Oh do I ever have a strategy--actually, more of an OCD. Which is much too arcane and boring to go into here. But let's just say when my husband loads the dishwasher I practically have to sit on my hands to keep myself from re-doing it. (How sad is that?)

We just moved and now have a new dishwasher and we also finally got our first set of new dishes. I'm having a terrible time figuring out the upper level strategy for bowls and glasses. We may end up buying a new upper insert if we can. The lower level is easy.

I think the loading strategy depends in large part on the design of your dishwasher. I'm the designated dish loader in our house, due to my Tetris-y approach. My husband just throws the dishes in willy nilly.

Gee, thanks, I just remembered I forgot to run the dishwasher before I left for work today. And luckily I live alone because unlike Brooklynnina I wouldn't be able to sit on my hands. I would unload and reload the whole thing while cursing under by breath.

We just moved and I have been thinking about this very thing a lot lately! My new dishwasher has a utensil holder right smack dab in the front center of the lower rack. Im finding it takes up a lot of room and makes finding space harder than if it was a slim holder on the side.

Dishwasher Tetris! I inherited my fathers obsession for loading the dishwasher and have a very hard time relinquishing the job. My only big rule is that I don't put the really meat greasy pans/bowls in the same load as glass/plates since it produces a subpar clean. I've also found that the my top rack is better for tupperware, doesn't get warped up there. Having grown up without a dishwasher and being the designated washer since about 6, I end up washing many things by hand, knives and vintage bowls etc anyway.

Love the Tetris metaphor. That's me!

We have to be VERY careful how we load our dishwasher because we don't have a separate washer arm for the top rack. If we block too much of the water from the bottom sprayer by putting bowls or pots on the bottom, nothing on top will get clean.

Soft plastics, glasses, cups, small bowls, large pots, and specific knives go on top. Plates of all sizes, certain bowls, and flat pans go on bottom with the silverware container. In the silverware container, spoons of the same size cannot be in the same slot going the same direction; all handles up causes the spoons to nest and stay dirty so some spoons go handles down and some go handles up. All forks go in tines up/handles down. Butter knives go in handles down. All other knives go in handles up (or I'll cut myself while loading/unloading).

(Why yes, I do have a touch of OCD. How could you tell? hahaha)

Cram it all in.

our dishwasher is a tiny apartment sized front loader so it's always loaded the same way - glasses, cups and small bowls up top from left to right, dinner plates, salad plates, soup bowls and utensils on the bottom from left to right. we can maybe get a lone serving dish on the bottom rack if we've not used any soup bowls. after two days worth of breakfast and dinner dishes it's full.

Glasses, small bowls, tupperware, cups/mugs all go on the top. On the bottom, bigger plates to the left, smaller plates on the right. Larger bowls towards the back on the bottom.

Now here's an interesting question... Do you put the silverware in handle up, or handle down???

haha no comment - dishwasher loading techniques are a hot topic in this household, shouting matches are likely whenever the subject comes up.

GretaGrace - I do exactly the same as you!!!

Handle down.

I try, but it will never be good enough for the hubby. :)

After not having a dishwasher for years, I was so happy that our new place had one... until I tried to load it. Our dinner plates can't stand up in the bottom rack. I can fit 4 of them in if they're practically laying down overlapping, but then what's the point? I can hand wash them in the amount of time it takes to try and fit them in. No big pots, pans, bowls or colanders will fit on the bottom either. And our wine glasses won't fit in the top rack. Too tall. These are not extreme-sized dishes and glasses... it's just a poorly designed dishwasher I guess (full sized too). I find it ironic that all the stuff I really wanted the dishwasher for, won't fit inside it.

I do consider myself quite the queen of dishwasher loading; my fiance and I often laugh about the number of dishes we're each able to fit in there. I always win, but now that you're asking for a strategy... I can't quite put my finger on it! Sometimes it just involves taking something from the top rack and making a home for it on the bottom rack. That's the trick: everything has a home. And don't be afraid of a little re-organization. Now, how come I can't fit everything in the closet!?

Good point above about not being able to fit larger plates in some dishwashers. I work in an appliance store and we encourage people to bring a box of dishes into the store and try loading them to make sure they will fit.

I just lectured my poor boyfriend on dishwasher-loading technique last night. :( He doesn't put the glasses in correctly and they end up knocking against each other and getting scratched and chipped! I had to say something!!

My strategy is:
- large plates on the outer circumference, smaller plates toward the middle
- do not block the sprayer arm coming up through the middle of the bottom rack
- anything not heat-resistant plastic must go on the top rack, but mucky spatulas can go on the bottom
- bowls can go on the top or bottom racks depending on where there's room
- knives always handle up, forks and spoons usually handle up too and they always come out clean
- never overload the dishwasher, because there's nothing more wasteful or annoying than discovering that everything is still greasy and having to run them all through again.

