The Downside To Being Tidy: An Honest Mistake

/ Ally Bean

In the photo above you’ll see what remains of a formerly square clear plastic drawer divider after it has been run through the electric dishwasher on the top rack.

I got it in my head to wash said formerly square clear plastic drawer divider because I was in the process of being tidy.  I was cleaning out the junk drawer in the kitchen and the divider was dirty.

I tossed the drawer divider into the dishwasher without a second thought.  It never dawned on me to find out if it was dishwasher safe.

It is not. Case in point.

Still, when I pulled the formerly square clear plastic drawer divider out of the dishwasher, I didn’t swear or berate myself for my mistake. Nope, no negative self-talk here.

Instead, channeling my late mellow mother, a history teacher with a quiet sense of humor, I said with a hat tip to President Harry Truman, this just goes to prove that:

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the dishwasher.”

~ ~ 🔹 ~ ~

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Have you ever melted anything in the dishwasher?

What’s the last thing your good intentions accidentally destroyed?

Do you have a junk drawer?

~ ~ 🔹 ~ ~

140 thoughts on “The Downside To Being Tidy: An Honest Mistake”

  1. Ha ha! Too often has this very thing happened to me. I don’t even want to cast my mind back and get self into stew (which reminds me of burnt stew, rice, veg, onions, you name it, and ruined pot). Thanks for Truman’s wise words 🙂

    My whole desk looks like a junk drawer –

    Liked by 2 people

    • Susan, it’s so easy to destroy an object, isn’t it? I’ve burned a few things on the stovetop, rendering the pot a goner. My desk used to look like a junk drawer, too– but I’ve gotten that under control. Most days.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. I removed our dishwasher and built drawers since I never used it…. but I have broken unbreakable bowls, shattered numerous glasses on the kitchen faucet and cracked a plate in half cooking bacon in the microwave. Huzzah!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Rivergirl, I’m impressed by your ability to crack a plate in half when cooking bacon in the microwave. Now that’s the way to make a statement. I’ve also shattered many an *unbreakable* Pyrex casserole lid just be being near it.

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I have not melted anything in the dishwasher in many a year but I did notice that a glass (from my favourite set of glasses) was becoming etched during the process so they are all hand-washed now.
    Sometimes I feel I have multiple junk drawers and even junk rooms. This feeling is a direct result of decluttering my house with an eye to what I want to take with me when I move. I’m doing a version of the Swedish Death Clean but prefer to call it the Canadian Cross-Country Move Clean instead! 😉

    Deb

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I no longer have a dishwasher but feel confident that when I did I must have melted something in it. I think I do have a few of those same clear plastic containers though and at least 2 of them have cracked, just by my picking them up!
    I cracked one of my plates recently and had to toss that, but I’m getting rather tired of this set so I may have to crack a few more and then start over from scratch with new. I like that idea as they were inexpensive to begin with!
    Oh, no real junk drawer, but I do have one that holds what I would probably put in a desk… if I had a desk… 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

    • Deb, you cracked the dividers by touching them. I’m laughing here because that’s so believable. If they can melt, they can crack, eh?

      Your reasoning for getting a new set of plates is sound. I look forward to reading that a few more of your plates have *accidentally* cracked and you’ve been *forced* to buy some new plates.

      As for your faux junk drawer, I can understand its purpose and existence. Call it whatever you want!

      Liked by 1 person

  7. There was that time when I wished to impress you by making banana bread, then promptly forgot to add flour to my banana goo and destroyed the baking pans. Whoops!

    Liked by 4 people

    • Z-D, I’d forgotten about that incident. That was a long time ago but you did manage to destroy the baking pans, smoke up the apartment, all the while trying to do a good deed. Ain’t it the way?

      Like

  8. This is why the KonMarie method advocates using shoeboxes and lids as dividers ~> no one will accidentally toss them in the dishwasher. 😆

    We have a small drawer in the kitchen for odds & ends (tape, twist ties, instruction books for kitchen paraphernalia, a flashlight, etc.) But it’s pretty well organized so let’s call it “le junque” drawer.

    Liked by 2 people

  9. I find myself playing cleaning roulette, especially with the washing machine: “This throw pillow has been drooled on so much by the dog, I have to wash it.”

    Husband: “Will it survive?”

    “It’s either clean or Marie Kondo-ed!”

    Liked by 2 people

  10. I’ve started using the dishwasher as a place to put things after I’ve washed them. They just drip dry, and I don’t have them laying around on the counter. That’s important, since I have only half the counter space since my move. I’ve re-shaped a couple of plastic containers in the microwave, but never managed to do something in with the dishwasher.

