Hand-washing dishes

[Johnny L.A.]

Roomie fills the sink with water and soap and lets the dishes soak. She goes back later to scrub and rinse. This can leave oily residue on the dishes (especially plastic containers). I wash each thing separately under hot running water. This is wasteful, but there is never any residue and I know the dishes are very clean. A friend's Peruvian wife washes dishes in cold water. WTF? How does that work?

How do you hand-wash your dishes?

[Roderick Femm]

We wash under running water, like you do. This is largely because my partner is Japanese, and I think that's the way they do it.

When I was a little'un, my sister and I had to wash and dry the dishes, and we washed and rinsed in a double sink. In one side was the clean (at the beginning) soapy water and the other side was where we rinsed (I think we rinsed under running cold water, but I'm not sure). There was a strict order of washing: glasses first, then plates and silverware, then pots and pans. This way the glassware, plates and silverware would be cleaner, and the pots and pans could be scrubbed, with more soap if necessary, to get clean.

By the way, we have a new dishwasher, but we never use it. I don't know why.


Roddy

[ZipperJJ]

When I start I put hot soapy water in a dish pan and let the silverware and cooking utensils soak. I wash the cups first, dunking them in the water, rinsing in hot water then putting on the dish drainer.

Then the plastic stuff, then the plates and bowls, then finally the big stuff. All washed under the soapy water and rinsed by themselves in the hot water from the tap.

Of course, this works best if you have two sink wells, or one huge one.

[Johnny L.A.]

Originally Posted by Roderick Femm

By the way, we have a new dishwasher, but we never use it. I don't know why.

Dad had a built-in dishwasher, but he never used it. He said it didn't get the dishes clean enough. (I learned to do dishes from dad -- but he wouldn't let anyone else do dishes.)

[DCnDC]

• Scrape out and rinse all items to be washed
• Apply liquid detergent directly to sponge
• Wipe dirty dishes with soapy sponge
• Rinse soapy dishes
• Dry wet dishes with dish towel
• Return dishes to cupboard

[KneadToKnow]

Back when I used to hand-wash dishes, my routine was to fill one side of the sink with hot*, soapy water, put all the flatware in the bottom of it to be soaking, then wash the glassware, rinse that on the other side under hot*, clean water, wash any plastic utensils, rinse, wash plates, bowls, etc., rinse, wash pots, pans, etc., rinse, and finally, wash and rinse the utensils.



* I cannot tolerate much hot water, so would guess that "hot" here is temps <= 110^oF.

[gallows fodder]

I wash under running hot water, one item at a time. My dad soaps up all the dishes first using a trickle of water, and then rinses each item and puts it on the rack to dry. The "rack" is the dishwasher. The dishwasher has always been fully functional -- he just never used it -- and I've grown up to do the same. I couldn't even tell you rationally why I don't use the dishwasher, since I understand it's less water-wasteful and requires less effort than washing the way I do, but I find the dishwasher daunting.

[Taomist]

Soaking in hot soapy water, scrub and rinse under warm-hot water.
Our landlady does not want us to install a dishwasher, or get the one that is here, but broken, fixed. I have no problem ignoring her and getting one anyway but hubby is worried she'd kick us out. Guess who does the most dishes...

[thelurkinghorror]

Hate, hate, hate hand washing. Dishwasher generally is more water-efficient and easier. Hand washing takes forever and I find it gross and messy. I don't soak when I do, just scrub.

[Mangetout]

I wash by hand in a plastic bowl of very hot water with detergent after scraping and initial cursory rinsing, then rinse the soap off by pouring hot clear water over the racked items, then either leave to.air dry or wipe with a clean dish towel.

I definitely use less water than a dishwasher.

[elfkin477]

Fill one side of the sink with water as hot as I can stand it. Wash each plate, then, holding said plate over the empty sink, rinse it under running water. I don't like to hand wash dishes, partly because it's a sucky chore, and partly because I'm convinced that they don't get as clean as they do via dishwasher.

Originally Posted by Mangetout

I definitely use less water than a dishwasher.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. There was a study last year that showed that using a dishwasher used about 1/2 as much water as any common hand washing method.

