‘Never pre-rinse your plates!’ Meet the Facebook group where dishwasher debates run hot

For the members of Extreme Dishwasher Loading, stacking isn’t a chore – it’s a passion fuelled by fierce opinions, clever wordplay and (mostly) spotless results

Imagine, if you will, a place devoted to the humble dishwasher where wordplay rules. A place where followers are called “dishiples”, “salts and sprayers” are offered up when white goods die, and friendly debates about where to put your Tupperware are positively encouraged.

Welcome to the world of the Extreme Dishwasher Loading Facebook group, a tribe of more than 32,000 dishwasher aficionados, who have unusually strong opinions on whether cutlery should face upwards or downwards, have a passion for rinse aid, and are united in their suspicion of anyone who prefers a pair of rubber gloves to the soothing whirr of a well-stacked dishwasher.

Created in November 2016, the group was founded by IT consultant Anthony Hegedus, after an argument on a Facebook group devoted to pedantry got out of hand. “Somebody on there was arguing about how they stack their dishwasher, and everyone was piling on,” says Hegedus, 58. “I decided to take the discussion elsewhere, and set up the Extreme Dishwasher Loading group just for fun. It was pretty quiet for the first few years, but over Covid it exploded. It’s probably half genuinely helpful advice about dishwashers and half double entendres, if I’m honest.”

The rules of the group are simple: clothes folding and washing machine talk is frowned upon, the “Greek meme” (in which Myron’s discus thrower is shown poised in front of a dishwasher filled with broken plates) is unequivocally banned, and innuendo must stay the right side of clean.

To ensure the rules are abided by and the group’s friendly debates don’t get out of hand, Hegedus has enlisted eight admins – one of whom fixes dishwashers for a living. “As well as dishing out proper advice, we quite often discuss things like which is better: a cutlery drawer or tray,” says Hegedus. “There’s also a lot of debate about stacking methods. It may sound niche, but it’s a topic that causes quite a lot of friction in households. Everyone has their own way of doing it, and to us it’s not a trivial thing.”

The group’s discussions have even extended beyond British shores. “Our American members tend to be a bit baffled by our discussions on dishwasher salt, because for them it’s common to have a whole-house water softener, so they don’t usually need to use it,” Hegedus says.

Long-term members are particularly fond of sharing photos of their extreme dishwashing wins, from “dishy” owners who have managed to defy the laws of physics with their Tardis-like cramming, to unusual items successfully cleaned. “One guy stripped his motorcycle engine and washed some of the parts in his dishwasher,” says group member Tiggy Merryn Ayoub, 69. “When I first realised I could clean my hob tops in the dishwasher, I shared it with the group – it was quite a proud moment. I also bung the filters from my cooker hood in there. They come out brilliantly.”

Like all members of the Extreme Dishwasher Loading group, Ayoub has her own set of dishwashing rules, the strictest being: never let anyone else get their hands on your load. “My main bugbear is when other people try to stack the dishwasher,” Ayoub says. “My husband’s a retired engineer, yet somehow he hasn’t worked out that plate racks with shorter tines are for smaller plates. Bigger plates have to be stacked between the holders with longer tines – otherwise they’re not supported properly.

“We also argue over the environmental benefits of using a dishwasher. He can’t quite believe that the eco setting can be more energy efficient than doing a load by hand.” Ayoub is also a big fan of Ecover’s wrapper-free, all-in-one Power dishwasher tablets, which are packed as neatly as she stacks her dishwasher.

Other tips offered up by members include always using rinse aid to help your dishes dry at the end of a wash, removing the top shelf to wash baking trays, and weighing down lightweight plastic containers with tongs or a pan handle.

And if the founder of Extreme Dishwasher Loading could give dishy fans his best bits of advice? “Never pre-rinse your dishes,” Hegedus says firmly. “It messes with your dishwasher’s sensors as they think they don’t have anything to clean, and it’s a terrible waste of water. And never ever share the Greek meme …”

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