# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/21 "2016-05-03T02:03:26Z")
There are only two of us,nand I am not an adventurous cook, so there aren’t many pots and pans. We serve ourselves from the stove, so there are no serving dishes. So, a pan or two, a couple of plates, two forks and maybe knives, and two glasses. They get washed and/or put in the dishwasher right after we eat. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/22 "2016-05-03T02:12:29Z")
I’ve developed the practice of cleaning up the kitchen every morning after breakfast, regardless of how many or how few dishes. This is because by the time I get home from work and cook dinner I’m pretty freakin’ tired and just want to go to bed. Also, as I do not have a mechanical dishwasher allowing soapy water to sit in a pan or casserole dish overnight makes clean up a lot easier. Maybe I should note that I usually work on the weekends? Going on the assumption you meant “on a night you didn’t have to work at your job that day” I might be more inclined to clean up at least some of the dishes after dinner on such a night, but as I noted, some things are a lot easier to clean if you let them soak overnight. So I might clean up everything except what needs soaking, then that gets done the following morning. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/23 "2016-05-03T02:26:05Z")
> [@](#): > > efore 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! we use this method, then shove the pans and dishes in the dishwasher. When it gets full, about every three days, we run it. I do wash the good knives by hand immediately after every use. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/24 "2016-05-03T05:22:15Z")
The person who doesn’t cook does the dishes. And sometimes the dishes get done during cooking and sometimes not, depending on how much time there is to watch things cook. We never put pots and pans in, and wait for it to be full to run it. And we make dinner almost every night - 13/14 usually, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/25 "2016-05-03T05:47:52Z")
I live alone, and microwave slop in a bowl. I eat right out of the bowl, and wash it immediately. It ain’t the head table at the Waldorf, but it isn’t diseased bachelor solidified food-gunk from hell, either. (A good friend of mine lets the dishes stack up in his sink till they form a pile that’s dangerously overbalanced and ready to topple. I think entomologists have identified four new species in that micro-biome.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/26 "2016-05-03T10:24:27Z")
I live alone, no dishwasher. Dishes never go more than 24h without doing; the most common time is “right after a meal I’ve eaten right after cooking”, which may be any of them. That’s due to a combination of volume of dirty items and quality of the dirt. I’d rather not do the washing for only one or two items. > [@Musicat](#): > > Chinese? Takeout? Pizza? KFC? Subway? Imagination? > > Does anyone actually _cook_ on dishes? Microwave oven, dish, food, [lid](https://www.google.es/search?q=tapa+para+microondas&espv=2&biw=984&bih=906&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTo8bW2L3MAhWDWz4KHfl4BCoQsAQIQA). ---
**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 3, 2016, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/27 "2016-05-03T10:34:52Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Chinese? Takeout? Pizza? KFC? Subway? Imagination? > > Does anyone actually _cook_ on dishes? I do. Skillets, saucepans, crockpot; they’re all dishes that need to be washed after I make dinner. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/28 "2016-05-03T10:44:54Z")
I usually wash dishes (by hand - no dishwasher) Sunday morning. I will wash a pot / pan if I need to reuse it, but I have enough plates / utensils to go a week. I live alone. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/29 "2016-05-03T11:34:39Z")
Kids, so we eat, play with kids, work on kitchen/get kids ready for bed (usually one of us doing one and the other doing the other). The kitchen is usually about 2/3 clean by the time I come downstairs, while my wife is finishing getting our younger one down (the kid loves me but accepts only mama for the end of the day), and I finish the kitchen at that point. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/30 "2016-05-03T11:43:59Z")
It depends on what other dishes I’ve used. I live alone, so the dishwasher isn’t full daily - but weekends I do generally cook stuff for the week, so I’m likely to do dishes twice during that 2 day period. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/31 "2016-05-03T12:08:14Z")
Right away. Usually I go feed the dogs, close the chicken door, and check on the horses, while she does the dishes. If there are a ton of dishes, she volunteers to feed the dogs for a change. I’m aware of her shenanigans, but have never objected. 😉 ---
**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 3, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/32 "2016-05-03T12:17:14Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I do. Skillets, saucepans, crockpot; they’re all dishes that need to be washed after I make dinner. I guess we need to define “dishes.” To me, those are dinner plates, cups and saucers, not pots or utensils. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/33 "2016-05-03T12:40:59Z")
We have a deal. Ms. Cups does the laundry (which I hate). I do the dishes (which she hates). Plus, she cooks. So in the effort of fairness she cooks I clean. It’s a pretty good system ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/34 "2016-05-03T12:45:47Z")
Other. They go in the dishwasher; when the dishwasher gets switched on is a different question! ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/36 "2016-05-03T19:39:51Z")
I picked other because I wait until the dishwasher is full. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/37 "2016-05-03T19:41:46Z")
Put it in the sink, let some water sit on anything solid or may dry solid, come back to it later in the evening and put in the dish washer. Run that whenever it gets full. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/38 "2016-05-03T20:04:51Z")
If it’s a relaxed weekend evening dinner they probably get done the next morning. In general, I clean as I go as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/39 "2016-05-06T20:31:42Z")
If I’m really on top of things I’ll get dishes done the same evening. More often it’s sometime the next day. I don’t like to wake up to a dirty kitchen, but something’s gotta give. ---
**Author:** ![scootergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@scootergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scootergirl)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2016, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-weekend-night-you-just-had-a-homecooked-dinner-when-are-the-dishes-getting-done/753708/40 "2016-05-06T21:37:39Z")
Immediately after eating. There may be a pan or two that are left to soak for a while, but everything else gets placed in the dishwasher, and it gets run as soon as it’s full. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 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/753708/41 "2016-05-06T21:43:08Z")
Immediately before cooking the next meal (so, lunchtime the following day, since I don’t usually eat breakfast). I deliberately restrict myself to a limited number of cookware and dish items for exactly this reason: I am forced to wash them if I want to eat again. 🙂 [Previous 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=1) [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=3)