[Joey P]

If I'm actually hand washing dishes, I rinse off what I can, wipe them with a soapy sponge, rinse them with water and put them aside to drip/air dry. But in practice I just use the dishwasher.

If you really wanted to do it properly, here's the correct way.
You'll need a 4 bay sink.
Bay 1: Empty, (pre) rinse off the big stuff here. This would be the bay with the disposal.
Bay 2: Filled with hot soapy water, soak/scrub here.
Bay 3: Rinse off soap here or keep filled with clean water and dip dishes here to remove soap, change water as necessary.
Bay 4: Sanitize here: Sink filled with water and sanitizer (100ppm Bleach IIRC)
Finally, put dishes on a rack to air dry. Never towel dry as that can cause cross contamination either from the towel or from something that wasn't cleaned well to everything else.

Also, we have a rule at work. Knives NEVER EVER get 'soaked' or otherwise should be underwater for any reason ever. It's too easy for someone to reach in to start washing dishes and grab the business end of one of them and wind up with a nasty cut. Happened to someone about 20 years ago and we haven't let it happen since, not once.

Joey P, ServSafe Certified
Joey P, just remembered he has to get recertified in the next 2.5 months.

[j666]

I use a dish pan; I soak the dishes for about as long as it takes to wipe down the counters and table. I use the hottest water possible and wear gloves. I rinse in hot water because the dishes dry faster, though I have read cold water removes soap better. If I ever notice any grease residue in the dish pan, I scrub it out with a Comet-type product.

Plastic is annoying because it has to be washed first in the cleanest water, but you can't put it in the bottom of the strainer. And it never completely air dries. Dishwashers aren't any better because at least one container is flipped over by the water and you end up dumping the water off the clean dishes.

Originally Posted by elfkin477

I wouldn't be so sure of that. There was a study last year that showed that using a dishwasher used about 1/2 as much water as any common hand washing method.

I would like to see that study, because the last time I checked, dishwasher only use less water if they are completely filled and the water is left running the whole time with the hand washing.

[amarone]

I fill all the things to be washed with hot water and small amount of whatever-you-call-the-soap-used-for-dishes. Then I clean each with a sponge, with no water running. Then I rinse them all. I reckon this method minimizes water usage.

I worked in a butcher's shop as a teenager and was taught o wash in the hottest water I could stand, but soak in cold water.

[Cat Whisperer]

I've started hand-washing more than using the dishwasher - I don't mind it at all. I usually wash the dishes that I've had soaking with water in them (not a full sink) while supper is cooking. I drain the soaking water out, put hot water in the sink with detergent, wash them, then rinse them in hot water and air dry in a strainer in the second sink. I'll sometimes wash just a few dishes with the sponge with the detergent in the handle and running water.

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by elfkin477

I wouldn't be so sure of that. There was a study last year that showed that using a dishwasher used about 1/2 as much water as any common hand washing method.

I measured it when this topic came up before. I use a maximum of 6 litres for a big family dinner for 4 people. That's including all rinsing. How much does a dishwasher use?

[sandra_nz]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

I measured it when this topic came up before. I use a maximum of 6 litres for a big family dinner for 4 people. That's including all rinsing. How much does a dishwasher use?

10 litres, according to this article. And it says 'as little as 10 litres', indicating many dishwashers use more than that.

[Maserschmidt]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

10 litres, according to this article. And it says 'as little as 10 litres', indicating many dishwashers use more than that.

Though realistically even small dishwashers will hold more than what results from "a big family meal for four", so it's not a direct comparison.

We wash by hand. I researched dishwashers a few years ago and found that when people wanted to prove they were more efficient they generally could (see example above; and my wife even did it to prove the point). And while I don't think that's realistic - people often run water while washing, and sometimes sink water sits and has to be refilled - I don't care so much. When we remodel the kitchen we'll likely add a dishwasher for resale value, but in general we're fine doing it by hand.

[Mangetout]

Sure, but do people typically fill them right up before running them? I'd need extra plates etc to be able to do that.

I'd be interested to see these studies that people keep talking about. They don't ring true to me.

