The One-Minute Dishwasher Empty

Posted by Jeff on March 27, 2009 · View Comments

Note to the Reader: This blog post was written by Andrew.

I hate emptying and loading the dishwasher, but would far rather use the dishwasher than wash dishes by hand. Emptying the dishwasher falls into the category of mundane home tasks that I hate. Also in this category are brushing my teeth, shaving, hoovering and general household cleaning, tidying and washing clothes – particularly hanging up clothes to dry.

I have always been an efficiency freak. It’s as if I was born to be an ergonomics expert. If I can find a faster, shorter and easier way to do something, I will. I’m always studying what I do, to try to find ways to optimise my actions. Now in my forties I am very efficient at many tasks. Obviously I use an electric toothbrush, though it still bores me to wait two minutes to brush my teeth. When I cook, I immediately review all the cooking tasks and start the longest task first and do as much in parallel as possible. I fill idle moments cleaning up or watching TV. I think I am a pretty good cook but I seldom spend more than 10 to 15 minutes actually cooking, despite cooking sophisticated meals from scratch including several vegetables.

But I believe my dishwasher ergonomic-performance is undisputed. I can empty my dishwasher in less than 60 seconds. I have optimised the storage of plates, pans, cutlery, glasses and cups in the cupboards around my dishwasher in such a way that I can remove each item from the dishwasher and put it away without moving my feet at all. There is no redundant walking around the kitchen to put away a single pan or glass. I moved recently and found that the cutlery tray was missing. At first I felt I had to buy a new one but then realised that I could simply tip the dishwasher cutlery holder straight into the draw with no sorting into knife section, fork section etc. A saving of at least ten seconds, Eureka!

Reviewing this behaviour through the recent understanding of my ADD, I now realise why I have always been so efficiency minded. My ergonomic drive was based on two main neurological factors: (1) I suffer from low-activation, finding it very hard to initiate new tasks particularly those proving little stimulation to my stimulation-starved brain; (2) Low dopamine means mundane activities bore me more than other people, to the point of being painful. Long boring tasks are a nightmare, it is far easier to tackle a low stimulation task if I can complete it quickly. So by optimising my cupboards to make emptying the dishwasher easier, I am far more likely to bother to empty the dishwasher at all. Most adults with undiagnosed ADD have hundred of systems and work-arounds to help manage their symptoms, I’m proud of my dish-washer system!

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betsy davenport

Andrew, you have done it again. You’ve written about the perfect thing, for its dailiness and for how it is emblematic of so many other pesky things we must do.

I wish I had your kitchen, because the dishwasher — which I, too, detest to empty (sorting, tedium, what? again?) — is across the room from the cupboards. I love it best when my husband is away and I eat from the dishwasher. I mean, I use the dishes from there all day, and run it at night. In the morning, do it again. Some things get extra washing, but so what.

As a child, in a family of 6 (probably 5, surely 4, with AD/HD), and no dishwasher, I became the fastest sorter-and-putter of silverware into the drawer, cutlery tray included. With no wasted motion at all, I took the forks, knives and spoons one by one from my left hand and with my right and hurled them (about 4 inches) into their respective sections. What speed! What noise! How to irritate your mother! I was fast.
Jeff

To deal with some of the necessary, though mundane, tasks of life, I convert them to habits that become part of my auto-response system. For example, my auto-response to “it’s time to get ready for work” is to shower, put on deodorant, brush teeth, floss, shave, take medication, get dressed.” I do it the same way each and every work day. HOWEVER, if someone interrupts me in the middle of the routine, that can be trouble. I’ve gone to work with unbrushed teeth and a few times I’ve been fully dressed, only to realize I hadn’t shaved.
http://www.appliancesconnection.com/b660-dishwashers.html Built-In Dishwashers

Here a small but powerful force to help produce good water pressure. A simple heating element that is basically at the bottom get hot water to eliminate grease.