    I gave away the cabinet that held the junk drawer stuff when I moved, so I had to fine a substitute. The first step was getting rid of 80% of the stuff that was in it. Now, I have a nice, shallow but large basket with a lid that I use. I brought it from Liberia, so it displays nicely, but now I call it my “office in a basket,” and it holds all that “stuff.”

    Liked by 2 people

    • shoreacres, I use the oven to hold some cooking trays so using your dishwasher as a drying place makes sense to me. When counter space is sparse, creativity ensues.

      I adore your office in a basket idea, especially if the basket has special meaning to you. Pretty and practical are a great way of having a junk drawer without having a junk drawer. Perfect.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Jill, your junk drawer is in tune with your needs to an almost prescient degree. I’m impressed by it. Our junk drawer is more of a loner, keeping to itself, hiding that which we might want when we want it.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dorothy, you make a good point and one that I need to keep in mind. I just tossed the divider into the dishwasher without thinking it through. Fortunately it really doesn’t matter what happened to it, but it is a good story!

      Like

  14. Junk drawer? Oh heavens no. I have a hodge podge drawer. At least I had up until this house. In this house, I cannot afford an entire drawer given over to hodge podge; I have a basket. Actually two now. It’s just easier. Every now and then I enjoy going through it where I find all sorts of lost treasure. Thanks. It’s been fun.

    Liked by 2 people

      • On two occasions, I put a wooden spoon in the silverware bin. They are lightweight and the water pressure pushed them out. They fell onto the heating element and caught on fire during the drying cycle. Don’t ask me why I did this twice.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I’ve never heard of such a thing happening, but I can see how it could happen. As for doing it twice, just say you’re an optimist and let it go at that. Hope springeth eternal and all that…

          Liked by 1 person

  17. I have never lived in a home with a dishwasher. We didn’t have one growing up (nor a washer and dryer)… and there isn’t one in my current house (Which is probably a good thing given all my recent plumbing issues).

    I do have a junk drawer, but it kinda blends in with all of the other junk I have around the house….

    Liked by 1 person

    • evilsquirrel13, I was close to 30 before I lived anywhere with a dishwasher. I immediately took to it and have had one, for which I’m grateful, ever since. You make a good point about how a junk drawer may in fact be unnecessary in certain home decor styles. 😄

      Like

    • Kate, you think like I do. I put the drawer divider into the dishwasher because how else would I clean it? And as for a junk drawer, always had one, always will have one. Would it even be home without one? 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  20. To answer the first and third questions – of course. Is there anyone that can truly say no? To the second question, I don’t remember. Or there’s been a large enough number I don’t remember which was last. Some things are best forgotten.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Carol, I’d wonder about any person who has or had a dishwasher who hasn’t or didn’t at least once destroy something in it. That sounds implausible to me. As for good intentions gone by the wayside, that happens to all of us, doesn’t it? To some degree. In all aspects of life. 🤷‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, so far *fingers crossed* I’ve not lost the bills or destroyed any important documents. Although I can see how that could happen, especially if I was tired. What did you do about your mistakes?

      Like

      • Luckily, I look at the mail before I toss it, so I remembered getting a bill, but then couldn’t find it. I had thrown it in the recycle with a few other recyclables. In the case of throwing away important documents, I had to request another copy of them. They were usually tax things.

        Like

        • I’m glad you were able to rectify your mistakes, but what a hassle all around. We all have thrown out the wrong things, but that reality doesn’t make it any less stressful.

          Like

  23. We melt things in the dishwasher all the time. It’s like a hobby. I’m sure we’ve unintentionally destroyed something, but we tend not to let it bother us. And at our house, damn near every drawer is a junk drawer…

    Liked by 1 person

    • John, you’ve made me laugh out loud here. Your hobby sounds like it could be expensive. I know what you mean about all drawers being in essence junk drawers. There’s a truth to that.

      Like

    • Jan, I can understand that. I don’t know what came over me to try to sort through the junk in the junk drawer, but you can see where it got me. Who knew that divider couldn’t go in the dishwasher? 🙄

      Like

  25. I don’t remember wrecking anything in the dishwasher but I rarely put plastics in there, even if it says dishwasher safe. There are drawers in the kitchen and the desk in the living room that hold “miscellaneous objects” because of course we have no junk in this house.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, you said it. I never, ever thought to look online to see if this particular plastic square was dishwasher safe. Thus my virtuous attempt to be tidy went sideways. Mark that in the disadvantage column.

