DEAR ABBY: Please settle a difference of opinion between my wife and me.
My wife is a wonderful housekeeper. We have a dishwasher -- me. I claim that rinsing the dishes in hot water and air-drying them is preferable to wiping them with a dish towel, which is usually damp after use and therefore a source of bacteria.
We will abide by your decision. -- ROBERT IN ORLANDO
DEAR ROBERT: It may be that your wife -- the perfect housekeeper -- finds the sight of air-drying dishes on the counter objectionable. However, I see nothing wrong with air-drying dishes after they have been washed. And there are some elegant chrome baskets for that purpose that are meant to be displayed. But once dry, the dishes and flatware should be promptly put away.