This is a sponsored post written on behalf of Reckitt Benckiser. The opinions and text are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.

I have a bit of a thing for my dishwasher. You see, while I may not have anything else figured out when it comes to housework, I KNOW dishes! I know which dishes should be hand-washed only and which ones can be put in the dishwasher. I’m a bit obsessive in fact about ensuring that they are sterilized, so I feel better about them if I can put them in the dishwasher. I rinse wash everything before I put it in the dishwasher and I feel confident that no one will ever eat off a dirty dish in my house. 

Those who know me well know that even when the rest of my house is a disaster, my dishes are done and they are done perfectly! They also know that while I will gladly accept help when it comes to clearing a table or putting leftovers away in the fridge, nobody touches my dishes but me. It’s borderline obsessive and I know it, but we all have our quirks and clean dishes isn’t the worst one I could have!

As a (self-proclaimed) dishwasher loading expert, I have a very passionate opinion about whether the cutlery should point down or up. I know that others feel passionately about this question as well because when I asked it many months ago on my Facebook page, the plethora of responses were definitive.

I will weigh in on my opinion of this issue later, but before I do, I thought I would list some of the main arguments for each side.

Pros for Utensils pointing down:

• No clean ends being touched by potentially germy hands when unloading.
• No sharp ends such as fork tines or knives poking or cutting the person emptying.
• No danger to children.
• Handles are easier to grab when putting dishes away.
• No chance of serious injury or death. *

*While this worst case scenario may seem unlikely, there have been at least 3 deaths attributed to people falling onto a knife in an open dishwasher that was in the process of being unloaded so caution may not be a bad idea.

Pros for Utensils pointing up:

• The pointy ends don’t get stuck in the bottom of the compartment.
• Food washes away and does not settle into bottom of silverware holder.
• It is less crowded for the ends of the cutlery and they get cleaner.

Then there are some in the camp of mixing (sharp forks and knives pointed down, spoons up). They could arguably be viewed as the Switzerland of this controversial topic!

I am squeamish, so I am squarely in the down camp. My kids unload the dishwasher and even though I teach them to wash their hands beforehand, I know they sometimes don’t. Between the yard and our pets and well, just life, those hands are dirty! I cannot deal with the thought of those dirty hands having grabbed the part that is going to go in my mouth!

While the question of whether the utensils should face up or down remains a hotly debated one, one thing I think everyone can agree on is that they should be clean. For this reason, I’m picky about the type of dishwasher detergent I use and the rinse aid (because what’s the point of clean if there are still visible spots?!).

Personally, I use Finish® and Finish® Jet Dry®. They have never left me with dishes that are less than perfectly clean! I find that the best prices on Finish® products are at WalMart. I purchased there most recently last week.

Remember that you can combine the regular low prices at WalMart with the Ibotta offers for Finish® Max-in-One and  Finish® Jet Dry® to maximize your savings.

So what do you think? Should utensils point up or down in the dishwasher?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Reckitt Benckiser. The opinions and text are all mine.