      Like

  28. I can’t remember the last thing I melted in the dishwasher, but I have done it in the past. Yes, I have a junk drawer…one might make an argument that I have several, but…I really tried to get rid of them when I moved. I really did! I tossed a lot of what was in them.

    Liked by 1 person

  29. No, but I have melted a plastic container in the microwave. 😀 And I have shrunk sweaters in the dryer. 😞

    I have a junk drawer, which is full of old takeout menus and instruction guides from various appliances, some of which I probably threw away (like past coffeemakers)!

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, good points about the microwave and the dryer. I’ve done the same things. Our junk drawer has some of those appliance guides, too. I keep them there thinking I’ll need them, but like you, some are so old I don’t know which appliance they went with.

      Like

  30. I don’t think I’ve ever melted anything in the dishwasher, but I have made a mistake like that in the microwave.

    When designing our kitchen years ago, I designated one drawer as the “junk drawer” (there was always one in every kitchen I’ve ever had) and my husband pushed back saying that he didn’t want a drawer dedicated to junk. So… I stated to call it the “kitchen office” drawer (for pens, pencils, rubber bands, scissors… you know, junk) and that made it acceptable. Promise you won’t tell him it’s the same thing, ok?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Janis, you made me laugh with your clever way of convincing your husband that you don’t have a junk drawer. Obviously a kitchen office drawer is completely different than a junk drawer. Everyone knows that. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

    • The Travel Architect, that’s a funny story. I could see me doing the same thing. Of course, if nothing else, at least your baby pine tree was clean when it died. Yep, that’s me looking at the bright side.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. I’ve never had a dishwasher Ally, but I do have a junk drawer … alright, a few of them, because the other drawers get filled up too quickly. My former, very organized, self could lay her hands on anything in a minute’s time, but sadly those days are gone. We used to have an egg-shaped gizmo for cooking hard-boiled eggs in the microwave. Had it for years, and it actually had a metal tray that held four eggs and because the metal tray was completely encased in the egg, with just a tiny hole where steam came out, the metal was fine to use in the microwave. You put water to the line, plunked the eggs in the metal tray, put the lid on and about 10-12 minutes later, perfectly cooked hard-boiled eggs. The gizmo came apart in the middle and looked like the L’eggs stockings containers for pantyhose. Anyway, one day I was in a hurry and didn’t get the lid on just right and no odd sounds came from the microwave to alert me I made a boo boo, but I opened the door when it was done to see hard-boiled egg bits strewn from one end of the microwave to the other! You never saw such a mess. The gizmo was immersible in water since it had no cords to it, so it cleaned up nicely but the egg was in every crack and crevice of the microwave. A neighbor once put a non-microwavable plate into the microwave. It had gold trim around the edge and it blew the microwave door off and it flew across the kitchen.

    Like

    • Linda, I’ve never seen anything like your hard-boiled egg cooking device, but I can imagine the kind of mess that’d result from four eggs blowing up inside a microwave. And there’s nothing more tricky to get perfectly clean on the inside than a microwave with all their odd angles and awkward placement in the kitchen. None seem to be a place where I can actually see inside them easily.

      Your neighbor blew the door off the microwave? That’s horrifying. I’d be freaked out for weeks after that, but I do know NOT to put plates with metal trim in the microwave. Still, a cautionary tale…

      Liked by 1 person

      • When I brought home the microwave, our first one, I had been using the one at work that was in the kitchen for a while and said “we have to have one of these” so I bought one. My mom was reading the instructions and said “I don’t like this – look at all the warnings and you remember when Jimmy blew the door off the microwave?” It dented the wall as it flew off with such force – what was he thinking?

        The worse was getting egg off the screen that covered the light in the microwave and the door crevices. I Googled and found the cooker on Walmart (Microwave Egg Boiler) if you’d like to see it – that’s what we had. It worked fine and it was me that was me in a hurry and not paying attention to the lid.

