Inspired by conversations on the FOOD52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun. Today: the definitive way to wash dishes.
Dishwashing is an art form in my family -- the standards and stakes are high. Put a dish away with a drop of grease or a sticky bit and you'll hear about it, sometimes for years. I will confess that despite the following detailed guide, I'm considered the worst dishwasher in my family.Â
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Step 1: You want clean dishes? You need three simple things: heat, elbow grease, and organization. First, rinse off all dishes, pots, silverware with extremely hot water. The heat helps melt off any cooking fats, sweeping them down the drain. Set them to the side of the sink. If anything needs to soak, fill it with water and save it for last.Â
Step 2. Sprinkle a little dish soap (I like Palmolive, which cuts grease better than any other commercial brand I've found) in the sink and using hot water and a dish cloth, wipe out and rinse the sink. You won't get clean dishes if your sink is oily.Â
Step 3. Fill the sink with hot -- hot! -- soapy water. Scrub the dishes on all sides -- lots of people only scrub the tops, forgetting that the plate/dish/pot was set on top of another dirty plate/dish/pot. Use that elbow grease! Rinse with very hot water and set in a dish drainer in a position that will allow the water to stream off of it. If the water gets at all cloudy, empty the sink and start over. Dirty dishes will not get clean in dirty water.
Step 4. Dry the dishes with a thin cotton dish towel. Clean your dish drainer and dry it so it doesn't get funky (some dish drainers are worse than the dishes).Â
Step 5. Clean around the sink, wiping the faucet and back splash, then wash out the sink; rinse and firmly wring out the dish cloth and hang it in on a rod so it will dry. Never leave sponges or dishcloths in the sink. Who wants to have wring out a cold, wet dishcloth before using it -- gross!
Appendix: Sponges are generally a no-no; think of all the vile stuff that gets caught inside of them. Dishcloths can be washed (daily, if you live with my mom). Hand towels and dish towels should live separately. Never use gloves -- if you do, you can't feel the dishes and sense residual grease; also get in there, and embrace your work! If you want to scrub a pot, one of those scrub brushes is not going to cut it; Chore Boys are your friend.
Editors' Note: This was reprinted, verbatim, from a staff email on 6/18/2012.
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91 Comments
Ginger N.
November 13, 2019
When cleaning baking equipment covered with batters or bread dough fill mixing bowls with cold water and let soak until flour rinses off in cool water. THEN add the soap and very HOT water. Hot water onto flour mixture residue makes plaster.
Tonis T.
October 26, 2017
Though I agree with the steps noted above, I like to wash as I work so I'm not leaving all the dishes till the end of the meal and freeing up counter space. I found a product called insink 4-1 which allows me to do this while conserving water and I'm not searching for sharp objects under soapy water.
Nancy
October 20, 2016
I found this column late and enjoyed seeing the (strict) tips. One supplement to the warnings about sponges...my understanding is that running them through the washing machine (to clean) and then microwave (about 2 min to sterilize) makes them safe to use. And change frequently.
http://www.eatright.org/resource/homefoodsafety/four-steps/wash/dos-and-donts-of-kitchen-sponge-safety
http://www.eatright.org/resource/homefoodsafety/four-steps/wash/dos-and-donts-of-kitchen-sponge-safety
Alex M.
May 13, 2016
I knew it! I've always washed like that except with gloves, and I have never trusted sponges, either. Also, here's a tip: use baking soda! If you're like me and you drink lots of tea and such this definitely helps. It works on anything.
Teresa L.
December 8, 2015
How about throwing out fat and oil left in the pans instead of washing down the drain with hot water and soap. Either when still warm but not too warm to melt the kitchen bin liner or when cold and solidified so can be scraped out.
Monika H.
March 21, 2015
Thank you Nancy for your input. My understanding was that hand dish soaps are not to be used in dishwashers since they produce suds. Is there a particular brand I should try and how much per load?
Nancy C.
March 21, 2015
Monika, I was appalled to find that a friend of mine who has lovely, old, patinated silver, routinely puts both it and fine china in the dishwasher. How does she get by with it? by using a very mild hand dish soap. This happens mainly after a dinner for 12 or more, and it fills up a whole DW load. The next load will be all pots and pans and other utilitarian and everyday things washed with regular DW detergent.
