A common understanding of past, present and future makes for a happy home – at least where dishwashers are involved…
Our dishwasher is ‘inherited’ from the previous owners of our house, and it’s old and crap. Half of what we take out of it after a ‘clean’ needs to go straight back in again for another try. And a good proportion of plastic items come out wet.
These things sit on the worktop to dry; I don’t dry them up straight away because if I was the kind of person to do that I’d be the kind of person to do the washing up the old school way and not use the dishwasher in the first place.
At some point the plastic tubs and containers with their irritating lips dry, and then its ready to be put away. The household assumption is that this is my job as it’s a continuation of the putting of things from the dishwasher away.
However, my assumptions is that this is my wife’s job because having already put everything else away (or restocked back into the dishwasher for a re-clean), this was actually a new and different job.
Like vomit rising up from the stomach and through the neck, things finally came to a head last Saturday.
“How can I get you to put the plastic away every now and then?” My wife asked.
OK. I suppose I could help out…
“By asking me to do it in the future.”
“Well I’m asking you to do it now!”
I don’t think she quite got my point, but I got hers, and subsequently she got a clear work top!

Paul
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Pro Tip: One way around this dilemma is to be really bad at everything. My wife now asks me NOT to help with the dishes!
I’m afraid I’ve already used this tip – I’ve been completely banned from cooking! Unfortunately that’s where the task of dealing with the dishwasher comes into play to make up for it. Perhaps you’re right – I could go for the double whammy and get banned from the kitchen altogether. It’s true – I can’t stand the heat!