If one partner cooks, should the other do the dishes?
Guilty
The short answer
Yes. The person who did not cook cleans up, unless the cook used every pot in the kitchen, which the court considers separately.
The ruling
From the public record. Names are replaced with roles.
Small claims division
Case no.PC-2026-00697
The partner who cooked v. The partner who skipped the dishes
Filed 10/07/2026
- Plaintiff
- The partner who cooked
- Defendant
- The partner who skipped the dishes
Statement of claim
I made dinner. We ate. My partner said he was too tired to do the dishes and went to bed. The pans were still there in the morning.
Charge
Declining post-dinner dish duty after the plaintiff cooked, on grounds of tiredness
Judgment
Guilty
Partner found guilty of eating dinner and leaving the pans for the cook
Sentence
The defendant will do the dishes after each of the next three dinners the plaintiff cooks, before going to bed.
How the court usually rules on this
The court applies the cook-and-clean rule by default. It makes an exception for excessive cooking, where a simple dinner used seven pots, and then shares the dishes. The rule applies in both directions, and the court has found cooks guilty for leaving the stove dirty.
Related rulings
Trending rulings
What people are judging right now.
- Who should pay on a first date?Guilty · Money
- Who controls the thermostat when couples disagree?Both at fault · Couples
- Who should buy toilet paper in a shared apartment?Guilty · Roommates
- Who should get up to turn off the light in bed?Both at fault · Couples