Monika H.
March 21, 2015
Has anyone out there discovered a dishwasher soap for gilt decorated glasses and fine porcelain. I've got the Bosch dishwasher but still end up doing a lot of hand-washing worried that the gilt will come off.
Nancy C.
March 21, 2015
If I did dishes every day with hot soapy water my hands would be a wreck, no matter how much lotion I might slather on them. No, I'll go with the dishwasher any time, but have the dishes well scraped before running it. I like to use the tablets from Cascade or Finish, the ones that have several components running in pretty swirls. Glassware especially comes out sparkly and grease-free, far better than from even the most meticulous hand washing. However, one a month or so, I like to hand wash everything. Forks in particular. Crud accumulates in tiny corners and on the inside surfaces of tines and there's nothing for it but going in there with a brush or even a fingernail pressing down on a slightly abrasive dish cloth. And once a month won't trash my hands!
Happy J.
September 7, 2014
When I was taught how to wish dishes properly in Home Ec class in high school we were told you start with the least dirty items such as glasses and cutlery (after rinsing of course). Otherwise all of your advice is spot on. Luckily I have a dish washer and only use these methods for things that can't go in.
Tatiana
August 5, 2014
No gloves? I could not stand the temperature of my hot water if I did not wear gloves.
jessica
July 27, 2014
So I have a plastic dish strainer that keeps this film of funk on it i have bleached it, soaked it in vinegar used baking soda, scrubbed it but yet when it dries it still has this film on it help
Amanda H.
July 27, 2014
I wish I had a solution for you, but it sounds like you've made every reasonable effort! It might need to be replaced, alas.
mylas
January 31, 2019
I’ve gotten good results with CLR Bath & Kitchen Foaming Action Cleaner. I was looking for something to remove hard water stains on sink fixtures and this does a great job. It also worked on my glass pourover coffee maker and cleaned the film, or more like crust, from my dish drainer. They sell it at our local grocery store and it even meets US EPA Safer Products Standards. Great stuff!
Em V.
May 27, 2014
How on earth do you not RINSE your plates out. Yum, you're eating delicious soap dish with added emulsified food particles.
Amanda H.
May 27, 2014
Hi Em -- I think you might have missed step 3, in which I wrote, "Rinse with very hot water and set in a dish drainer in a position that will allow the water to stream off of it." Agree that eating soap would not be fun!
Em V.
May 27, 2014
So I did. Serves me right reading while sleepy! Sorry. It's one of my pet peeves that so many people wash their dishes and don't rinse them :(
carole
April 20, 2014
A few years ago I retired and moved from a large, well applianced kitchen to an apartment with a small kitchen with no dishwasher. My co-ops dishwashing, green dishwashing soap is even better when I add a tablespoon of Borax. It softens the water and helps get everything sparkling clean. My glasses, put bottom down to air dry are spotless in short order! The first time I used Borax, I couldn't believe my eyes. During the past month I have been eliminating cleaning products that contain toxic chemicals and making my own solutions based on a wealth of recipes on Pinterest.com. Vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and lemon juice are mixed in various ways to clean. Essential oils like lemon or lavender added to most solutions give me a boost as I clean ..... Lovely, really. My sponge goes into the microwave every day. Once a week I clean the microwave with lemon juice/water in a bowl for 10 minutes on high followed by a wipe down. Life is good!
Wilda H.
November 27, 2013
When I have a lot of dirty greasy dishes I add a little javel to my hot water and let my dishes soak for a few minutes before I wash and rinse them very well.
Heather
November 10, 2013
My roomamte never fills the sink when washing dishes but instead uses one of those sponge soap dispensers. It appears that the bottoms of plates and bowls are not washed and after being risnsed never put upside down to drain. Food is also not scraped off the dishes or cookware before washing so that the food collects in the partially covered drain.
I on the other hand put my dishes in the sink in hotter than I can usually stand for more than a second. I soak everything for a couple of minutes and wash the cutlery first rinsing as the sink fills more for the other dishes. Rinsing with very hot water also ensures the water evaprates quickly so that drying is quick and doesn't require using a dish towel.
My roommate believes her method is just fine and any suggestions otherwise have been dismissed, yet I frequently have to rewash something that I pull from the drawer or cupboard before using it.