[Joey P]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

10 litres, according to this article. And it says 'as little as 10 litres', indicating many dishwashers use more than that.

I've always try not to get too hung up on the amount of water I use. My back of the envelope (read, Windows Calculator) math says 10 liters is about 7¢. Running the dishwasher every single day would cost about $25 per year. If you could save half of that, it would save you about $1 per month. I'd be surprised if there was even a significant savings in the amount of energy it takes to heat the water.

Also, looking at the first dishwasher I found on Google, one cycle is 1.28kwh. At my rate that's 9¢.

So, if we say it uses 10 liters of water that's 7¢ + 9¢ to run it that puts us at 16¢ per cycle plus the heat for the incoming water.

For me, that's worth it, personally.

It reminds me of when I tried the whole "if it's brown" thing. When I did the math I found that by NOT flushing the toilet 3 times per day I saved $3.30 per year. Yeah, for the smell and how dirty the toilet got, less then one cent per day wasn't worth it. Long story, short. Water's cheap. There's better ways to save money.

[papergirl]

My method is a little different. Perhaps it speaks to my tendency to get distracted. (I refer to this as "multitasking.")
1. Keep sink plugged. As I cook, fill sink with silverware, plates/bowls, cups, in that order. (We use only dessert-sized plates, and mugs instead of glasses, so it fits nicely.) Rearrange as necessary.
2. When sink starts getting a little full, fill with hot soapy water. Keep adding dishes. If necessary, wash a few to make room for more.
3. Put pots/skillets in other sink and fill them with hot soapy water as well.
4. (This is the distraction part.) Go vacuum. Put dogs in and out. Remember to fold laundry. Sit down and rest for a few minutes. Forgot coffee! Made some, and NOW sit down and rest for a few minutes. Call Mom for a chat. Feed everyone now that dinner is finished.
5. Notice sink now full of cold soapy water, dishes, and pots/pans.
6. Drain water, pour out pots/pans, soak scrubby sponge with hot water and a squirt of dish soap, and commence washing.
7. Fill dish drainer with rinsed dishes. Lay out small towel on counter and put extra stuff on that.
8. Put stuff away.
These steps do not necessarily take place on the same day, mind you. Although most days I do dishes more than once, there always seems to be a sinkful left over when I'm done. It's very mysterious.

[Johnny L.A.]

A couple of replies from people who do dishes while cooking. Interesting. I'll occasionally do dishes while water comes to the boil or when I cook bacon, but generally I like to have all of the dishes done before cooking. Often (to the amusement of my roommate) I'll wash dishes right after eating.

One time there were dishes sitting in luke-warm water in the sink. I thought I'd finish them for her, and also try out this 'soak a while and then rinse' idea. It turned out that I took the dishes from the water, and then washed them under hot running water in the other half of the sink as usual. For such a slovenly person as myself, I'm surprisingly picky about how I do dishes.

[papergirl]

On cooking days, I tend to cook for large chunks of time--a few hours, generally. And since I "multitask", I have lots going on...soup and quick breads and what the hell, maybe some party mix while I'm in the kitchen. Lot of chopping, measuring, using various bowls and cutting boards--so things tend to build up. I have a small kitchen so if I don't keep up with what I'm getting dirty, I get overwhelmed or run out of items I need.
Usually I do start with an empty sink, but I never seem to have an empty one when I'm finished. There's always plenty of food, though.

[Jophiel]

When I was younger, I used to do the "bath" method but, since getting married, she does the "shower" method and I've gotten used to it as well. Personally, I think the bath does better with some stuff but, as long as my dishes look and feel clean, I don't sweat the details.

We just buy cheap plastic and treat it as ultimately disposable (about once a year I hit the point where it takes me longer than a two minutes to find a matching lid and I say "screw it" and drop $15 on new plastic containers) so I don't worry about it too much. Should it get stained or oily, it just gets pitched once I decide it's too stained or oily for me to use.

