Households regularly argue over how to correctly stack the dishwasher - with overfilling it, not cleaning food off first and what direction to face plates among the sticking points.
A poll of 2,000 adults who live with others and own one found 61 per cent have had a disagreement, falling out or full-blown argument over the household appliance.
Among the bones of contention were how to stack cutlery (31 per cent), what goes on the top and bottom shelves (28 per cent) and responsibilities (e.g. whose job it is to load and unload) (25 per cent).
The most frequent person to disagree with is a partner (79 per cent), followed by sons (14 per cent), daughters (14 per cent) and mums (11 per cent).
The debate over whether to rinse or not to rinse was settled, with 60 per cent not doing this – but 20 per cent have fallen out over the subject.
The research was commissioned by Ecover which has partnered with The Tetris Company to unveil a new version of the iconic game [https://www.ecover.com/tetris?utm_source=press&utm_medium=earned&utm_campaign=tetris_launch] to encourage people to break the cycle of wasteful dishwashing habits.
It also found 18 per cent have argued over an item which isn’t dishwasher safe being damaged, with glassware (40 per cent) and ceramics (17 per cent) most at risk.
A further 17 per cent have disagreed over what setting to use, although the most frequent are eco (35 per cent), auto (25 per cent) and quick (11 per cent).
As a result, 46 per cent have restacked the dishwasher because they disagreed with how the other person had done it, with 92 per cent of respondents being confident in their own stacking skills.
Others have ended up washing dishes by hand due to being inefficiently stacked in the dishwasher by someone else and coming out dirty (37 per cent), while 32 per cent simply re-run a cycle.
Ecover teamed up with father and son duo, Larry and George Lamb, to put their stacking to the test, Larry said: “I’ll admit, when it comes to stacking, I’m more of an architect, while my son takes more of a raccoon approach – but that’s the fun of it.
“At the end of the day, it’s about using the machine the way it’s meant to be used.
“This retro-inspired game isn’t just nostalgic – who can forget the 90s arcade waves? It’s also about bringing families together, sparking a bit of friendly competition, and showing how small actions, like stacking the dishwasher properly, can save water and energy.”
The research also found arguing over the dishwasher has led 18 per cent no longer talking to the person they disagreed with for some time and 10 per cent even questioned whether they wanted to continue living with the person in question.
Another fifth (18 per cent) said a falling out led to them or the other person in question to go on strike and refuse to ever stack the dishwasher again.
The typical week sees a dishwasher go on five cycles but is only full for four of them, something 18 per cent have fallen out over.
Reasons for putting the appliance on despite it still having room for more dishes include it being a suitable time of the day (37 per cent) and knowing items in there will be needed soon (44 per cent).
But 16 per cent claim this is a pet peeve of theirs, as is food crumbs collecting in the dishwasher (21 per cent) and water and energy wastage (16 per cent).
Similarly, 37 per cent think not filling the dishwasher before turning it on will waste water and energy, while 33 per cent reckon improper loading will.
More than three quarters (85 per cent) consider the energy consumption when using their appliance and 82 per cent think about the water usage, while 78 per cent contemplate the cost per cycle.
The OnePoll.com data found 51 per cent have a method when they load a dishwasher, while 30 per cent simply stack things where they’ll fit.
But pre-cycle rituals include scraping food off plates (66 per cent) – which women (70 per cent) are more likely to do than men (61 per cent) – and grouping the same products together (48 per cent).
Marking the launch of its plastic wrapper-free dishwasher tablets, a spokesperson for Ecover said: “The insights show just how many debates the dishwasher causes in households.
“People's dishwasher habits are not only fuelling ‘dish-content’ across the nation, but they're also wasting water and energy which is harming the planet and hitting people’s wallets.
“As rebels of the cleaning aisle, we love doing things differently – and teaming up with Tetris is a fun, unexpected way to bring harmony to households and make eco-awareness click with all generations.”
Maya Rogers, president and CEO of Tetris, said: “We have always been about finding the perfect fit, whether that’s lining up falling blocks or, in this case, dishes in the dishwasher.
“This version of the game allows us to take that same sense of challenge and fun and apply it to a real-life puzzle in homes across the UK.
“It’s nostalgia with a modern purpose: play, stack, and save resources while keeping the peace at home.”
TOP THINGS HOUSEHOLDS DISAGREE ON OVER THE DISHWASHER:
1. Overfilling the dishwasher
2. How to stack cutlery (e.g. pointing upwards or downwards)
3. Putting items in the dishwasher without cleaning food off them first
4. What items to put on the top shelf and bottom shelf
5. How to effectively use the dishwasher
6. Responsibilities (e.g. who should load and unload it)
7. What direction to face plates in
8. What direction to face bowls in
9. Not grouping all the same items in one place
10. Whether to rinse or not to rinse dishes
11. Putting a cycle through without the dishwasher being full
12. A favourite item which isn’t dishwasher safe being damaged because it went through a cycle
13. What setting to put the dishwasher on
14. Opening the dishwasher immediately after a cycle when items are still warm and wet
15. Dishwasher salt not being topped up regularly enough
16. Not putting the cycle through and then running out of plates/bowls etc.
17. Whether wine glasses should go in the dishwasher
18. Whether wooden items should go in the dishwasher
19. How often to put a cycle through
20. What time of the day to run the cycle through