I on the other hand put my dishes in the sink in hotter than I can usually stand for more than a second. I soak everything for a couple of minutes and wash the cutlery first rinsing as the sink fills more for the other dishes. Rinsing with very hot water also ensures the water evaprates quickly so that drying is quick and doesn't require using a dish towel.
My roommate believes her method is just fine and any suggestions otherwise have been dismissed, yet I frequently have to rewash something that I pull from the drawer or cupboard before using it.
Heather
April 20, 2014
Oh dear. Apparently I did not proofread before posting that, as I see letters reversed, letters missing and just generally a poorly composed note. I wil blame lack of sleep. :o/
merilerole
September 28, 2013
Most dishwashers use water that's hotter than your bare hand could ever stand. And dries with a high heat. Less bacteria will survive that process than your fingers. Go for the high end appilances like Bosch. Your mother would be pleased.
ediblesprysky
August 9, 2014
Okay, I'll do that. A top-of-the-line stainless steel dishwasher is winging its way toward me as we speak. One tiny problem, though. My apartment has one wall (about 8 feet long) that comprises the kitchen area, including my stove, refrigerator, and all my cabinetry. I would immediately take a sledgehammer to my single under-counter cabinet in the pursuit of ever-cleaner dishes, but I think my landlord might object. Perhaps I could sneak the dishwasher into the communal laundry/bike storage room in the basement? I could share with the neighbors then--maybe if I ask real nice, they would even pitch in on the cost. Yes, I think this plan could work. I'll have to distract the super while the delivery guys bring it in and install it, but that's a small price to pay (perhaps literally, if it comes to bribes) to achieve truly clean dishes. Thank you for inspiring my ingenuity and showing me the way to true hygiene.
Monika H.
August 26, 2012
I like to use some sort of barrier in the SS sink to protect against glasses or dishes slipping and breaking whille washing. But using a plastic or rubber sink mat ends up attracting black mold and cleaning them is harder and more labor intensive than doing an entire load of dishes. Any other ideas?
Ruthie H.
May 7, 2016
I like this hard, elevated sink mat: http://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Good-Grips-Sink-Small/dp/B000QSF8BW?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage
Jen B.
November 11, 2019
A clean folded dish dish towel in the bottom is what my mom and grandmother used to use. They would weave a second towel between really special pieces, like you'd do while canning. Then you just wring it/them out and throw in the wash.
Ginger N.
November 13, 2019
Line the sink with a cup towel (thin dish drying cloth.) Use a clean one every time.
Monika H.
August 26, 2012
I like to use some sort of barrier in the SS sink to protect against glasses or dishes slipping and breaking whille washing. But using a plastic or rubber sink mat ends up attracting black mold and cleaning them is harder and more labor intensive than doing an entire load of dishes. Any other ideas?
Monika H.
August 26, 2012
I like to use some sort of barrier in the SS sink to protect against glasses or dishes slipping and breaking whille washing. But using a plastic or rubber sink mat ends up attracting black mold and cleaning them is harder and more labor intensive than doing an entire load of dishes. Any other ideas?
phyllis
August 20, 2012
So, my dishwasher has been out of commission for a week while we wait for a part to arrive. Ron and I have been washing the dishes by hand. No thought involved, but we follow the same plan as Amanda, except we use a sponge, and I put it into the microwave everyday. I feel cleaner and less prone to lingering bacteria using my dishwasher, but the dishes, etc., are very clean and non-greasy. I'm happy we are only two at the moment.
Amanda H.
August 20, 2012
Glad this method is working for you -- but, yes, hope the dishwasher is back in service asap!
romanticf16
August 19, 2012
For the reader having trouble finding Chore Boy products- I find them and Fels Naptha Soap Bars at my local hardware store- not at the bog box chain stores but the local one like ACE.
romanticf16
August 19, 2012
For the reader having trouble finding Chore Boy products- I find them and Fels Naptha Soap Bars at my local hardware store- not at the bog box chain stores but the local one like ACE.
marynn
August 15, 2012
Wow! I am/was? a Dawn junkie. Palmolive. Who knew?
Confidential to Amanda--that beautiful wedding ring (I think I have seen pearls) and your admirable dish-assembale may not be great long term...
