Not rinsing dishes?!?!

That's one of those things where you lift the lid and stand there for a while trying to make sense of it.

I believe one of her missions in life is to have me doing that for a month or so after she goes home. 

Hilarious! I didn't realise it was a British thing, but it's been driving me crazy for 2 years!

I hate summer because it means DH switches the heating off so we have to use the immersion in the hot water tank.  We turn it on for only an hour or so in the morning for showers etc.

This means we have to boil the kettle for washing up.  Not too too awful in itself but then to rinse you have only the cold water from the tap.  Try as I might I can never keep it from going into the dishpan and making the washing up water cold.  Very often I miss the odd soap suds.  Oh well ...

Time for a dishwasher 

This means we have to boil the kettle for washing up.  Not too too awful in itself but then to rinse you have only the cold water from the tap.  Try as I might I can never keep it from going into the dishpan and making the washing up water cold.  Very often I miss the odd soap suds.  Oh well ...

Time for a dishwasher 

When we moved into our second flat, the boiler seemed to be on the way out and made me nervous. I would start the dishwater, then step into the living room for a bit, as if that was somehow safer if it blew up.  The boiler was about 2 1/2 feet from the sink. Then I quit using it and would boil the kettle for dishes. When hubby would go for his bath, I'd go to the bedroom (again, as if that was safer if it blew up). It didn't take long before we called the landlord and ended up with a shiny, safe, new one.

It amazed me how little water I could do with for washing up, when I boiled the kettle for it.

OMG! I thought this was a DUDE thing! It's a Brit thing???

My husband doesn't rinse before placing in the dish washer, and when he does hand wash the dishes, it's a light rinse--and not the whole thing--just the part food was on (so good luck if you spilled some of it on the side of the pot). It's so strange to me as I was raised to wash everything, handle and all (I mean, what if you sneezed on your hand and then touched the handle??). Haha, oh man. I try to make him to rinse it. Still in training.

Or use the same tea towel that they've dried their hands on, wiped down counter with to dry dishes.  Agh!

Or use the same tea towel that they've dried their hands on, wiped down counter with to dry dishes.  Agh!

Yeah, but I know Americans who do that too.

I was reading an account where this person recalls her strongest memories of visiting her grandmother when she was a child.

She said when she came in from playing, her grandmother would pull her into the kitchen....and using the dreaded tea towel....dampened slightly with icy water.....grandma would scour her face.....then go back to wiping up with it.

She made the case that it may have strengthened her immune system.

I didn't realize this was a Brit thing either, but it makes me crazy! My sister-in-law, my husband, and everywhere I go (WI, bowls club, etc.) it's the same..... I asked a woman once if she just dried her hair with the shampoo on it. Her face was a picture!

I asked a woman once if she just dried her hair with the shampoo on it. Her face was a picture!

Oh, that's a good one... I would have loved to see her face!   

*snicker, snort* 

My Dh doesn't think it's necessary  to  rinse dishes  if they are drip dsrying but yes to  mugs??   

Interestingly, on a recent episode of Coronation Street, a main character was drying the dishes with a tea towel....and the soap suds were literally dripping off. Obviously no rinsing in that soapland (no pun intended) household!

There IS a reason that dishwashers and clothes washers have a rinse cycle. Anyone who wants to eat soap and residual grease, have at it, but anything I and wash will continue to be rinsed.

I think this issue starts in school, kids learn to conserve, and recycle. I've been married to a Brit for 10 years now. When you brush your teeth Americans leave the water running, my wife does not. She does not rinse the dishes when hand washed, thankfully we have a dishwasher. In England there is a switch on every electrical outlet. It is turned off when not in use, some times there all turned off when leaving the house for the day. I would bet this all started after WWII, when every thing was in short supply. And has carried thru to today. A trip to a recycle center would prove that the English are a country that use all their resources well.  But for a country that has more rain that any other place I have ever lived, is funny. I would say it's their number one resource.

Man, my wife is constantly turning off those switches on th outlets.  Drives me nuts!


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I've recently discovered this site and had been browsing for a bit when I saw this topic...I had to create an account JUST to say that this definitely drives me up a wall!! There is so much residue left on our glasses because DH refuses to rinse after washing them in a sink full of dishwater  I've only been here a week, but this is one habit we're going to have to change!