# The eternal kitchen debate glasses/cups up or down



## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Just back from SA and the place we rented had ALL cups and glasses carefully parked rim down.

Now me I put them up figuring the state of the shelf is far worse than anything airborne.

I suppose there is some case if you were going away for a long time to invert them.

Thoughts??


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

Me down my GF up. I notice up and put them down. She notices down and...


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Rim down, always. Just an habit I've always had. Doesn't take much effort to keep the shelves clean, eh? And the effort is well worth it, considering the effect on the psyche of finding a dessicated dead fly or spider floating in your freshly poured glass of water or mug of coffee.


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## imactheknife (Aug 7, 2003)

habit I got into years back....Rim down always...dust mites?


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Rim down to keep airborne crap out and makes mugs easier to stack.


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## madgunde (Mar 10, 2006)

Rim up here. Used to be RIM down, but then someone pointed out that the part that touches the shelf is the part you put your mouth on. Given that most people don't disinfect their shelves, or even clean them more than once or twice a year, I thought that made sense. Also, if the cup/glass isn't completely dry, it will take longer to dry as the moisture will be trapped, also increasing the chances of bacteria/mildew forming.

I suppose if my house has problems with spiders or flies, I might reconsider.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Depends on the glass.

Delicate crystal glasses should never ever be store with the rim down. There is enough pressure (because the rim is so fine) to actually crack the glass.
Regular glasses I also store 'rim up', but they are all in an enclosed cabinet with glass doors and get used every day, so the dust whatever theory doesn't really apply.

What about when you set the table - do you put the glasses on the table in the same way (up or down) as they are stored?


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## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

krs said:


> What about when you set the table - do you put the glasses on the table in the same way (up or down) as they are stored?


We need another thread / poll for that one.


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## Thom (May 10, 2005)

If it is an open shelf.. open ot airborne dust fo the room.. rim up
If it is a closed cupboard (with a door)... rim up


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## mrjimmy (Nov 8, 2003)

Thom said:


> If it is an open shelf.. open ot airborne dust fo the room.. rim up
> If it is a closed cupboard (with a door)... rim up


So basically you're saying rim up?


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

MacDoc, as logic dictates, Northern Hemisphere = cups up, Southern Hemisphere = cups down. End of debate. Next question.


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Both.

Glasses rim down.
Cups rim up.

No idea why, it's just the way it is.


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## krs (Mar 18, 2005)

Sonal said:


> Both.
> 
> Glasses rim down.
> Cups rim up.


Missed that you asked about cups as well.

Rim uo for cups of course!
When I need a coffee fix I need it *now*; no time to flip the cup around first. The cup comes flying out of the cupboard and I pour.


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

*The 'Timmy" factor.*

*Rim down* except in "roll up the rim to win" season - then cups won't stand straight after, umh, rolling up the rim so those cups get *rim up*.


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## winwintoo (Nov 9, 2004)

I don't care what you do with cups and glasses, but the toilet paper better be coming off the top or the roll )

Margaret


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

winwintoo said:


> I don't care what you do with cups and glasses, but the toilet paper better be coming off the top or the roll )
> 
> Margaret


OK... in my time I've been accused (many times  ) of non-squiter conversational leaps, but...... 

How did we get from cups to toilet paper?  Sounds like a result of some life-changing experience...


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## Cameo (Aug 3, 2004)

for the rim up theory - what about the dust falling off the bottom of the shelf above - dust sticks everywhere, not just on top of things. I keep rim down cause I know I wash my shelves and nothing but glasses get put into those cupboards anyhow. Do not want bugs crawling in. We all know where flies land.


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## zoziw (Jul 7, 2006)

My parents always put the rim down.

My wife always puts the rim up.

I personally don't care.


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## MLeh (Dec 23, 2005)

Rim down, except for fine crystal & china.

I wipe out the cupboards on a regular basis, and have shelf liner paper, ftw.


