Gleaming clean

Well, after a few minutes with a nice, clean towel, anyway. That's what it takes me to wipe the gradoo that our dishwasher leaves on everything it "cleans."

Maybe my mild case of OCD ought to be happy. I mean, I've always heavily rinsed things (OK, washed them pretty well) before I've put them in the dishwasher. But now, clap-hands fun, I get to pull out a fresh white flour-sack towel every time I open a "clean" load and buff out each of the bits of residue that our dishwasher leaves behind.

It is the one worst purchase we made -- the LG dishwasher, hungry as I was for a piece of European technology at a good price. Only the price was good. The dishwasher certainly wasn't.

Every time I open it and look at the crap sticking to everything or fogging over the finishes, I rocket back to my pathetic times at Scout camp, and the bark from Mr. Stout, our troop leader, when I held up an egg-crusted fork in disgust:

"It's been through the damn dishwasher. It's sterile. Use it."

Who knew they made LG's back then? And pity I hadn't packed extra towels in my rucksack.