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Original poster

Dig licking plates before going into dishwasher - ick or not

907 replies

Happyspendingthedayinthegarden · 21/04/2025 15:11

Have have hosted a lovely Easter BH Monday for all 7 GC, 3 step children, partners & children. We had an Easter egg hunt in garden, had breakfast in local farm shop & walked my lovely little dog around, petted animals etc.

For context I need to say that DSS & DIL are both British, but live in USA.

After a roast dinner I put the plates & general pots & pans down for the dog to lick. My DIL lost the plot saying that was so unhygienic I assured her that they would be going into the dishwasher on a high temperature - about 90c so would be sterilised. I always let the dog pre-wash my plates as consider it's going into the dishwasher at high temp to be sterilised so no problem.

DIL saying she will never let her children eat at my house again & gone-taken her DH & DC off in an huff.

DH has had a text from his son apologising but saying what can he do as has to support his wife. I totally get that. But....

My question is - is it OK to let dog lick out the plates etc when they are going into dishwasher at a high temp? WWUD?

OP posts:
godmum56 · 21/04/2025 17:16

Missohnoyoubetterdont · 21/04/2025 16:54

@XenoBitch The colonoscopes are washed by the endoscopy tech or other endoscopy staff using a special sponge that has cleansers made for cleaning the scope. There are special attachments that are then placed on it and it’s placed into a special washing machine. The attachments are connected to lines that run a Glutaraldehyde solution through the scope to clean and disinfect the inside of the scope when the machine is running. It also cleans the outside of the scope and rinses it. Sometime an alcohol solution is used as a final rinse. There are special test strips that can be used to test if the colonoscope has any biological matter or residue. If anything is detected it is re-cleaned the same as above and tested again. I don’t think a normal dishwasher does the same for dog licked plates. 🤣

ummm I think the colonoscope thing was a joke

Zone2NorthLondon · 21/04/2025 17:17

VeterinaryCareAssistant · 21/04/2025 17:13

Nothing wrong with it but then I happily share my spoon or fork with my dogs.

Nobody in my household is ever sick.

Share? As in use in conjunction with the dog at the same time, as one spoonful for you, next one for dog and so on
Or share? As in you have same utensils but not at same time

Wingingit11 · 21/04/2025 17:17

Grim as, sorry OP. It would give me serious ick about your house generally

Glitchymn1 · 21/04/2025 17:18

Martymcfly24 · 21/04/2025 15:16

Disgusting.

Could not eat in your house ever again .

Would you be out off by :-
Humans licking plates- some may have diseases.
Humans blowing noses and putting snotty tissues on plate.
Seagulls shitting on plates.
People preparing food without washing their hands, after using the loo, picking their nose etc
Do you eat out? If so you don’t know half!

Kellybonita · 21/04/2025 17:18

Tulippilut · 21/04/2025 17:13

If we look at it realistically …

We go to restaurants and put cutlery in our mouth without knowing whose mouth it’s been in and what has been in that mouth ! Same as at home . We don’t have our set cutlery .

So , I don’t think it’s “ disgusting “ or as dramatic as your daughter made it . It’s going into a dishwasher . But - personally , I wouldn’t like to see it. It probably would put me off if I saw it . The idea of every plate being licked would make me feel a bit icky . If i found out it happened and didn’t see it then maybe it wouldn’t be as bad .

I wouldn’t ever let my dog do that - for a start , I don’t have a dishwasher , so hand wash , but I wouldn’t let him lick every plate , I would just feel that it’s kind of behaviour I wouldn’t want my dog to get into , we put leftovers in a bowl for him but I want him to know our plates are off limits ( we never feed him from our plate ) .

I have my own cutlery and my own cup and plate in my parents house.

There is no way I'm sharing a fork with my chain smoking brother!

Original poster
Happyspendingthedayinthegarden · 21/04/2025 17:19

Smallmercies · 21/04/2025 17:16

I bet the Pope would disapprove of your disgusting habit!! 🐕 🍽

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I am sure that he would - his devotion was to St Francis of Assisi - patron saint of animals & the environment.

OP posts:
OuchyEars · 21/04/2025 17:19

Oh I just read your update that she encourages the dog to lick her children's faces <puke>
She has no legs to stand on with the dishes being licked pre-dishwasher. Is she not very bright or does she just not think things through?

godmum56 · 21/04/2025 17:19

Happyspendingthedayinthegarden · 21/04/2025 17:15

Just leaving for 6:00pm Mass now - only a short way from us. Must confess am totally insulted that you think that I should stay on MN to prevent you from becoming bored rather than pray for the soul of a very humble man who was an example to us all. No apologies am going to my devotions now.

Edited
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no I didn't think you should stay here and miss Mass, just that you seemed sorry that you had triggered MN so I reframed it

Smallmercies · 21/04/2025 17:20

Happyspendingthedayinthegarden · 21/04/2025 17:19

I am sure that he would - his devotion was to St Francis of Assisi - patron saint of animals & the environment.

