No one likes doing the dishes, but the tedious chore is made much easier when using a dishwasher. However, an alarming amount of people have reported that their dishwashers can actually make the job harder because they don't properly fit their dishes.
And that’s where Twitter user Mike McLoughlin (@zuroph) comes in.
Back in January, McLoughlin made an observation about his dishwasher that would change the way he does dishes forever. For a decade, the Irishman thought that the bottom rack of his washer simply was too small for his large dinner plates. Then he made an amazing discovery:
\u201cI moved into this house in 2008. It always annoyed me that the lower level of the dishwasher wasn\u2019t tall enough to fit my biggest dinner plates. Been handwashing them all this time. This week I discovered you can raise the upper shelf and all my plates fit fine. TEN FUCKING YEARS\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
The tweet went totally viral, and was shared over 14,000 times. He even tweeted a picture to show just how much he could fit in the dishwasher now that he knows the racks are adjustable:
\u201cFor those who asked, the workhorse of a dishwasher that\u2019s lasted somewhere between 10-15 years is an Izzi by Zanussi @electrolux. The wheels sometimes pop off but hopefully we\u2019ll get another year out of it\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
The “hack” (is it still called a hack if the appliance is doing what it is supposed to be doing?) blew people's minds:
\u201c@zuroph 18 YEARS! I've had mine 18 years and only just realised! I used to lie the plates down so they would wash! I'm raging and ecstatic all at the same time. Do you have any other helpful hints about how to live life efficiently?!\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201cThe magic of twitter. 5 years of confusion about why my dishwasher was the only one on the planet that didn\u2019t fit normal dinner plates. A year of measuring every dinner plate that crossed my path for one that might. Fixed in 30 seconds. @zuroph you are my hero. https://t.co/dYIuXD5Itq\u201d— Lisa Power (@Lisa Power) 1517070654
\u201c@zuroph Omg. This is breaking news to me. I avoid my dinner plates all the time. You\u2019re my kind of genius.\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201c@zuroph Woke up this morning. Saw your tweet. Leapt out of bed and feverishly emptied top rack of dishwasher. Voila! Rack moved up a notch and my dinner plates now fit perfectly! Thank you..it's been five years of frustration..life changing:)\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201c@zuroph @InTheseHeels err, not only you mate. I've been in this house 4 years and didn't realise...\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
But other people were basically like, “seriously, dude?”
\u201c@zuroph Ah Mike, i think all dishwashers do that.\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201c@zuroph @NashBromo Your dishwasher:\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
While a group of others tried to one-up McLoughlin with stories of their own:
\u201c@zuroph Makes 2 years of luke warm showers in my current house before I realised the tap came OUT and left for ultimate hotness. Was such a bittersweet moment. Never thought to ask once.\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201c@zuroph @TimAdamsWrites Haha, brilliant. My car key central locking is dodgy so I've been getting in on passenger side for ages, hauling myself across the handbrake. I paid mechanic \u20ac100 to show me that the problem is solved by putting the key in driver door and turning it. Click!\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
\u201c@zuroph Thats neat but hold my beer\ud83d\ude0e....my friend just found out in 2017 that her kitchen HAD a dishwasher. She thought it was a false cabinet as it was so hard to open. Her niece forced it open and voila instant dishwasher! She owns the property and lived there for 8yrs by then..\ud83d\ude02\u201d— Mike McLoughlin (@Mike McLoughlin) 1517003779
@zuroph @limertilly This is a bit how I felt when I discovered protective film on my fridge, five years after I got it.
— Mme Decadent Sneezy-Bottom 😷💙 (@Mme Decadent Sneezy-Bottom 😷💙) 1517061649
\u201cTry this one on for size. I grew up in anAsian house hold and thought it was only a drying rack until sophmore year of college when my roomate @eddieschneider1 was wondering why I was hand washing dishes. TWENTY FUCKING YEARS\u201d— Jeremy Le (@Jeremy Le) 1532931696
Okay, go on and check your own dishwasher. You know you want to.
This article originally appeared on 08.16.18