[LouisB]

I always hand wash; don't have a dishwasher. I fill one side of sink with very hot water and allow dishes to soak until I can stand to put my hands in the water. I moved scrubbed dishes to the other side of sink and rinse under very hot running water. I put rinsed dishes into drainer rack and wait until they are dry and then put them away.

[Johnny L.A.]

Originally Posted by Jophiel

We just buy cheap plastic and treat it as ultimately disposable

Roomie says for the amount of energy (physical, water, and electricity) I use washing the Glad and Zip-Loc containers, I could replace them each time.

I just did some dishes. Fifteen seconds to wash a fork, 13 to wash each of the spoons.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Joey P

I've always try not to get too hung up on the amount of water I use. My back of the envelope (read, Windows Calculator) math says 10 liters is about 7¢. Running the dishwasher every single day would cost about $25 per year. If you could save half of that, it would save you about $1 per month. I'd be surprised if there was even a significant savings in the amount of energy it takes to heat the water.

Also, looking at the first dishwasher I found on Google, one cycle is 1.28kwh. At my rate that's 9¢.

So, if we say it uses 10 liters of water that's 7¢ + 9¢ to run it that puts us at 16¢ per cycle plus the heat for the incoming water.

For me, that's worth it, personally.

It reminds me of when I tried the whole "if it's brown" thing. When I did the math I found that by NOT flushing the toilet 3 times per day I saved $3.30 per year. Yeah, for the smell and how dirty the toilet got, less then one cent per day wasn't worth it. Long story, short. Water's cheap. There's better ways to save money.

It's not just about the money, though - I live in a semi-arid area, and water is a valuable resource that I try not to waste.

Originally Posted by Jophiel

<snip> Should it get stained or oily, it just gets pitched once I decide it's too stained or oily for me to use.

I try to use the stained stuff for tomato-based stuff (since that is usually how it got stained in the first place).

[KidScruffy]

Originally Posted by Johnny L.A.

Often (to the amusement of my roommate) I'll wash dishes right after eating.

When I lived in a house with 3 roommates, the rule was that no dishes were allowed to be in the sink ever. That meant washing dishes (using running water, obviously) everytime they were used, and the system worked quite well.

[papergirl]

Originally Posted by KidScruffy

When I lived in a house with 3 roommates, the rule was that no dishes were allowed to be in the sink ever. That meant washing dishes (using running water, obviously) everytime they were used, and the system worked quite well.

This is not a bad idea. I've used two versions over the years of raising kids:
1. When I had a husband and two tweens: I put away all the dishes except one place setting for each person. YOUR plate, cup, etc, had your name on the bottom of it, and it was up to YOU to keep it clean. This worked pretty well--if dishes piled up, at least there weren't many of them.
2. When there were 3 late-teens, 2 adults, and 2 smalls in the house--and we had a dishwasher which no one ever bothered putting their dishes in: I strapped duct tape over both sinks and added a sign informing everyone that dishes were to go in the dishwasher. That worked pretty well too.
Now there's just 3 of us, and we have a hit-or-miss kind of method. Everyone pitches in and I haven't had to do anything too radical.

Hmm. I spend a lot of time thinking about cooking and dishes recently.

[Taomist]

Re: the sharp instruments in the water: I wash in one sink and rinse in the other, under running water. So I toss the sharp stuff into the rinsiing sink so they'll get the benefit of the hot running water; then I just dip them into the soapy stuff and scrub, rinse again...no cut fingers this way, whoohoo!

[rhubarbarin]

Didn't read posts beyond the OP, but combining the listed methods is the best and least wasteful option. Quick pre-rinse with hot water to get most grease/food off, fill sink once with soap to soak and scrub, drain and fill sink again with clean, very hot water for a soak rinse. Once for regular dishes, again for pots etc with residue.

This is a lot easier if you have a double sink. I don't. I do have a plastic dish tub that can hold dishes in between cleaning steps.

[Balthisar]

Originally Posted by Johnny L.A.

A friend's Peruvian wife washes dishes in cold water. WTF? How does that work?

How do you hand-wash your dishes?

This weekend, it was with cold water. The water heating machine isn't heating water, so it also meant cold showers.