Is there a ring stash attachment on your IKEA above board sink?
Confidential to Amanda--that beautiful wedding ring (I think I have seen pearls) and your admirable dish-assembale may not be great long term...
Is there a ring stash attachment on your IKEA above board sink?
Amanda H.
August 15, 2012
Wow, good eye. Yes there's a pearl in there and you're totally right -- I bewildered Merrill's friend, who's a jeweler, when I showed him how the pearl had shrunk in size and was rattling around in the setting. He'd never seen a pearl that had lost layers -- clearly a result of all the dish-washing I do. I decided that rather than risk forgetting the ring somewhere, I'd just wear it all the time and replace the pearl every few years. Gave me an excuse to get a grey pearl!
jenniebgood
July 31, 2012
I'm gonna debate! I think gloves are a must as well - as I've gotten older my skin has gotten much drier, and in the winter time especially, my hands are chapped and bleeding if I don't use gloves on a regular basis.
My cure for this (I'm not sure if this tip has been mentioned): before I put on the gloves, I slather on lotion (really heavy duty stuff - like Eucerine) - the hot water melts the lotion right into my hands and when I take them off after a good washing session, My hands feel like as though they've been treated to a spa session.
My cure for this (I'm not sure if this tip has been mentioned): before I put on the gloves, I slather on lotion (really heavy duty stuff - like Eucerine) - the hot water melts the lotion right into my hands and when I take them off after a good washing session, My hands feel like as though they've been treated to a spa session.
davidwh
April 19, 2014
Great suggestion! I, too, must wear gloves to use the hottest water possible. I am thorough and have never had to rewash anything with this method. Elbow grease!
Chef C.
July 24, 2012
Amanda knows what's up!!! Old School style wins again. Elbow grease, soap and hot H20! Amanda, I am sure that you great grandmother, grandmother and mother, are very proud!
ELCookie
July 24, 2012
So glad you mentioned Chore Boys. They are the best. That is what we use in my family but they are becoming increasingly difficult to find. When I do find them I try to stock up.
saltandserenity
July 24, 2012
I am laughing about the fact that washing dishes has spurred 44 passionate comments! Of course I must get my two cents in here as well. I love to snap on my rubber gloves. It makes me feel like the surgeon my mother wanted me to be. I am a diehard Dawn (original flavour onyl please!!!) fan. I find it gets rid of the smell in plastic containers that you use for leftovers. I also have a Simple Human dish drainer and love it. The knife slots in the cutlery basket are genius.
Chantal12
July 23, 2012
I ALWAYS wear rubber gloves when hand washing! It's the only way to use the hottest water which sterilizes even better than soap. Bare hands can't take that much heat I love sponges which go in the dishwasher with every load. If not urunning the DW then I toss sponges and handiwipes in the microwave for 1 minute to sterilize them.
kimiamaz
July 22, 2012
LOVE my dishwasher and put whatever I can in it. It is a Bosch and was worth every penny. The new model has no heating element and so you put anything anywhere and no melting/catching on fire etc. It is so quiet I have to get right up to it to see if it is running!. Before that I owned an ASKO and it survived 15 years with heavy use. OK I leave out the silver, crystal and very fine porcelain. Which i tend not to use as it cannot go int he dishwasher.... Now I only buy what I think can go through the dishwasher. My AllClad is fine and if I am very ambitious will polish it once in a while with BKF. The Le Creuset has also survived, I figure stainless and enameled iron will out survive me so might as well use the dishwasher and spend more time cooking! After a dinner party for 14 I can usually get all dishes and cooking vessels done in 3 loads. First load goes in after dinner, the second before bed and the last one, usually the bar ware and not so dirty stuff, first thing in the am. I do wash the kitchen knives by hand and put them away as soon as I am done using them.
phyllis
July 22, 2012
Exactly how my grandmother taught me to wash dishes. However, I have had a dishwasher for decades. Pots and pans are done by hand and are mostly spotless and always grease-free.
