Dishwashing might be the least favorite task for many people. Go easy, I have some dishwashing hacks for you to make handwashing dishes easier.
Although washing dishes post every meal is the best thing you can do for yourself, your family, and your home, with a hygiene perspective and for an orderly home, it is easier said than done.
Aside from how much you dislike a chore, it’s always great to get control of your own housework. And appreciate doing things for your loved ones without expecting someone else to clean for you.
Because no one ( (hired help) can do the cleaning, as you would do for your family (with a sense of responsibility and care).
It could be dreary in the beginning. But with the following steps, you’ll have an easier and best time doing the dishes.
NO MORE DIRTY DISHES: 8 HACKS TO MAKE HAND DISHWASHING EASIER
1. Make rinsing a priority:
The grease and food in the dishes lose moisture when left unsoaked for longer. These dishes, pots, and pans with dried food buildup take a lot of time and struggle to clean.
We, generally, tend to procrastinate activities that take time and effort — resulting in the mounting up of the dishes.
That’s when my very own “The Quick Rinse method” helps to prevent the situation.
It’s pretty easy.
After finishing your meals and snacks or while cooking — make sure to give all the dishes and utensils a good rinse — using a brush.
Brush? — To ensure the dirt and soil are removed. Then, stack them nicely to clean later.
In the case of dishwashers or handwashing dishes both — developing this habit of rinsing will make your life so much easier.
Rinsing and having the dishes separated (kept out of the sink) will keep the sink empty. Now the only thing remaining will be — washing the sink, filling it out with hot water (hot, as you can handle), and starting cleaning.
Because of this step, your dishes and utensils will be pretty clean already. Now all you’ll have to do is soap them, place them into hot water, and pull them out on the dish rack or towel.
- In the case of two sinks — you can use one side to stack the rinsed dishes, pots, and pans. And keep the other side empty. This will save you the extra work of unloading the sink before you start washing the dishes.
- With one sink you can keep the rinsed dishes and utensils out on the counter, in a way that shouldn’t block your worktop.
- Lastly, you can straightway place them into the dishwasher in case you own one.
This is an alternative to the soaking method. Since soaking leaves an odor. It’s off-putting to tackle a sinkful of dirty dishes after a long day or first thing in the morning.
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2. The 10-minute trick:
In this technique, you get yourself to clean the dishes only for 10 minutes. This step has 2 benefits –
- Most of the time, getting started is the main hindrance to getting the work done. You can overcome that by tricking yourself to do the cleaning for the minimum time frame of 10 minutes. By the time your 10-minute session is over, either you’ll have finished your job, or you’ll be driven to complete the job as only a few dishes/utensils will be remaining. The chances of this first situation are really high.
- Still, if you’re not prompted to continue washing till the end, at least you’re halfway through it (in the case of a large pile of dishes).
Anyway, it’s a win-win.
3. Add baking soda to dishwashing detergent liquid/Bar:
Add some baking soda to the cleaning product. Be it ceramic/glass dishes or stainless steel cookware, it’ll make cleaning a breeze.
You have to take baking soda and dishwashing liquid in a ratio of 2:1.
That means the dish liquid is half the quantity of baking soda.
Using less detergent will allow the soap to come off quickly and make rinsing super easy.
The baking soda will remove the odors and cut off grease/oil/burn smoothly, making the dishes come out squeaky clean.
No elbow grease is needed and you’ll have spotless dishes ready for use before you even know it.
Adding baking soda will not only save you time, effort, and water, but the dishes will come out really really clean.
4. Use fewer utensils throughout the day:
For instance – take one cup of drinking water and use it for the whole day. You don’t need different cups every time you want to drink water. Also, while cooking, start ahead of your time to be mindful & use fewer utensils.
Because if you watch carefully we tend to use lots of bowls, cups, and plates when cooking in a hurry.
5. Have a routine:
Decide how many times in a day would you prefer to wash the dishes.
A mountain pile of dishes — once a day; the whole stack in two shots, or a small number of dishes post every meal?
Whatever you choose for yourself — having a routine will make things easier.
6. Air dry dishes:
As far as possible, bypass this insignificant and time-consuming step for lint-free dishes, pots, and pans.
7. Put on some peppy music or enjoy quiet time:
Some people like to enjoy music while doing the dishes. But, if you’re someone like me, you’ll appreciate the quiet time washing them with full attention – to get it done faster and cleaner.
8. Make it a family-time activity:
Regardless of all of the steps — dishwashing is sure to be dreadful with a large family.
How come ask each member to do their cleaning on their own?
Here’s how:
Take a soap dispenser bottle; fill it with dish detergent, baking soda, and water. Mix up well and keep it near the sink in a tray/basket along with a sponge.
Post every meal, each member will be in charge of washing their own dishes — they’ll take one pump soap on their plate, lather, rinse, and place it on the drying rack.
Another way is having kids unload the dishwasher. Or dry and put away clean dishes as you wash them.
Additional Tip:
Make it a habit to clean the stove, surfaces, and sink every time after doing the dishes, to experience clean kitchen countertops, any time you/someone else enters the kitchen.
Once you start keeping your kitchen clean you’ll always want to keep it that way all the time. And because of that, you’ll think highly of doing the dishes.
Thank you so much for reading. Don’t forget to share your dishwashing tips and tricks in the comment section below. Happy Dishwashing!