My wife washes with running water. I typically fill the sink. Neither of us uses the dishwasher, unless we've been entertaining and have a lot of dishes.

Edit: when I fill the sink, grease isn't a problem. I don't let things soak; there's usually no need. In cases where I need something to soak (invariably a pan of some sort), I fill it with enough soapy water and let it soak. Otherwise it just gets in the way if I leave it in the basin.

[medstar]

When I finally decide to wash dishes, I fill the dish tub with hot water, a shot of dishwashing liquid, and a small amount of washing soda or baking soda (which dislodges more grease). I wait about five minutes, angle the faucet out of the dish tub, and rinse each piece as I finish scrubbing, then I stack items in the dish drainer. I hate washing dishes.

[Johnny L.A.]

After cooking dinner (catfish and collard greens) and eating dinner (same), roomie started the dishes. Since the water was nice and hot, I went in after she retired to the living room and finished them. I scrubbed in her water and rinsed in hot water in the small side of the sink. Less water used, dishes have no residue.

Not that I'm going to change.

[Farmer Jane]

I always rinse my dishes when I put them in the sink. No gunky build-up.

Then they go into the dishwasher. It's my son's chore, actually. He puts them in every night and it is run every few days.

After that, I put them away.

zing

[loshan]

I use the "shower" method and air dry.
I cook and clean up 3 meals a day for anywhere from 3 to 7 people and the dishwasher takes too long and is annoyingly LOUD.
I don't worry about wasting water since we have well water and the gray water around here gets used for lawn irrigation.

My mom and I were just talking about this a few days ago. She lives in West Texas and told me she has drastically changed her dishwashing to use as little water as possible and is even putting buckets in the shower to have water to keep her shrubs/trees alive through the drought.

[Guinastasia]

Originally Posted by thelurkinghorror

Hate, hate, hate hand washing. Dishwasher generally is more water-efficient and easier. Hand washing takes forever and I find it gross and messy. I don't soak when I do, just scrub.

I would kill for a dishwasher, but unfortunately, there's no room in our kitchen, so we do it the old-fashioned way. So it's either me or my mom washing dishes.

I just use hot water, and wear rubber gloves so I don't burn my hands (it also has the added benefit of not drying out my skin!). I only soak pots or casserole dishes that have a lot of caked on stuff. I'll put a lot of soap and hot water in them and set them aside, and then scrub them the next day -- the pots with those steel wool soap pads. (I love those things!)

I rinse the soap off before I put them in the drainer, and stack 'em up. Sometimes I dry them right away, sometimes I don't.


I'm extremely anal about washing dishes. Not too long ago I was at my grandmother's and I was drying dishes while my aunt was washing. She got royally pissed at me because I kept passing them back to her. (Hello, they still had food on them, Auntie!)

[Roderick Femm]

Originally Posted by Johnny L.A.

Dad had a built-in dishwasher, but he never used it. He said it didn't get the dishes clean enough. (I learned to do dishes from dad -- but he wouldn't let anyone else do dishes.)

That's not it. The dishwasher does a much better job than we do. We just ... don't use it.


Roddy

[VOW]

I demand a dishwasher at every place of residence. I practically pre-wash the dishes before placing them in the DW, because I haven't yet found a DW or dishwasher detergent that will clean up the cruddy dishes like they show on TV. For those greasy plastic dishes, I rub a bit of "Dawn" or comparable dishwashing liquid on the greasy surfaces, and they end up nice.

Here's why I'm so demanding:

Hubster and I got married 37 years ago. Our first home was in a tiny apartment in Wildflecken, Germany, where he was stationed with the Army. The German apartment had a separate hot water heater for every faucet. The bathroom sink had an electric heater that ran constantly. The bathtub had a heater that used oil, and you had to light the heater about a half hour before you took your bath.

The kitchen sink was a Barbie doll-sized deal. It had a large faucet that produced only cold water, and above that, there was a 5-liter reservoir heated by an electric element. Before washing dishes, you filled up the reservoir and pushed a button. Fifteen, twenty minutes later, you had hot water.

I discovered that the reservoir really wasn't big enough to do both washing and rinsing duties.