        My boss made popcorn one afternoon in our suite – it was just the two of us. We’d been having a problem with our emergency ceiling speaker/flashing lights not working in a recent fire drill. I reported it to the building, but they never fixed it. He burned the popcorn – and the smell was horrible, But not only did it smell, but it triggered the smoke alarm for the other suites which we didn’t know since our apparatus failed to work. So, we went about our business and about a half hour later the burned popcorn stench was bad, so I told Robb I’d open the suite door and see if it would help. We were the last suite on one end and when I went out the suite door, people were lined up all around the floor (our building looked like a large hotel where you could see other suites across the atrium, no matter what floor you were on). So I asked someone why everyone was standing in front of their suites; I was told they were awaiting direction from the fire marshall as to whether they should evacuate the building depending on where the fire was – they could not locate it. Well, I knew it was Robb’s popcorn and called the building. They fixed the lights/speaker the next day. 🙂

        Like

        • That’s a heck of story about the popcorn. Totally believable that it happened, but still IF the building maintenance had done what you asked of them to begin with… Honestly, don’t you hate it that it takes an almost emergency to get anything fixed? *meh*

          Liked by 1 person

          • Yes it was funny and we laughed about it many times afterward Ally. The suites were soundproof and since we had a door on one side and an unoccupied suite on the other side, even though the front facing out (which they referred to as “the living room” was all glass, including the door, we were in the kitchen and saw no activity in the hall. I went back in and said to my boss “um, you’re not going to believe this but ….” Yes, they fixed it right away after that. Each suite had a fire marshall on top of it, and I was “it” for our suite – I had few people to shepherd, just Robb and me and we have a tenant who comes in mornings, so I had to attend the meetings on security and building evacuation protocol, so that made it even funnier. Our suite door had a feature that you had to stand in front of it for the sensor to unlock the door … it never dawned on me that I did not have to position myself at the right spot, but merely opened the door … in an emergency every suite door is unlocked from either side. That is what happened in August 2003 when the power grid went out – anyone could have gotten into our suites as the guards could not monitor everyone coming and going at the outside doors as the cameras were down. Stroh River Place is quite modern even though it is an old building, the site of Parke Pharmaceuticals for many years. Its campus includes apartment buildings and a garage and the Rattlesnake Club and all have the same security sytem – not ideal IMO.

            Like

            • That’s rather interesting and unnerving to know how the doors will change their locking abilities depending on what’s going on. I don’t think I’ve ever thought about that before, but now that I have I’m going to look at interior doors in office buildings in a different way.

              Liked by 1 person

              • Yes, do that as we never knew this info until that big grid outage of 2003. My boss collects artwork, and is a big fan of Don Quixote, so has many statues and other renditions of this character around the office. Some were specially commissioned by him so he was not too pleased to find out the suite doors were unsecured until the outage was over on Saturday night (it happened around 4:00 p.m. on Thursday). I never cared for the glass sensor door – no one had problems getting out except me and it stymied the repairman. He was up to our suite many times after my complaints as I’d look up at the electric eye, scoot over to one side or the other but I could not get out of the suite. It didn’t happen all the time. I am tall as is my boss, it was not the color of my clothing – so what was the hangup There was no way to get out of the suite except buzzing the front desk to ask to have the lock lifted. I haven’t thought of that in years since I’ve not worked on site since 2009 but it was a real issue with me.

                Liked by 1 person

    • Endless Weekend, I take your point with the banana/duct tape art exhibit. Mine’s better, but alas has already gone out with the recycling trash. Those paint cans are way cool. Much better than my potential objet d’art.

      Like

  35. THANK you for the hearty belly-laugh to start my day!

    I had the same thought as Zazzy – I bet you some sculptor somewhere is considering her future art installation right now and loading up the dishwasher!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Maggie, I’m pleased to know that my mistake made you laugh. In truth, it made me laugh, too. I mean, if you take life too seriously you’d go crazy.

      Yes I think Zazzy is onto something, too. Perhaps I’ve found my calling as a dishwasher artist! 🤔

      Liked by 1 person

  36. I’ve never tried to wash anything in the dishwasher except dishes. My husband, on the other hand, can’t seem to wash anything by hand, so all sorts of weird stuff ends up there. So far no melting though. I definitely have a junk drawer. Or three or four.

    Liked by 1 person

    • dawn, I use the dishwasher to wash more things than dishes, obviously. And usually it works, but this time not. so. much. Still it did give me a smile, so that’s good. Yes, truth be told we have more than one junk drawer, but the other drawers aren’t designated as junk drawers, having not yet earned the title. 🙄

      Like

  38. What can I say, I’m a junk drawer junkie!! I have too many! I once had an aunt (by marriage) who was a hoarder. Her junk drawers topped all others. When she passed, we were tempted to dump all of them in the garbage until we discovered she had GOLD COINS strewn about in said junk drawers. We had to pick through everything. We found 20 of them!! I wont do that to my family – Ill at least have all of the valuables in one junk drawer. LOL

    Liked by 1 person

  39. Haven’t melted anything, but a few aluminum items came out black and won’t ever look nice again. I know I’ve accidentally ruined all kinds of things, but I immediately put them out of mind. We don’t really have a junk drawer. I do keep an empty drawer where I accumulate thinks to donate to the thrift store. I just made a donation today, so time to start filling it up again!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, it’s funny how we all have found ways to ruin something along the way. Always accidentally, of course. I like your use of an empty drawer for donations. That’s rather inspired. Good of you to do that.

