A new perspective on not rinsing dishes

Ultra Dawn.  Concentrated dish liquid.

If Dawn gets in eyes, rinse thouroughly with water.  If swallowed, drink a glass of water to dilute.  Keep out of reach of British children.

Tony's a rinser...so that's one less argument we'll have.

Oh my god!! I thought I was the only one who noticed this! I AM NOT ALONE!!

It makes me cringe every time I see someone set a soapy dish down in the rack. I am a COMPULSIVE rinser.

Another thing that drives me nuts is the use of washing-up tubs in the UK. I know very well the sinks come with plugs and even then - THATS FOR SOAKING! There is nothing more disgusting in dish-washing than scrubbing a nasty dish or cup in a tub, dunking it back in to get all the soap off (IN THE NASTY WATER that all of the nasty food has just fallen into) and setting it on the rack without a rinse, at least.

Im sorry - I cant leave bits of dried food on my plates either. Yuck.

Right. This does of course bring up the question: How to do hand wash your dishes?

Now, I realize some have dishwashers and you can participate too: Do you rinse your dishes before putting them in the washer? How well?

For me, this is how I wash:
If I cannot get to wash the dishes right away (which is common) I fill the basin with hot soapy water and let the dishes soak. When I do wash them, I soap up a sponge with a non-scratch pot scrubber side on the back. I alternate the scrubber and the sponge side, rubbing soap all ove rthe dish, etc. until it is clean. I then rinse with the hottest water I can stand until all soap is off. The items usually air dry, but because of the hot water, they sometimes dry as quickly as it takes me to finish...and then they can be put away.
    I put the cutlery eating side down in the rack basket to dry. (This is another potential controversial subject.)

We'll be getting a kitchen soon, and with it will come an automatic dishwasher. I am a pre-rinser...to the point of almost getting the dishes clean before they make it in the machine.

How do you wash your dishes?

Heres how I wash my dishes, as rarely as I do it:

I let the dishes stack up until my husband does them.

If Im forced to go near them I let the really nasty ones soak. I soap up the scour side of a sponge (ALWAYS) and scrub until the plate is free of bumps. Even if the plate has been freshyly used I always use the scour side.

Upon the first rinse I run my hand over the plate or inside the bowl. If I feel food stuck on it goes back for another scrub. Repeat until free of stuck on food. Rinse under hot running water and set in the rack to air-dry.

I always have to have plenty of soap in my sponge (which is something my husband nags about - he says I use too much) - I like to see a good layer of soap on my plate that way I can tell where Ive been. I wash the front and back of the plates as well as covering the rims.

Cutlery gets washed until free of stuck on bits and gets put in a cutlery drainer EATING SIDE UP (unless very sharp, ie steak knives) so that the potentially yucky bottom of the drainer wont touch the bit I eat off. Also its handy because you can tell whats a fork, spoon or knife simply by looking at the drainer. Sometimes I dont bother putting things away.

Im not a domestic goddess - my husband is. I bake cakes and vaccuume and that is all.

Sarah

Heres how I wash my dishes, as rarely as I do it: I let the dishes stack up until my husband does them.

LOL!

I waste water when I do dishes. I try to do them twice a day so that they don't stack up, our counter space is so small that even a short stack makes the kitchen look unholy.

I keep all the dishes piled up on the side, nothing in the basin.
I rinse each dish separately, scrub it (I put soap directly on the sponge for this, adding a dab when the suds get low), rinse it, put it on the other side.

Anything that needs to get soaked gets soaked last while I'm drying what needs to be dried (like Lisa says, it's frequently dry on it's own), then attack the soaking things. Rinse rinse rinse.

I hate keeping water in the basin/sink, cause the dirt just stays there. Same reason I can't take a long bath unless I've quickly showered first, I jsut can NOT sit in body soup. Blargh.

I am also a water waster...  I can not stand having the sink filled with soapy water...especially when you only have one sink...you have to constantly let some water out so that you can run the water for rinsing...

I have never had a dish washer...and my friend Stacy at home honours me, because she said I could win a medal for being able to stack a million dishes in a small space for drying. without any falling.  LOL! a dubious honour indeed!

