I really, really thought this was going to be a thread about washing dishes in the shower or while bathing. I hoped I was going to learn some new time-saving trick.
Growing up, we had a wash tub that we bathed the dishes in before scrubbing them and rinsing them off. Our sink had only one basin, but it was a huuuuuge basin so, putting in a wash tub gave us the equivalent of a two-basin sink. I hated icky gross food gunk in the water, and so I would usually very thoroughly scrape plates off into the garbage and prerinse them. However, it was significantly easier to wash dishes this way, particularly those with the infamous “baked on grease,” but only because, as a family of five, we usually had a good-sized pile of dishes to clean.
Living on my own, even if I had a two basin sink, I would never do the bathing method. I usually only have a few dishes to clean at any time, so I just clean them as I go. Filling up a tub of water for a couple bowls, a pair of chopsticks, and a glass seems like overkill.
I wonder if I could get away with washing my dishes while I shower…
Couplea dishes, or a pot or pan: shower. Less water than filling the sink.
More than a couple: scrape (into disposal then stack until all are scraped), or into trash can, then put stack in sink, fill halfway with water. Honestly it takes less time per dish than showering each dish. I do shower for rinsing however. otherwise, plate @2 is rinsing in the same sinkful of water that plate #1’s soap and hypothetical residual food bits are in.
I shower my dishes for the most part. That’s how my mom did them, so that’s what I know. I saw other people do it the other way, and I’ve tried, knowing it uses less water, but I just can’t get into the habit.
If I’m washing something big where I do need to scrub it, I will turn the water off, or try to do this over some other large bowl that’s going to need filling and soaking. But letting bits and pieces come off and float around in water is just too yucky to me.
I was raised in the bath method but as a lazy bachelor I got in the habit of washing dishes with liquid detergent and a wet sponge because it has the supreme advantage that you can stop whenever you want and finish later. Plus, I’ve found that plastic containers simply can’t be degreased adequately by bathing; the only way to get them squeaky clean is to spread a little liquid detergent directly on the plastic, rub thorougly then rinse.
I rinse the dishes very well in the left sink (the one with the disposal), then fill the other sink with very hot soapy water with a drop of bleach and wash them immediately. I’ve had to add a little cold water to be able to grab that elusive fork at the bottom of the sink.
My son does the shower thing and IMO wastes water and dishwashing liquid.
But those gloves stink - first of rubber, then almost immediately after you begin using them (at least here in the nice, humid tropics) of mildew. Pee-YUU. I don’t want my hand smelling that way and the thought of the bacteria that nest in those dark little finger tunnels is even more revolting than the icky greasy tepid dishwater with food bits floating in it.
One or two dishes, I’ll shower them. Anything even remotely resembling a “load” will get bathed. For me that means filling the sink with hot soapy water and dishes, washing each dish or utensil individually, and stacking the whole load on one counter, then rinsing them each individually and putting them in the rack to dry.
So, it’s bath then shower. (Which is what I do when I take a bath - soaking in a tub is relaxing, but sitting in a bowl of your dirty water is not going to get me clean.)
Of course, now that I have one, I’ve also found I can fit almost anything into my dishwasher. And if I can’t, I think twice about using whatever it is.
I wash dishes in the bath and rinse them under the shower. Anyone who stands there with the hot tap running non stop to wash dishes above a sinkful of hot suds is wasting water, energy and time!
It’s why I gritted my teeth when my baby sister was here, trying to clean up after the holiday. The damn tap was running running running and a steam cloud had formed against the low ceiling of the kitchen before she stopped showering clean the dishes.
I leave the water running the whole time, washing each item with the wand/scrubby thing, rinsing it and putting it in the drainer. If I try to fill the sink and then wash and rinse, the sink fills up and I have to drain out nice soapy water periodically. That seems like a waste as well.
That’s just weird, to me. Mine have a flocked (cotton cloth) lining. I obviously don’t get water on the inside of them doing dishes, since I wouldn’t bother wearing gloves if I’d just get my hands wet anyway.
You’re just wasting bleach, and not even using enough to be useful.
If you want to use bleach to sanitize dishes, read the label - you will most likely find directions to use 1/3 cup of chlorine (not oxygen or color-safe) bleach per 5 gallons of cool to slightly warm water. Do not use hot water - it will only boil off the chlorine and reduce the effectiveness.
Also, soap or dishwashing detergent further neutralizes bleach, so it’s pointless to mix the two.
At home, it’s knock off the big lumps and load into the dishwasher, but on weekends at this time of year, I work at a tea shop where we wash dishes manually in a three-basin sink - wash in soap and hot water, rinse in hot water, and sanitize in cool water with bleach, then dry.
I use the shower method and I’m pretty sure I"m using less water this way. A dish never goes into the sink without being rinsed with hot water first. This saves time and water when its time to wash them later.
I misinterpreted the OP title. But it gave me a great idea. Since I hate washing dishes and love a good hot shower, I’m gonna start washing dishes in the shower!
Everyone in my family bathes dishes, and I never understood how they could let the dishes sit there until the water was cold and filled with grease and food bits. Frikkin gross.
Reminds me of The Accidental Tourist where his wife leaves him and he decides it would be efficient to stomp on his dirty clothes in the tub while showering.
I don’t see any reason to bathe (dishes). I’ve found that using very hot water is more effective at getting off stubborn food than soaking is. And the idea of the dishes swimming around with a sink full of water with random food bits floating about strikes me as icky. Plus soaking takes longer and is potentially less social if you have a helper.
