# It's a weekend night. You just had a homecooked dinner. When are the dishes getting done? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 2, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708 "2016-05-02T20:30:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/1 "2016-05-02T20:30:14Z")
Just had dinner, no work tomorrow, when are the dishes getting done? I know a lot of us like to clean as we go, but still, there are always going ton be some dishes left. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/2 "2016-05-02T20:35:58Z")
I picked “after on that evening” although it would be closer to immediately. It’s not literally immediately, though. My wife is a big fan of getting everything back to clean and put away as soon as possible, and we have fallen into that habit. I must say, I love getting up the next day and having a clean kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/3 "2016-05-02T20:46:58Z")
I’m big on cleaning as I go, so when I made Italian herb bread and chocolate chip cookies, there was just the mixing bowl in the sink. My son, who made chicken parmesan, parmesan puffs, and tiramasu, not so much. Still, it only took me about 20 minutes to get the dishwasher loaded and handwash the stuff that doesn’t fit/doesn’t go in the dishwasher. In our house, whoever cooks is off the hook for cleaning up. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/4 "2016-05-02T20:48:42Z")
I picked \*other \*because, frankly, it depends on how tired I am. Chances are if the dishwasher is empty, I’ll start filling it, but if I’ve slacked and haven’t unloaded the clean dishes, I’ll most likely wait till the next morning. Sometimes my husband will rinse them all and stack them (I prefer to load the dishwasher myself) and I’ll load it later or the next day. It never gets to the science experiment stage, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/5 "2016-05-02T21:00:34Z")
When I lived alone . . . maybe that night, but probably the next day (particularly if it’s already late). With two people, not only are there twice as many dishes used to consume the prepared food, but I also find I use more dishes to prepare slightly more complicated things. So, the dishes pile up much more quickly, so I am much more likely these days to get them done the night of. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/6 "2016-05-02T21:05:36Z")
_Later on that evening before bed_…by the teenager. Unless he cooks, then **Suburban Plankton** will do them, usually before he goes to bed. I just hate doing dishes. I have other chores. ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/7 "2016-05-02T21:07:30Z")
I also said _other_. I run a complex algorithm that takes into consideration values such as meal complexity, sink free-space, and fatigue. All of this is then weighed against how soon I expect to have visitors. I won’t ever have a science experiment growing in there. That’s a big peeve of mine. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/8 "2016-05-02T21:26:39Z")
I might let dishes pile up in the sink while I’m cooking, but once it’s done, everything goes into the dishwasher, or gets hand-washed if it can’t go in there. I live alone. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/9 "2016-05-02T21:29:17Z")
Never. Paper plates. Before that, all you had to do was put a plate down on the floor, and before you knew it, a dog would clean it spotless. We never had to train or pay them to do that! ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/10 "2016-05-02T21:32:48Z")
Saturday. Or Sunday, depending on how I feel on Saturday. Right now, I’m demanding they be done instantaneously, but I can only wonder how long that will last. When we got married, Mrs. T and I had an agreement: she would cook, and I would wash. Did so faithfully, until we moved to a house with a dishwasher. That damned insidious thing got me lazy. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/11 "2016-05-02T21:36:54Z")
Sometime during the evening. I just can’t stand the thought of dirty dishes being there in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/12 "2016-05-02T21:39:37Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Never. Paper plates. How does your food get cooked? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/13 "2016-05-02T21:41:53Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > How does your food get cooked? Chinese? Takeout? Pizza? KFC? Subway? Imagination? Does anyone actually _cook_ on dishes? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/14 "2016-05-02T21:43:31Z")
Right after the meal, everything goes into the dishwasher. Once that’s full, I run it. Once the cycle finishes I put the dishes away straightaway. It is an effort, but it means everything is clean. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/15 "2016-05-02T22:41:43Z")
I hate jumping up from the dinner table and doing chores. I like to digest a bit first. So I chose “later, before bed”, because I truly hate waking up in the morning to dirty dishes, too. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/16 "2016-05-02T22:47:17Z")
Before the next time I need enough counter and sink space to cook again. ---
**Author:** ![tadtooornamental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@tadtooornamental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadtooornamental)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/17 "2016-05-02T23:03:59Z")
Wednesday, or sometimes on the weekend, whichever comes first. I live alone, and I meal prep, so I don’t accumulate a ton of dishes. Silverware, a cup and a Tupperware per day, pretty much. So I rinse it out (so it doesn’t turn into an experiment) and let it go a few days. ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/18 "2016-05-02T23:19:42Z")
I tend to clean as my wife cooks so other than the last few pots at the end, and the dishes with the food on them, the cutting boards and all in-process cooking items are cleaned and put away when the meal hits the table. Then there is only a few minutes of cleaning needed at the end, so it doesn’t create an awkward time where my wife is just sitting there or our guests are hanging around while a huge pile of stuff gets cleaned. Then we can move on to the next activity for the evening. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/19 "2016-05-02T23:20:32Z")
Dishes get done under only certain conditions as far as I’m concerned. I’ve run out of clean dishes, I’ve got company coming over, or my mother comes over and gets annoyed seeing them and does them for me. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2016, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/20 "2016-05-02T23:22:32Z")
They at least get rinsed right after eating so whatever is left on the plate doesn’t congeal or turn into concrete, but we usually wash them up right away. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708.md?page=2)