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Phew, one mistake I don’t have to make, because we don’t make use of the dishwasher (there’s something wrong with the tube). Have started washing dishes again when I decade ago I had a bout of carpel tunnel, and I vowed to keep exercising my fingers, once I do t over it.) How is it, that several people started a whole conversation with you here? – it must be your talent:):)

    Liked by 1 person

    • DrJunieper, I do hand wash some pots and delicate glassware so I can understand how washing dishes by hand helps make your joints feel better. I like to put my tired hands into the soapy water BUT most of our dishes go into the dishwasher because it’s one modern convenience I truly like.

      Laughing about your observation about the length of some comments. People tell me things, here & in real life. They always have… 🤷‍♀️

      Like

  43. Do I have a junk drawer? Of course, and it is big and bold. I clean it out about once a year, get it nice and tidy, and in about four weeks it’s all messed up. I even have a junk basket on the road to hold all the odds and ends. I’m not sure life can truly be lived without a junk drawer. 🙂 The last thing I destroyed was about an hour ago when I was working on a paper project, had everything lined up, glued it down crooked, tried to take it off, and needless to say I started all over again. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Judy, I like a woman who has a big and bold junk drawer. What a great description. I like your junk basket approach. Now that I think about it my mother did that, too.

      I never go near glue if I can avoid it. I was surprised that I melted the drawer divider, but if I was using glue it’s a given that I’d make a crooked mess of things. You’re a braver woman than I to use the stuff.

      Like

  44. Hah! Good intentions, etc.
    Good work with the tidiness. I need to figure out how to disassemble and wash my canvas baskets which are filthy upon close inspection.
    I don’t use my dishwasher anymore. If I had a water filtration system and a fancier model, I might would, but I despise lime build-up and spots and I have fiesta and stainles, so we do it by hand. I think the strangest things I’ve dishwashed are ballcaps. It’s extremely effective. I haven’t melted anything in there.
    I don’t have a junk drawer, but I have messier ones — hardware drawer, a batteries drawer, a medicine drawer, and an office supply drawer. The contents are defined, but they aren’t tidy, per se. I don’t have them all arranged in little compartments or anything like that.

    Liked by 1 person

    • joey, I’ve washed LL Bean canvas totes in the washing machine and they got clean, but were wrinkled afterward. If you figure out how to clean your baskets, I’ll be interested in knowing how you did it. I doubt that a dishwasher will work with them, but if it cleans ballcaps, who knows?

      So what you’re telling me is that you have less than tidy drawers around the house that have the potential of going full junk drawer but as of yet aren’t living up to that potential. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      • I reckon if anyone scattered batteries, hardware, or office supplies throughout the drawers — one false move and a junk drawer would be created! 😛

        I’ll let you know about the canvas.

        Liked by 1 person

  46. To answer your questions:

    1. Yes though I can’t remember because it wasn’t important.

    2. My husband’s antique parking meter lamp when it got jammed and I thought I could take it apart and fix a jam and…couldn’t. (Oh…not good.)

    3. I have two. One in the kitchen and one in the mud room. The one in the mud room is *supposed* to be a well organized utility type drawer but SOME people who shall remain nameless just throw things there all willy-nilly.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Katie, I’m sure I’ve melted other things in the dishwasher but like you said, they weren’t important and didn’t make an impression like this object. Sorry about the lamp. Good intention, of course– gone sideways. I like your two junk drawer system, but without the cooperation of SOME people, whatcha gonna do?

      Like

  47. Question 1 is assuredly a yes although my kids are far more likely to murder plasticware now that they do dishwasher duty. For heaven’s sake how many times does a mom have to say GLASS AND PLASTIC IS TOP RACK ONLY!!
    I’ve tried organizing my junk drawer but have a feeling that will work out much better once it’s just me & the hubby living here.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, I find that I forget most of my dishwasher mishaps, being that they really don’t matter in the scheme of things. But this one, with the most perfectly misshapen former square, is one to remember. I bet you’re right and once you’re an empty nester your junk drawer will be a thing to behold. Now there’s a goal…

      Like

    • Erica/Erika, I thought that everything was dishwasher safe, too. Obviously it isn’t. I tackled the junk drawer because I was bored with our gray wet weather. You’re right, it was the last thing on the list to do.

      Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.