easier to put them away when they’re clean. And I’m all about easy. Sometimes, though, if something is really cruddy I put it handle down.

My silverware actually came with instructions NOT to put the same kind together, to mix it up, to get things clean and to prevent scratches on the silverware (not sure how that works, but I FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS!!).

I usually do what the machine tells me to do. See above re: instructions. Heh. My front loader says, clothes first, detergent on top, so that’s what I do.

TP goes OVER. For sure. I even let Little Man have at it when I *ahem* need to.

VDog’s last blog post..Haiku Friday Back Again

I put knives pointy side down, but otherwise I put handles down because then the eating-side is up and gets better water flow–meaning it gets cleaner.

Always put in the water AND soap and let the soap dissolve before adding clothing. No grainy soap residue that way.

TP over the top–it makes the little pictures right-side-up. My parents always did out from underneath cuz dad said that was the only way to tear it off one-handed…but Hubby likes over the top, and I never cared enough to argue it either way. Currently we have a toddler so the TP stands up on the back of the toilet anyway!!!!!!!!!!!

Mommy Bee’s last blog post..Finished the Stranded Hat!

1) You are obviously an intelligent woman, handles up and not just for sanitary reasons, but also because a) a child could trip and impale themselves on a knife or fork or b) you could cut yourself when unloading.

2) My faith in you is wavering. I hope you use liquid soap and for heaven’s sake start the water, add the soap then the clothes and all will be well.

3) You read my mind! TP always goes over and if someone mistakenly puts in under they must be corrected.

Marye’s last blog post..Who put the T in temptation?

Dishwasher- spoons handles up, forks prongs up because the prongs slip through the holes if they are down, butter knives handles up, steak knives dangerous with blades up for the same reason the forks prongs are up.

Washer- soap, then clothes, then water. Unless I am adding Clorox, then soap, Clorox, water and then clothes as the water is running but not full.

T.P. -I am just happy someone changed the dang roll!

Farmers Wife’s last blog post..Cazy Addict Lady Rambles On and On and On…

1. Whichever way the kids put them in. This is SO not my job.

2. Soap, clothes, water. Have to do it in the same order all of the time (soap, clothes, water) or I forget to put in soap. Haven’t forgotten clothes yet.

3. TP on the counter next to the toilet. Up, down it doesn’t matter, we have a toddler so it is much easier to just let it sit there.

Kori’s last blog post..Scrubbing Floors? NOT!

The way my dishwasher manual specifies (I’m such a geek!) - knives go handles up, everything else handles down.

I have a front loading washer, so clothes go in the tub and the door gets shut; detergent, softener, bleach goes in the proper compartment in the little drawer at the top; then push the start button. The washer decides when the detergent enters the tub, but it’s definitely after the water.

Always, always, always over the top. If my husband does it “wrong”, I have to fix it as soon as discover it.

Day late and dollar short here, but..

1. Handles up. Sanitary reasons aside; I wouldn’t want to get caught on the wrong end of a fork prong.

2. Start the washer, put the soap in, USUALLY wait for the water to fill, then put the clothes in. I don’t think it matters anymore with all the liquid detergents, but I know that it helped with dissolving the powdered stuff. Old habits.

3. Over, but only because my ex was a freak and traumatized me if I put the paper on wrong. I’m scarred for life I tell ya.

1. Handles up on knives and forks, spoon part up on spoons. The spoons take up too much room in the holder-thingy. Knives and forks go down so I don’t hurt myself.
2. Water, then soap, then clothes. If it’s really cold, sometimes I’ll dilute the soap in hot water before I pour it in, so I don’t get detergent spots on my clothes.
3. Over. Period.

Becki’s last blog post..Toofers!!!

[...] for another controversial post, don’t you think. It’s been awhile since we discussed toilet paper direction or coke and peanuts, so I felt like it was time to spice things up a bit around here…and [...]

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I'm Jennifer, Mom to Carson, 3, and Ella, 2. Wife and Bossaholic to Tate. My claim to fame is that I'm the #1 search result on Google for "kids pooping in pools!!." You can follow me on Twitter, see my stumbles at StumbleUpon, view my photos on Flickr, and contact me by email.

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2009 Booklist

The Given Day
Love in the Time of Cholera
Esther; It's Tough Being a Woman
~~Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?~~ I
~~Whitethorn Woods~~ B
~~The Five People You Meet in Heaven~~ A
~~Paula Spencer~~ B-
~~Digging to America~~ A
~~Rebecca~~ A-
~~The Friday Night Knitting Club~~ B
~~The Reader~~ B+
~~The Shack~~ B+
~~The Kite Runner~~ A
~~Three Junes~~ C-
~~Kitchen Confidential~~ A
~~A Cook's Tour~~ A
~~The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas~~ A
~~My Friend Leonard~~ A
~~Daisy Chain~~ F
~~The Gravedigger's Daughter~~ B-
~~A Girl Named Zippy~~ A-
~~Eat, Pray, Love~~ A
~~Water for Elephants~~ B+
~~The Book Thief~~ A++
~~The Poisonwood Bible~~ A+
~~The Hunger Games~~ A

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