How do you hand-wash your dishes?

[SouthsideDon48]

Hey guys, how do you hand-wash your dishes?

 

The reason why I ask is because my fiance and I disagree over how dishes should be washed. She thinks the way I wash dishes is gross, wastes soap, and wastes water, and I think the way she washes dishes is gross and not cleaning anything.

 

Here's the way I hand-wash dishes: I use my hands, my hands are washed before I wash the dishes. I use either an sos pad or a sponge to get food and crud off dishes, and then I apply dish soap directly to what I'm washing and lather it up with the soap until I get suds all over the place, then I rinse it with hot running water which is running at all times. As I'm rinsing it off, I rely on my sense of touch to make sure dishes are no longer greasy.

 

How she hand-wash dishes: She fills up one side of the sink with water and soap, and puts all the dirty dishes in the soapy water. She takes whatever she is washing out of the soapy water, wipes it with a "clean" dish rag, rinses it over running water, and and that's it.

 

She doesn't apply any soap directly to whatever she's washing. :-x

 

So... who's style of washing do you prefer and how do you wash the dishes when washing by hand?

[southsider2k5]

I prefer my wife or dishwashing machine to do it.

[iamshack]

Hey guys, how do you hand-wash your dishes?

 

The reason why I ask is because my fiance and I disagree over how dishes should be washed. She thinks the way I wash dishes is gross, wastes soap, and wastes water, and I think the way she washes dishes is gross and not cleaning anything.

 

Here's the way I hand-wash dishes: I use my hands, my hands are washed before I wash the dishes. I use either an sos pad or a sponge to get food and crud off dishes, and then I apply dish soap directly to what I'm washing and lather it up with the soap until I get suds all over the place, then I rinse it with hot running water which is running at all times. As I'm rinsing it off, I rely on my sense of touch to make sure dishes are no longer greasy.

 

How she hand-wash dishes: She fills up one side of the sink with water and soap, and puts all the dirty dishes in the soapy water. She takes whatever she is washing out of the soapy water, wipes it with a "clean" dish rag, rinses it over running water, and and that's it.

 

She doesn't apply any soap directly to whatever she's washing. :-x

 

So... who's style of washing do you prefer and how do you wash the dishes when washing by hand?

I do it the way you do it, but that is incredibly wasteful. Before dishwashers were very commonplace, most people did it the way your fiancée does it.

[bigruss]

I typically set half the sink up with hot, soapy water and I'll let the tough/greasy dishes soak there. Then, I'll apply dishsoap to a sponge and will start on the easier dishes (water running in other half the entire time). I reapply soap as needed.

[justBLAZE]

I hand wash them (haven't used my dishwasher event though I have one) and do it exactly as you described doing it Don.

 

 

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I do it the way you describe, but my mother does it way that your wife does it (when we don't use the dishwasher, like at our lake house).

 

I also am very particular about drying the cups out. I HAVE to dry the insides of the cups out completely before I stack them. My parents stack them wet and it always grosses me out that I am going to have a gross, slimly or moldy cup if no air gets in there. I also inspect every cup before I use it, and never use the same cup twice without cleaning it in between (if the cups sits out for any extended length of time I mean, not just a few minutes).

[RockRaines]

I typically set half the sink up with hot, soapy water and I'll let the tough/greasy dishes soak there. Then, I'll apply dishsoap to a sponge and will start on the easier dishes (water running in other half the entire time). I reapply soap as needed.

Yeah I do that if there is a load of nice dishes or something that cannot go through the dishwasher. If its just a few I do it his original way.

[Jake]

I scrub with brush, rinse with aid of a rag and running water.

[Jenksismyhero]

1) let the wife do it

 

2) let the dishwasher do it

 

3) if 1 and 2 fail, i do the one sink full of soapy water, wash with a sponge/rag full of soap, rinse method.

[maggsmaggs]

I scrub with brush, rinse with aid of a rag and running water.

Mine, too.

[cabiness42]

I let the dog lick them clean.

[dasox24]

When the dishwasher is full, I do it the same way Don does.

[JPN366]

Agree to compromise and buy a dishwasher. I haven't hand washed dishes since I got paid for it.

[Iwritecode]

We don't have room for a dishwasher in my house, so my kids take turns doing them. They fill the sink with hot, soapy water and wash them with a sponge or a brush. Leaving the water running and using soap on each individual dish would be incredibly wasteful.

 

My wife insists there's an order to doing them as well. Utensils first, then cups, then plates and bowls, then pots and pans. She says anything that touches your mouth should be done when the water is hottest/soapiest.

 

[SoxAce]

I let the dog lick them clean.

This.

[farmteam]

I do it the way the OP's fiancee does it. I do admit that his way sounds cleaner though...I just think the way I do it is good enough.

[StrangeSox]

I typically set half the sink up with hot, soapy water and I'll let the tough/greasy dishes soak there. Then, I'll apply dishsoap to a sponge and will start on the easier dishes (water running in other half the entire time). I reapply soap as needed.

this

Edited August 4, 2014 by StrangeSox

[Texsox]

We use the "sponge on a handle filled with soap" thingy. It automatically applies soap, uses less water, and keeps them very clean. BTW, don't confuse the suds with the soap. Manufacturers add a sudsing agent because people are use to seeing suds. You really don't want the soap and water to separate. What is best is the water and soap form a solution not an emulsion (for the chemistry folks).

 

The Boy Scout three bucket method is scrap clean, bucket one has hot soapy water, bucket two is the rinse water (heated), and bucket three is a weak bleach solution).

[Rowand44]

I didn't realize this many people still washed dishes by hand. I'd hate life with out my dishwasher.

[Texsox]

I didn't realize this many people still washed dishes by hand. I'd hate life with out my dishwasher.

 

There are just two of us, our dishwasher takes over a week to fill.

[pettie4sox]

Both of your methods work. There is no right or wrong. Just preference. Of course you already knew this.

 

If something is not dishwasher kosher, I use a dish wand to wash it, and then cold water to rinse.

[Iwritecode]

I didn't realize this many people still washed dishes by hand. I'd hate life with out my dishwasher.

 

My kitchen is too small for a dishwasher. I actually know quite a few people that don't have one.