roxlet
July 22, 2012
I have two sponges in use at all times. One goes into the dishwasher while the other is being used. Every time the dishwasher is run, I swap them. This keeps them clean and prevents mildew. My mother in law gave me a really good tip about rubber gloves. She said to buy ones that are bigger than you need so that your hands slip in and out of them easily. No tugging off or on, and with gloves, which encourages you to use them. With gloves, you can use really, really hot water. I have also found that there can be a residual greasy feeling when washing teflon. The only way I've been able to get them truly clean is the following: put some dishwashing liquid (and no water) in the pan and use a brush to scrub all around. When you rinse the pan, there will be no trace of grease.
vaughan
July 22, 2012
I microwave my sponge regularly (Wet!). Must admit, I like a sponge b/c it is small and easy to hold and gets into corners to clean pots and pans well. Also, I make sure it dries over night by propping it up to let air circulate. I must put in a plug for the natural fiber scouring pads. 'Scotch Brite, Greener Clean'. They out-last and do a better scrubbing job than the synthetic ones.
Just toss them into the compost when done.
Just toss them into the compost when done.
SueS
July 22, 2012
Upon reading I intended to say much of what Antonia James said. Order of washing things is very important. I begin with a very small amount of water, just to cover the cutlery. I rinse into the dishwashing sink, so the water rises. I will need more water to wash larger items. It also means no fishing around for silverware in a deep sink. Saves water also. I use the rough green scrub pads, which can be microwaved. A choreboy cannot. I definitely agree wash cloths need frequent changing out, usually daily or every other
India
July 22, 2012
I'm with AntoniaJames—"if the water is not hot enough to burn your hands, it's not hot enough for washing the dishes"—so gloves are a must. They're also a fingersaver if you break something while you're washing, which seems to happen to me about once a year. I can show you the scar from the time I wasn't wearing gloves . . .
Speaking of which, be careful putting thick-bottomed drinking glasses into a sink filled with scalding-hot water; different thicknesses of glass absorb the heat at different rates. When I was a teenager, I once sheared the bottoms off an entire sinkful of our bubble-bottom glasses at once. Oops.
Speaking of which, be careful putting thick-bottomed drinking glasses into a sink filled with scalding-hot water; different thicknesses of glass absorb the heat at different rates. When I was a teenager, I once sheared the bottoms off an entire sinkful of our bubble-bottom glasses at once. Oops.
louiser0707
July 22, 2012
For food that's stuck on a pan, put some water and baking soda in it and simmer on the stovetop. The baked on bits will loosen right up.
Leslie B.
July 22, 2012
ahhh, does the writer of the article make house calls? She/he can come to my house and do my dishes every day, as specified.
dalibor
July 22, 2012
I use sponges but to clean them, I empty my hot pasta water over them to kill any bad stuff!
Lost_in_NYC
July 18, 2012
I think the above method is a total waste of water and resources, sorry folks!! Definitely not a go-green method!! There's nothing wrong with filling a semi-clean/already-used pot (or bowl) with soapy water, adding a little extra soup on the sponge/cloth rag/whatever and then cleaning off the food. You can also refill the pot/bowl with new soapy water if needed and continue.
@AliceM - I agree with your husband's method!
(Maybe because I grew up in an Indian immigrant household, its different, but trust me, all Indian people use the pot/bowl method. You'd never hear the end of it from your mother if you used the 'American method.' Cultural differences I guess....)
@AliceM - I agree with your husband's method!
(Maybe because I grew up in an Indian immigrant household, its different, but trust me, all Indian people use the pot/bowl method. You'd never hear the end of it from your mother if you used the 'American method.' Cultural differences I guess....)
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
It's a very small difference in the amount of water, unless you have a huge sink.
gailllc
July 18, 2012
I'm with Amanda's mom -- A new dishcloth is brought out each morning for the day. If for some reason it needs to be replaced during the day, the wet one can hang over the edge of the "towel laundry" basket to dry in the laundry room. Every time the dishcloth is used during the day it is rinsed out, then hung to air over the faucet. In the morning it is perfectly dry and goes into the towel laundry. Also, our hand-drying kitchen towel hangs over the sink cabinet door, and is from a collection of solid, dark green towels -- they get changed every morning as well. My other kitchen towels are not-solid-dark-green, and you'd better NOT dry your hands on them!
Emsbutler
July 18, 2012
When my sponges are no longer in perfect shape, I snip the corner with scissors and only use them for floor spills. Snipping the corner reminds my family not to use it on dishes anymore!