I rarely soak anything...If you place in the sink with soapy water as soon as you are finished...by the time dinner is done, the item or pan will wash easily...I do not like having dishes sit around too long.

I just wash with the hottest water I can stand...  use a dish sponge or cloth... rinse and put on the drain... Normally let air dry, unless we have company coming over...then I dry and put away immediately... once the sponge has been used for a bit, I pull out a new one and the old one gets rotated to the counter tops...  and after the counter top rotation it moves on to cleaning bathrooms until it is too nasty and gets thrown away...  then I continue the process of rotation.  

Always used Dawn back at home...now I am using Fairy...  it seems to be just as good.

We went shopping yesterday and I talked Tom into buying me a dish rack for drain...  it is the best gift ever...a stainless steel folding drain rack that can be put away easy...  He has been laughing at me since last night, because I have constantly been washing everything used right away so I can put it in my new rack...LOL!  the excitement of my life...  a dish rack! gawd I am becoming too f---ing domestic lately.

I hate keeping water in the basin/sink, cause the dirt just stays there. Same reason I can't take a long bath unless I've quickly showered first, I jsut can NOT sit in body soup. Blargh.

I'm exactly the opposite - I take a shower after having a long bath!

Can't really comment on this thread because my 15-year-old does the dishes...!  

Now I definitely want our sons to meet!
(Actually mine isn't bad at washing; he just needs to be asked.)

I admit I'm a water-waster too. I let the hot water run the entire time I'm doing the dishes. and I put the cutlery eating side down because I don't want to put away clean things by touching with dirty hands. I know I am in a vast minority. My husband disagrees, but it is a way of establishing who washed what.

My husband HATES hearing me do dishes because I too let the water run to rinse them. But I leave the water running at the lowest speed ( ) I can to not waste as much. The trickling sound drives him mad. But I'd rather take the few more extra seconds to rinse properly with less water running. Although, I probably am using the same amount as it takes me longer!

I also do the lots of soap on the sponge, thorough rinsing and air dry...eating side up on the utensils. Plus I wind up getting the entire kitchen floor wet from one rogue plate or pot during the rinse that sends water everywhere. That doesn't please the husband either.   Those darn small sinks!

When he does the dishes, he does the fill the plastic basin with soapy water deal but I have gotten him into rinsing (by turning the water on and off for each item). At least he does it when I'm watching!!

I've seen people at work who "wash" the coffee mug they had used by just swishing it around the basin of now cold/no suds water and then just stick it onto the drying rack for someone else to use! What is that about!! Good thing I use my own mug!

Well I think LisaE and I grew up in the same house mostly! lol  I too run the water all throughout the dishwashing process.  I use lots of soap and scrub completely then use my hands to go over the plates etc during the rinse to be sure I haven't missed anything.  I too soak and then go back later.  I usually let things air dry as well.  I always always hated drying and putting away when I was a kid.  It was two jobs to the one of washing.  Made sure my sister got the drying and put away end of it!  

mfredericka, Dawn and Fairy are the same thing! That's why I use Fairy now...


*modified because I can NOT stinking type today and am misspelling everything!*

mfredericka, Dawn and Fairy are the same thing! That's why I use Fairy now...

Cool, I knew there was something about Fairy that seemed great...

There was a row over Fairy v Dawn on another forum.  One woman wrote to P&G and asked if it was the same formula.  The reply she received said it wasn't.

To me, they don't seem the same.  I remember^* Dawn being thicker and stronger; if you left the slightest drop on your dishes, you could taste it.  However, I find that Fairy does the job.


* Bear in mind, it's been over five years since I last used Dawn and memories fade.

The funny thing, I was allergic to Dawn...and I am allergic to Fairy Liquid. I'm a Persil Lady. (LOL, Kizmet, are you a Persil Lady too?¹)

One thing I wanted to add: one reason why I let the water run is that the water heats by a gas combi boiler. I figure it would drive the boiler crazy if I kept turning on and off the water, and use more electricty/gas because of the constant flicking of the pilot light.

^{1 Modified to add:} Oh shucks, I keep forgetting you're not in Swansea yet!