Intense debate about how to properly stack the household dishwasher is an issue which can plague families and couples, inevitably erupting at every meal time.

According to The Sunday Times, a number of leading companies in the dishwasher industry are trying to incorporate into their designs the need to avoid arguments as tempers flare around “dishwasher etiquette”.

Miele’s Zoe Carter said: “It comes up time and again in our discussions. It’s definitely something we focus on in terms of general useability.”

Valerie Posner, a home appliance manager at Bosch, says that her company strive to “put an end to dishwashing dramas” by endeavouring to make the process of loading the dishwasher “as hassle free as possible.”

Bosch have created a spoof character “Dalia the dishwashing marriage counsellor” who tells customers: “If ruining plastic containers has plagued your marriage, Bosch has the solution.”

Studies frequently record that arguments revolving around dishwashers are consistently the most common disputes within marriages. A study by Bosch found that more than 40 per cent of Americans fight about loading the dishwasher.

In January, academics at the University of Birmingham proclaimed that they had found the perfect formulae for how dishwashers should be stacked. They concluded that the best approach is to pack your crockery in a circle around the cutlery basket.