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
Even though I'm generally anti-sponge (with a footnote below), what a great idea -- like this!
calendargirl
July 17, 2012
I am going to show my true obsessive nature here: my system for the kitchen sponge is to put it in the top rack of the dishwasher each time I run it (daily in our house), and THEN microwave it, straight from the dishwasher for the same 2 minutes EmilyC advises. It will be very hot, so be careful when removing it from the microwave. It will not only be clean, but also sanitized. When the sponge gets grungy, it becomes our new "floor sponge" and is used to mop up spills on the floor, etc., anywhere but counter tops or dishes.
Miafoodie
July 18, 2012
Calendargirl, I use the same method for my sponges as I prefer them over a dishcloth.
And here I thought I was so clever......
And here I thought I was so clever......
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
Thank you for adding this detail about how to clean a sponge. Agree that this makes a big difference. For anyone new to this method, please note that the sponge must be wet when it goes into the microwave. I once included this cleaning method in a story for the New York Times, and didn't specify that the sponge needed to be wet. A number of readers set their dry sponges on fire in their microwaves. Please don't do this!
EmilyC
July 21, 2012
Also, don't put any sponge in the microwave that has any metal or scouring type surface on it -- also a fire hazard! I often use the type that's 1/2 sponge, 1/2 scrubber -- and this type should only be cleaned in the dishwasher.
mrslarkin
July 17, 2012
Amanda, your Virgo is showing. ;)
I love sponges. Thank you, EmilyC, for the tip on zapping them in the microwave! Will try that. Sponges can also be sanitized in the top rack of the dishwasher, at least once a week.
When I do heavy duty hand washing, I don gloves. Protects skin from hot water and dishes are less slippery with gloves on.
On dish drainers, my kitchen has teeny counter space, so I hack a dish drainer by setting a sheet pan lined with a cooling rack on top of my 8-quart flour container. It works like a charm. Also, empty dish washers make great dish drainers.
I've mostly used Dawn, but have also liked the Costco environmentally friendly dish soap. For the dishwasher, nothing gets my dishes clean except Cascade. Huge difference between that and the less expensive no-name brands.
Happy washing!
I love sponges. Thank you, EmilyC, for the tip on zapping them in the microwave! Will try that. Sponges can also be sanitized in the top rack of the dishwasher, at least once a week.
When I do heavy duty hand washing, I don gloves. Protects skin from hot water and dishes are less slippery with gloves on.
On dish drainers, my kitchen has teeny counter space, so I hack a dish drainer by setting a sheet pan lined with a cooling rack on top of my 8-quart flour container. It works like a charm. Also, empty dish washers make great dish drainers.
I've mostly used Dawn, but have also liked the Costco environmentally friendly dish soap. For the dishwasher, nothing gets my dishes clean except Cascade. Huge difference between that and the less expensive no-name brands.
Happy washing!
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
I knew all you sponge-lovers would speak up! :) Thanks for your sponge-related tips and also, love the idea of using your empty dishwasher as drying rack. Great.
ccaattyy
July 17, 2012
the real way to wash your dishes is hot soapy water then wash everything that touches your mouth, your silverware, your cups and glasses then plates and bouls then your pots and pans change dish water as needed wipe down the appliance and table
witloof
July 17, 2012
This cracks me up. I fail on all counts! Here's a great tip for having the easiest clean up: Cook only vegetarian food.
AntoniaJames
July 17, 2012
So what do you do with the sponge that's in the photo? Sponges collect and hide grungy stuff from counters just as they do with dishes being washed. Or perhaps you just use it for mopping up essentially clean water from around your dish drainer, once you've put everything away? I detest sponges for any purpose, so they're banned from my kitchen. (Mr T has recently convinced me to keep a sponge in a small bucket, in a storage area not in, but near, my kitchen, to use for spot cleaning my tile floor.) ;o)
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
Great eye, AJ. I keep that sponge for its green side, which is coarse but not made of metal -- it's helpful for scrubbing pots/dishes that you don't want to use something as aggressive (potential scratches) as a Chore-Boy.
