Dishwasher - cutlery handles up or down

[Taytocrisps]

In light of the other cutlery thread......

I always put the cutlery into the dishwasher basket with the handle sticking up. Really annoys me when I'm empyting someone's dishwasher and the fork prongs dig into my hand. Also, I don't like handling the bits that people will be putting into their mouths.

What's your preference?

but don't the prongs stick through the bottom of the basket, they do with mine, so I have forks handles down, teaspoons handles up, knives handles up and spoons handles down (they don't clean right if they are spoon down in the basket!!)

It's probably quicker to wash up!!

Knives down everything else up.

Handles down for most things - I don't think the blades / tines / bowls get clean enough buried in the basket. Blade down handles up for sharp knives just in case someone trips & falls on them.

I don't handle the eating surfaces when I empty the basket either - sharp knives into the rack first, then everything else can be lifted out by the handle even if it's lower down.

Same as Jay, knives down everything else up.

Google dishwasher accidents and you'll start putting your knives down too.

Handles down, except for sharp knives and scissors.

Recently gave into anal retentive side by compartmentalising cutlery. All forks go into one compartment in cutlery rack, teaspoons in another etc. I have a 20mo who causes chaos every time he hears the dishwasher door open. This allows me to win the little 'emptying the dishwasher before you get to it' race we have every day

Handles down.

My basket has two lifting up bits so I can have all compartments or cover (one side/both sides) which have small arpertures for handles.
They can only go handles in first in the holes.
I put sharps in the compartment with the knife bit up(and yes I've thought about accidents too)

Though if I'd bought a Miele, I could've got the cutlery TRAY ...........

Knives down, everything else up.

I used to do everything up, then I read this:

www.snopes.com/horrors/parental/dishwasher.asp

Not a common thing, but not worth the risk, IMO. My daughter runs all lover the kitchen when I'm in there.

Handles down, but our sharp knives aren't dishwasher proof anyway, and our scissors don't fit it the basket.

Handles down.

I've read they get cleaner that way, and I don't have small children around to fall on knives (or whatever the issue is).

Handles up, that way you don't touch the "business end" when you empty the dishwasher.

It's not just small children, a woman in Scotland died that way, and also a teenage (I think) boy in Australia.

Handles down, you dirty handles up heathens disgust me.

Handles up.

If I had a dishwasher, it'd be handles up for everything except sharp knives. Exactly the same as doing it by hand.

Handles up, always after two things.

My mum stabbed her wrist by accident loading the dishwaser.

Second even was a child brought in to A and E in the hospital I worked at. He was about 2 and he had run in to the kitchen where his mum was loading the dishwasher, he tripped over and landed on a knife.

The knife missed every organ but we (hospital staff) spent about 2 days X-raying, echoing, scanning and everything elseing because we couldn't believe it had done no damage.

To this day I have no idea how that child wasn't seriously injured or dead.

Handles down, sharp knives flat. The business end needs the most washing.

I prefer handles up, so I don't have to touch the bit that has food on or once clean will go it people's mouths. However my new dishwasher is very specific about the handles having to be down, and they do clean better that way.

Handles down except sharp knives. More likely to clean that way.

Knifes down everything else up

70isa my dad (he the one who loads the dish washer) has a miele for that reason. He says the drawer is amazing. If i ever buy a house (looking unlikely see previous threads) i would like a miele for that reason.

I bought a Miele with a tray but the Bosch Loggix models have trays too.

Handles down save for sharp knives and scissors. The dirty end you want cleaning is the opposite to the handle end. Things get cleaner if they're not stuffed in to the bottom of the basket.

Sharp knives up purely from a safety perspective.

Handles up prevents aforementioned fork spiking. However, my dishwasher isn't the best and the cutlery gets cleaner with handles down. Always knife handles up, of course.