That is the question…whether to unload the dishwasher…or to use the clean dishes as needed from the machine.

What is it about unloading a dishwasher that strikes terror into the hearts of even the most fastidious of housekeepers?

Is it the idea of sorting the silverware, or placing the plates in their size-appropriate stacks in the cupboard?  Because, when you think about it, these are easy chores and certainly are not challenging mentally.

I know I am not the only person who avoids this task. An informal survey of my circle of friends leads me to conclude that leaving clean dishes in a dishwasher is as common as divorce.

On my worst days, I have stacked up to three days worth of rinsed dished in the sink, waiting for the perfect moment to unload and then reload the machine. Sometimes, I even opt to wash the dishes by hand, rather than to remove the plates from the dishwasher—which is strange, because I hated hand-washing dishes when I was a kid. But then again, my two or three dishes are nothing compared to the 11 dinner plates, 11 glasses or cups,  33 pieces of flatware, numerous serving bowls and cooking utensils that were a typical load of dishes when I was growing up. (My Mom never had a dishwasher until most of us were grown and out of the house.)

So the dishwasher and I have this dance that we do. I rinse and place dishes in it and it hides the mess. Then finally, it’s time to add the detergent and turn the machine on, listening to the comforting swishing and spraying that assures me that I will have clean cups, saucers and lunch plates the next day.

When I rise the next morning, the glowing green light on the front of the machine assures me that it has kept its part of the bargain.

Now it’s my turn.

Will I turn my back on the clean dishes and find the one last clean glass and one last clean plate in the cupboard—or remove only what I need from the interior of the machine? Or will I do the right thing, and relieve the dishwasher of its burden of shiny,clean cutlery and crockery?

If my past history is a predictor of the future…well, let’s just say that the answer to that is in my hands.