AntoniaJames
August 20, 2012
You can get just the green part, in various grades (like sandpaper -- fine, medium, coarse) at hardware stores, to avoid the sponge altogether. We get ours at Ace. (The Ace where we shop regularly has the most amazing home cleaning products department.) The green plastic scrubby thingies work really well for all kinds of uses beyond just washing dishes, e.g., scrubbing down the grate on a grill. (I like the aluminum foil technique posted here, but it doesn't clean off the grease, which I find necessary to do after about every other time, depending on what we've grilled. We have porcelain grates on our grill, for which the green scrubber works like a charm.) ;o)
Susan B.
July 17, 2012
I have never used a Chore Boy. Which one do you recommend and can I use it on All-Clad cookware?
Love the article. My husband washes dishes by individually soaping up every item that needs washing, setting them on the counter and then rinsing them under running water. Drives me crazy! I grew up washing dishes using a dishpan filled with hot, soapy water.
Love the article. My husband washes dishes by individually soaping up every item that needs washing, setting them on the counter and then rinsing them under running water. Drives me crazy! I grew up washing dishes using a dishpan filled with hot, soapy water.
CathyB
July 19, 2012
I use Bar Keeper's Friend and a sponge on all of my All-Clad (and other stainless steel) cookware. It also gets my vintage (translation=old) enamel sink clean without scratching it. I don't know why it works so well, but it's magic.
My husband does the same thing. I can't even be in the kitchen when he's cleaning up.
My husband does the same thing. I can't even be in the kitchen when he's cleaning up.
Susan B.
July 20, 2012
Thanks, CathyB. I use Bar Keeper's Friend, too, along with a lot of muscle power and a sponge. I also use BKF in my dishwasher, running it empty, to clean off the hard water stains. Works like a charm and makes me feel like I have a new dishwasher, for a week, anyway. And I'm with you, I leave when he offers to do dishes...
AliceM
July 17, 2012
I SO need my husband to read this. His way to wash dishes is to fill a small, "dirty" saucepan with soapy water and dip a brush or a cloth into said pan and then use that to wash whatever else is dirty - no soaking at all. I appreciate it when he helps out but it drives me crazy!
Summer O.
July 17, 2012
I feel as if this blog was written just for me! Our dishwasher died 2 months ago and we've been too busy repairing other things to get a new one. I will go get a Chore Boy today and more importantly post this manifesto above the sink. And I could not agree more about the dish soap. Mrs. Myers got the heave-ho about 2 weeks after the dishwasher died.
BurgeoningBaker
July 17, 2012
Also how does this compare with the energy/water conservancy of dishwashers?
Burnt O.
July 17, 2012
Dishwashers are a lifesaver for many reasons: sanitation, productivity, and energy efficiency. One of the reasons you should only scrape the dishes before you put them in the dishwasher is to conserve water. But for good knives, pots, pans, and a host of other things that can't go in a dishwasher - this is great advice. I remember washing the dishes at our summer cabin growing up. Mom filled up an enormous enameled coffee pot with boiling water on the stove, and poured it over the dishes in a big metal tub with soap and then we washed everything rinsed them off in the sink with more hot water. We had a cold water spring, but no hot water. Just a propane stove.
BurgeoningBaker
July 17, 2012
I want to know which dish drainers are better than others since it was noted in the article.
Amanda H.
July 21, 2012
I like ones made by Simple Human. They're a bit more expensive but they're thoughtfully designed and sturdy.
Burnt O.
July 17, 2012
I just stick my Chore Boy and sponge in the top rack of the dishwasher when I'm done and wash them routinely and run them through the sanitizer cycle. Sponges last about 3-5 cycles, Chore Boys are pretty indestructible. I can't have enough cotton bar towels. They're just like large cotton diapers, only thinner, and I use them for everything from straining stocks and sauces, making ricotta and other cheeses, to drying greens. I buy them in 8 packs at Sam's Club. They make great dusting rags and cleaning cloths when their time in the kitchen is up. Instead of a dish rack, I spread a clean dish cloth out on the granite kitchen island and lay everything out on it as I wash it. Makes me put everything away as soon as I'm done.