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## Sonal (Oct 2, 2003)

Oh yes--the crystal, the wine glasses and the pilsner glasses are always rim up.


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## winwintoo (Nov 9, 2004)

rgray said:


> OK... in my time I've been accused (many times  ) of non-squiter conversational leaps, but......
> 
> How did we get from cups to toilet paper?  Sounds like a result of some life-changing experience...


I've started using pickle jars instead of fine china or crystal, so it doesn't really matter how they're stored   

But the whole debate twanged another nerve and I vented without respect to the subject of this thread. Sorry.

Margaret


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## MaxPower (Jan 30, 2003)

Rim Down. Keeps the crap out.


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## TheBat (Feb 11, 2005)

I don't know why the hell I read all the way to page 3! Do I care which way the glass is? Apparently, deep down in my subconscious, I do care. 

Our house is a rim up house. We collect flies to feed to the pet tarantula. Especially ones that have been re-hydrated with expensive wine.


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## Trose (Feb 17, 2005)

Rim up at home, rim down at our townhouse that we go to on weekends.


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## adagio (Aug 23, 2002)

At home in Toronto I put my glasses any way I feel like. Since I've been living in Costa Rica those glasses and mugs definitely go rim down. I swear they invented bugs in this country and I've had everything from tiny things the size of a pin head to tarantulas the size of my hand crawling around my home. I don't need any surprises when I take a glass or mug out of the cupboard.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

I said earlier rim down but need to clairfy that the good glassware goes rim up for safety. They get cleaned and polished for use anyway. Day to day stuff is rim down in the cupboard.


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## guytoronto (Jun 25, 2005)

When filled with beer, the rim touches my lips.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

The "touching the shelf/touching my lips" thing is as straightforward as all bacterial issues are, whether it's your hands or your dishes.

You remove "bugs" by washing with soap which mixes with both water and oils, and acts as an emulsifier, suspending them off the surface and allowing them to be carried from the surface of whatever you want to keep clean, usually but not always by water.

But, having washed them away, the ones that stay behind for whatever reason are still there. Since one reason is you simply can't carry them all off no matter what you do, you have to deal with part two, which is killing the ones that are left.

We do that by removing moisture, which is what they need to survive. Once your hands are dry, the bugs die, and if you don't dry your hands, the bugs live.

Washing your hands without drying them is only slightly better than not washing them at all, and if they stay wet long enough, forget about the "almost".

A dry shelf is unlikely to have much in the way of bacteria, just like we are unlikely to be living in a methane atmosphere.

As for your dishes; if you dry them before putting them away then down is probably the best (eliminates airborne and crawling risks) and if you don't, I guess you had better be storing them rim up. But in any case, wet dishes in the cupboard is a bad idea, stored rim up or not, and dry dishes allows us to store them the way we like and to stop worrying about it so much.

I use wooden cutting boards (not plastic, which hold tiny grooves of moisture and bacteria), I like naturally antibacterial metals like brass (or if you can afford it, silver) cabinet and door hardware, and use the microwave to sanitize the wet dish cloth and plastic scouring pad for 2 minutes on high (must be wet; dry will probably lead to a fire of some kind).

I don't like antibacterial soaps or cleaning products because we need to expose ourselves to good bacteria to stay healthy and some bad bacteria to keep our immune systems in top shape. But the bathroom and kitchen can harbour bugs that are dangerous and therefore need to be kept in check.


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## singingcrow (May 6, 2005)

I like them down except for glasses (dust and crap), but A couple of years ago I decided I had to learn to live with people and took in a roommate who preferred them up!!!  At first I thought "Grrrrr. How can I convert this ignorant idiot!!!" but after a couple months I realised I needed to let it go and pick my battles. In other words my way is not necessarily the right way. I admit that my way consists of not only must they be down (I have no delicate stuff) but they must be aligned with the same type of glasses / cups with the same. I'm proud to say... my glass cupboard is now a montage of what it use to be and I feel no pain.


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