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Exactly - boil washing your plates to remove dog shit isn't exactly environmentally friendly 😒

Zone2NorthLondon · 21/04/2025 17:20

sandrapinchedmysandwich · 21/04/2025 17:13

Whether she thinks it's grim or not her hissy fit was unnecessary and rude. She could just have made a mental note to make an excuse around food next time, but instead she threw a temper tantrum and was disrespectful to the op

Alternatively it was thoughtless,and provocative to let dogs let guests plate at a meal. One could have anticipated the outcome

LittleWeasel · 21/04/2025 17:20

Ewwww people who kiss their dogs on the lips too

Imisscoffee2021 · 21/04/2025 17:21

Would you use a tea towel again after cleaning a dogs bum with it if washed on 90 degrees? Dogs lick their actual arseholes, this is very grim. I know that yes most likely no bacteria would survive at 90 degrees, but it's just so gross that if I witnessed it as your dil did I'd probably not want to eat at your home again, though I'd have shuddered and held my tongue at the time for the sake if family peace.

Kellybonita · 21/04/2025 17:21

I think that some dog owners are completely batshit

W0tnow · 21/04/2025 17:21

Wait, what? She changes bedsheets daily?

HangingOver · 21/04/2025 17:21

UndermyShoeJoe · 21/04/2025 17:10

I think you’ve forgotten on Mumsnet we don’t have toilet brushes because we don’t skid 😰

actually I don’t have a toilet brush. It’s dh job to clean the bathroom lucky me lol

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Dog licks plates in the dishwasher here and I've never lived in a house without toilet brushes and I've had one vomiting bug in my whole adult life (have no DC). Can't get worked up about it.

Bonniethetiler · 21/04/2025 17:21

Livelovebehappy · 21/04/2025 17:14

If we overthink things too much, what about things such as door handles, your food shop, cafe and restaurant condiments etc - we have no idea who’s touched these things before us. Could have been a random person who hasn’t washed their hands after wiping their bums, so has transferred faeces or similar onto a surface that we then touch. I read somewhere that door handles have more germs on them than a toilet seat. I think the fact the OP announced it to her guests is the problem here, otherwise they would have been happily oblivious to it.

The idea there are more germs on X surface as opposed to a toilet seat could well be true in terms of number, though I'd still put money on the contents of a lavatory pan being more harmful - a bit like me saying I'd rather be smacked in the face with ten feathers than one cricket bat.

But yes, it's the "out of sight, out of mind" factor at work, and the idea that surfaces are crawling...this is why I was always so dead against the use of hand sanitiser during the pandemic, as it's no substitute for hand-washing, and doesn't work well on dirty hands...potentially it was just moving a problem along, both figuratively and literally.

Added to which, the dirtiest thing you could probably touch was the button on the dispenser, knowing most people before you had already touched it....and frequent use was liable to leave your hands dry and covered in tiny cuts, making a superb point of entry for an new infection.

If anyone wishes to hear a voice of sanity and reason on this subject, I urge you to google Dr Sally Bloomfield and ready & listen to some of her comments.

Blondeshavemorefun · 21/04/2025 17:21

Mothership4two · 21/04/2025 17:01

Not after he's used it to clean his and other people's bums, rubbed it in (any old) poo, meat and insects and generally stuck it in some pretty unsavoury places. I have my standards.

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Spits out her gin

Pmsl

Smallmercies · 21/04/2025 17:21

Kellybonita · 21/04/2025 17:21

I think that some dog owners are completely batshit

Dogshit you mean

thevassal · 21/04/2025 17:22

Happyspendingthedayinthegarden · 21/04/2025 15:39

The GC who usually stay with us like to scrape the plates to remove anything that might hurt the dog & put it down for her. It's only the DIL who lives in USA who has objected. My DsD who is a senior nurse encourages her children to do this at our house as will go into dishwasher at a high temp & she doesn't have any problem with it. I was rather shocked at USA living DIL's reaction TBH.

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why does 'usa living' have anything to do with it?
there are enough (presumably majority british) people on this thread, saying it's rank.
the 'well it's been cleaned' argument doesn't work
would you eat your dinner out of a toilet if someone assured you it had been thoroughly sterilised?
would you be happy to wear someone else's period pants, after all, they've been through the wash at a high temperature?

Zone2NorthLondon · 21/04/2025 17:23

Bonniethetiler · 21/04/2025 17:12

Oh I see what you mean - sorry. Yes, you were making a distinction. I thought you were saying they needed to be sterile, sorry.

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No,just addressing the dishwasher sterilisation comment

Smallmercies · 21/04/2025 17:23

So if I shit on my plate, let your dog eat it off and lick it clean, then pop it in your dishwasher, you'd eat off that plate happily?

HangingOver · 21/04/2025 17:24

I've also been known to grab a human towel for him after a muddy/rainy walk if his towel is still drying 😯

Yoyokitten · 21/04/2025 17:24

Omg, sorry that's a definite no from me.
I love animals and always had cats but they weren't allowed to lick plates.

HangingOver · 21/04/2025 17:24

Smallmercies · 21/04/2025 17:23

So if I shit on my plate, let your dog eat it off and lick it clean, then pop it in your dishwasher, you'd eat off that plate happily?

Edited

I'd ask you to leave

thevassal · 21/04/2025 17:24

Kellybonita · 21/04/2025 17:21

I think that some dog owners are completely batshit

Given that a significant minority of people here think OP is completely reasonable (and do the same thing), guess I'll be asking anyone I know who has a dog if they also practice dining set dog licking before accepting food or a cuppa from now on...