AntoniaJames
July 17, 2012
This is helpful, but I have a few suggestions. Stacking of dirty dishes prior to thorough pre-rinsing is strictly forbidden. (It's tacky of course to stack anything in a dining room or other eating area, but for the reason you mentioned, it also makes no sense, even out of sight. Every dirty dish that is stacked creates more work. Very bad idea.) Also, there is an important order of operations. All serving dishes, pots and pans are filled immediately to soak and set aside. Usually I do that right after I'm done using a pot. Time is your enemy when dealing with any dish or pot that is not filled with hot soapy water, soaking. Silverware (and we use our sterling exclusively for all meals, so it all is hand washed, all the time, of course) and serving utensils, once they've been rinsed thoroughly, are set aside in a pan of very hot soapy water to soak. Glasses are then washed, first, and all of them, in the perfectly clean scalding soapy water and sink. Also, if the water is not hot enough to burn your hands, it's not hot enough for washing the dishes. So go crank up your water heater at least ten degrees. I have really sensitive skin, so I have no choice but to wear gloves. I like the bright pink Bella ones that go well up your arm. I go through them quickly because I press hard to make sure I've gotten everything off. And I only use Chore Boys to get the most stubborn crud off, after soaking and scrubbing with a good dish cloth and either Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend. (I too go through several dishcloths, and replace them, daily.) Chore Boys suffer from the same defect as sponges, in that they can collect debris, so they are always soaked for a good hour in super hot water after use; then, any remaining tiny bits of crud are picked out. Dawn Power Dissolve is great for stripping the thin layers of stuff that cooks hard onto the outside of steel frying pans, etc. I also use it regularly on the glass window inside my oven door. I use the clear, perfume-free Dawn for Dishes. If that stuff can get the thick crude oil from the Exxon Valdez off rocks on a beach, without the benefit of water as hot as what's coming out of my faucet, it can get the grease off whatever is in my sink. And it does. Oh, and can you tell that I enjoy cleaning up in the kitchen? I really do. ;o)
MeghanVK
July 17, 2012
I think you'd have to pry dishwashing gloves off my cold, dead (but still lovely and moisturized) hands. I'd rather do that and go back and re-wash a plate or two if necessary. And in a washing machine-less apartment like mine, the thought of letting a grody pile of washcloths build up until laundry day is a little scary (I guess they could be washed by hand? Don't know; don't care; I will jar my own jam but hand-washing rags is apparently my pioneer-lady limit).
Totally agree on the Palmolive, though; it's the best. And now that it's been mentioned, I should probably take a look at my dish drainer....
Totally agree on the Palmolive, though; it's the best. And now that it's been mentioned, I should probably take a look at my dish drainer...
OdaO
November 14, 2015
Tradition in Norway, alas almost forgotten.. is to boil your (100% cotton) washcloths in a pot, with some detergent and water just to cover, on the stove. Poke it regularly with the back of a wooden spoon, until clean 'enough'. If you are worried by stove-stains you must bleach them after.
Although for decades we have been using a dish-brush, for washing dishes by hand. Still using a special dishcloth for silver or other fine things.. but only IF you think for yourself, that is.
I have lived with occasional roommates that never wash outside pots and pans, but WHY.. can't they listen, and admit to the problem? Thank heavens those times are long gone from my life!
Before my dreaded move in the spring I ditched an apartment, and chose this one, partly because the former did not have a dishwasher, nor the space for one. I bless my wonderful machine all the time. At full height, but only 40 cm wide, it does a marvelous job!
-HOT water, yes
-Gloves, yes
-Glass and touched by mouth items get washed first, then in natural order.
Although for decades we have been using a dish-brush, for washing dishes by hand. Still using a special dishcloth for silver or other fine things.. but only IF you think for yourself, that is.
I have lived with occasional roommates that never wash outside pots and pans, but WHY.. can't they listen, and admit to the problem? Thank heavens those times are long gone from my life!
Before my dreaded move in the spring I ditched an apartment, and chose this one, partly because the former did not have a dishwasher, nor the space for one. I bless my wonderful machine all the time. At full height, but only 40 cm wide, it does a marvelous job!
-HOT water, yes
-Gloves, yes
-Glass and touched by mouth items get washed first, then in natural order.
EmilyC
July 17, 2012
This is great! I agree that sponges can be nasty, but a cool little tip is zapping them (damp, not dry) in the microwave on full power for about 2 minutes to sterilize them.
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