My method was to fill up an extra dutch oven with water from the big tap, and heat it on the stove. I'd also fill the reservoir and get that heating. Once the water on the stove was boiling, I was in business. Playtex gloves were mandatory.

I'd wash dishes in the dutch oven, and then rinse them with the hot water from the reservoir.

Thanksgiving dinner aftermath was a nightmare.

Once we left Wildflecken, I informed Hubster, "I WILL have a dishwasher wherever we live, from now on."


~VOW

[Hermitian]

Originally Posted by thelurkinghorror

Hate, hate, hate hand washing. Dishwasher generally is more water-efficient and easier. Hand washing takes forever and I find it gross and messy.

This. Life is too short to spend time washing dishes.

[perfectparanoia]

Originally Posted by Roderick Femm

<snip>
There was a strict order of washing: glasses first, then plates and silverware, then pots and pans. This way the glassware, plates and silverware would be cleaner, and the pots and pans could be scrubbed, with more soap if necessary, to get clean.

I am surprised that Roddy here is the only one who mentioned this.

When I do dishes by hand (which is rare since I hate doing dishes) the algorithm is:

1. fill anything really dirty with soapy water and set it beside the sink to soak.
2. fill sink with as hot as you can stand it water
3. wash glasses then cutlery then plates then relatively clean pots*
4. give the really dirty items a quick swipe and dump the water into the drain of the second sink
5. scrub and clean dirty items*

* Note that I do not rinse things. A little soap never hurt anyone.

Aside: we have a rule that no dishes go in the sink. They either go in the dishwasher (if it is not currently running), in the spot on the counter where dishwasher safe items go (if it is currently running) or in the spot on the counter where hand wash items go. Dishes in the sink annoy the heck out of me. I use the sink all the time (to wash my hands, get a glass of water, rinse veggies when I am cooking) and reaching in to get damp dishes that have been sitting there squicks me out.

[Guinastasia]

Originally Posted by perfectparanoia

2. fill sink with as hot as you can stand it water

As I said before, get rubber gloves. Then you don't even have to adjust the water temp.

[thirdwarning]

Every dish that needs it gets scraped, so all grease and food residue goes right into the garbage.
Dishes go into the dishpan; plates standing to the left side, bowls and mugs in the middle, flatware on the right/bottom.
Fill the dishpan with hot water with a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Start washing as the water starts running, so by the time the dishpan is full most of the plates are done. Plates, then bowls, then glasses and mugs, then flatware. Wash with the scrubby sponge, then put into the rack in the other side of the double sink. They go in that order because that's the way they fit best into the rack. (The flatware goes into a separate holder.) Any casserole or glass baking dish comes next, and if the water is still good enough and the rack still has room, pans come last.
Air dry.

The whole washing process takes less than fifteen minutes, and the puttting away after they dry takes about three.

[Dereknocue67]

Wash dishes? Why?

I just use my fingers to scoop the food from the can directly to my mouth. When the can's empty, lick fingers one more time and I'm good!

[bump]

Generally speaking, I only hand wash what won't fit in the dishwasher, either because it's full, the item in question is awkwardly sized, or hand-wash only.

Generally speaking, it's more of a size issue; we have a couple of cutting boards and stock pots that won't fit in the dishwasher very well, so they don't fit terrifically in the sink either.

The usual procedure is to soap them up with a very soapy sponge on the right side of the dishwasher, then rinse using the sprayer with lukewarm or cold water on the other side of the sink.

If I have a bunch of silverware, glasses or other small things that I'd usually put in the dishwasher, I load up the right side of the sink with warm/hot soapy water, then put the dishes in, and start scrubbing; as I scrub, I rinse on the left side with lukewarm water, and towel dry. At the end of the scrubbing, there's nothing left in the soapy water.

[drewtwo99]

I almost never fill the sink with hot water for soaking. I usually just wash the dishes with tepid-warm water and a soapy sponge, making sure I really rinse thoroughly.

I use the dishwasher for the bulk of the dishes these days, and clean pots/pans and such by hand.

Washing the dishes in greasy, dirty water and not rinsing them well enough is super gross.