A lot of my dishwasher pet peeves are because of my mother. My mom was dead set on cramming every last inch of the dishwasher full (to save on water bills, she thought) and all our dishes and glasses came out chipped and greasy. She would pile bowls three high on the bottom rack and then wonder why there was still rice stuck to the middle bowl. So she took to washing all of our dishes in the sink before washing them in the dishwasher... *sigh*

My strategy is glasses on the top, plates and pans on the bottom, and bowls wherever they'll fit. Utensils handle down. Our dishwasher has a number of adjustable racks too, so I've gotten pretty good at using those to good effect.

My husband's strategy is shove everything in. I've gotten upset when he breaks something (strong encouragement to handwash stemware, for example), but for the most part I figure at least he's doing the dishes. And he can re-do them when they don't get totally clean.

Rpoole11: Absolutely fantastic idea about bringing dishes with you when purchasing a new dishwasher! I will most definitely remember that if I'm ever lucky enough to buy my own. Thanks!

The only thing that's really strategized for us is the utensil basket. We both hate unloading it, so when we load it, we make sure to put all the forks in one section, small spoons in another, etc. so that when we unload it, we just grab the whole handful of like utensils.

My mom seems to have a degree in dishwasher loading.. I usually just wash stuff by hand.

I think undercover summed it up best. In addition, I put the knives together in one compartment to decrease the chances that my spoons and forks get scratches and I always put glassware on the top.

I get out of my partner's way and let her do it (because she says I'm spatially deficient).

I too let my partner handle this task. He loads a dishwasher like it's a KitchenAid photo shoot. I'm in awe. And even more embarrassed as to how poor a job I do of it. However, I unload it like nobody's business!

I'm glad to read that I am not the only one who has Dish Washer Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder. I had no idea I was DW/OCD until I lived with a roommate who loaded the dishwasher with a complete disregard to obvious order, reason, and logic :)

My husband and I have reached a rapprochement: I load the dishwasher, and he happily, cheerfully, agreeably UNLOADS the dishwasher (so long as I don't fuss too much about where he puts the odd things).

For the record, I load all eating utensils with the handles down. I also lay large cooking utensils (spatulas, whisks, large knives, ladles, et cetera) across the top of what's loaded on the top rack. Works great.

Oh, I definitely have the dishwasher OCD thing as well - I inherited if from my mom and I am an amateur compared to her! Ever roommate I've ever had has been terrible at loading the dishwasher and I would usually end up moving everything around...
I don't have a roommate anymore, but now I have a new dilemma because I just bought a house with a drawer style dishwasher and cannot figure out the best way to load it. I've been told that once you get the knack of it it will fit as much or more than a regular dishwasher, so hopefully I'll get there someday!

back to front.
handles up, tines down. careful not to nest the spoons

My sister loads haphazardly (and runs less than full loads consequently). Turns me into a nutter when we visit her.

My father in law said he appreciates that I load from the back. He is a man of few words - so this was a particularly funny observation for him to voice. Everyone has an opinion.

Mine is simple. I don't let my husband turn on the dishwasher. Inevietablely he loads it, says it's full and then I find a way to jam the rest of the dishes in the sink in. AND they come clean. But then I'm the accepted Tetris master in this house! It's become a joke and just what we do. Running half full loads makes me crazy!

This post made me laugh! It's good to know that there are other people out there that are as OCD about how to load the dishwasher as I am.

my husband's grandmother was famous for how she could load a dishwasher. it is a source of great pride that she once told me i was "pretty good at that"!

definitely have the tetris thing going. and while i have basic ideas about where to put things, i will always reorganize to get one more thing in if it's the last one in the sink. all plastics must go in the top. silverware goes tines down and must be shuffled to avoid nesting. our dishwasher is (thankfully) super powerful and so i often stack things russian-doll style to maximize space since i know the water & soap will still get to them.

I'm terrible for trying to throw any and every cooking/ eating utensil in the dishwasher. I just moved so I'm still figuring it out but usually I'm looking at stock pot/ frying pans and baking sheets lining the edges and corners as tight as they can. Bowls, coffee cups, regular cups and long spoons/utensils on top. (the utensils are offset the glasses...its packed in tight) Plates are squeezed in on bottom between the cooking stuff.

My husband loads it very badly and will not accept lessons. I am not kidding when I say badly. Sometimes things like cups are upside down. I am often heard exclaiming that our dishwasher is pretty good but it isn't magical.