Big Families w/no Dishwasher

[MaryLang]

Getting back into the swing of not having a dishwasher, after having one for a few years. And having lots of little ones = lots of sippy cups ect... What are your best tips for staying on top of your dishes?

[The Amber Lily]

Lol, the first thing that comes to mind is serving water instead of juice. Depending on the ages, can they learn to use a cup with water, and reuse it throughout the day?

I prefer to stack dishes neatly on the counter throughout the day, and then wash them after supper. Can it be a fun activity for you and a kid or two? Or partner/husband?

It sounds like a nightmare situation for me, lol. Using less dishes both for eating and cooking would be a priority for me.

[ArtsyMomma]

I hate doing the dishes, so I try to keep up on them so I don't have to spend a huge amount of time on them.

Sippy cups without valves are great. I've had good luck with the Nubby brand. It's hard to clean those little crevices and valves.

[Katie T]

When I have time I try to wash after lunch and dinner (we are home during the day). My kids each get one cup for the day and after meals (when they have something other than water) it gets a quick rinse.

I don't like to have a ton of dirty dishes sitting around thought. lol

[SageR]

To cut down on the volume of dishes for snacks and lunch I put our food in one dish in the middle of the child sized table or a blanket on the floor. I just do finger foods for these meals ( I "cook" breakfast and dinner)- sandwiches cut into quarters; cut up fruit, veggies, and cheese; crackers; popcorn. They share family style. So only 3 dishes a day and a knife or two.

They each get a cup or glass and just get water so I only have to wash those once too.

As far as actually doing the dishes I fill the sink while I am making dinner. In between food prep steps I wash what I can and then finish after we eat. With this system dishes either avoid sitting or soak so I don't have to spend time scrubbing.

[amyamanda]

To echo what others have said, each kid gets their own cup and only has water during the day. I found it easiest for each kid to have a unique cup, because then I would have a clue on where to track down any missing ones. And I could say "bring me your cup if you want a drink" and they usually would. I would use cups with handles and have hooks or a dishrack where everyone always hangs their cup (or I hang it) after it's used. And only water, unless *I* am willing to rinse the cups out.

Once a day, or once a week, or whatever your comfort level is, you can wash them with soap.

I would also do the same with plates (or maybe just use bowls instead - more multi-purpose). Each kid gets a unique plate, and when it's used, you or they can rinse it and put it in the drainer. Sandwich crumbs rinse off in half a second. Again with the "each kid has a unique one" bit - that way you know who to ask to bring you their plate if it isn't rinsed and in the drainer. I realize some of yours are tiny and can't rinse their own, but rinsing is WAY better than stacking and having to wash them, and honestly, you really don't need soap most of the time. Wash them with soap once a day and you're good.

We also sometimes use cloth napkins (or you could use paper towels) for "plates" for things like toast or other not-messy things.

We did dishes by hand for several years and I found that these things helped. The worst is when someone wants something ELSE to eat so they take ANOTHER plate and the plates just pile up to the sky that way. Edited to say that I limited the number of grownup plates and bowls and cups in the cabinet, for this exact reason. If we had four plates and they were all used, washing one was no big deal. But if we had four dirty plates and ten more in the cabinet, we'd end up with five dirty plates.

Also I got one of those scrub brushes with the reservoir for dishsoap to make it easy to quick-wash anything we needed right away. I love it. Mine is made by Oxo and it has lasted several years.

Also I kept a plastic box on the counter with a bit of soapy water in it for people to put their silverware in. That way the silverware soaked without any effort, and when it was time to wash, it was easy - no stuck-on goo. Same for pots, I tried to always scrape or soak them right away, or at least leave them soaking overnight.

One thing that helped me, might not help you, but I'll say it...my DH isn't a natural "helper," but we negotiated that he would be responsible for putting away leftovers after dinner and rinsing or soaking the pot. I was just way too exhausted and busy with nursing and bedtimes to be able to do any after-dinner cleanup at all, and if the leftovers didn't get put away, they would go to waste, which was not acceptable to our budget. He is in the habit now and it is SUCH a big help. I know a lot of DH's will do dishes in the evening, but...well...you work with what you have and don't fret about what you haven't got.

Also my older kids were HAPPY to help put away dishes even when they were quite young...preschool-age could put away the silverware, and kindergarten-age could put away most other dishes, and I would have them leave for me anything they could not reach or lift or that was sharp or dangerous. Usually I was in the kitchen doing something else while they helped put dishes away.

I tried never to have to towel-dry anything...we just let all the dishes air-dry. We had two dishracks and a towel spread on the counter to accommodate all the dishes, and then we'd just wait until they were dry before putting them away. Towel-drying seemed like such a wasted effort if the air could do it perfectly well.

Good luck.

[yeahwhat]

No dishwasher here with 4 kids. We're planning on redoing our kitchen this summer and putting one in, although I sometimes wonder why. It only takes about 15 minutes for me to wash a sinkful of dishes and wipe down the table, countertop, and stove. I'd have to load up the dishwasher and wipe everything down anyway.

I wash at least 2x per day and usually more like 3+ since I try to clean as I go when I'm baking and cooking. It's not really any problem to wipe everything down and wash the dishes in the sink while I'm waiting for food in the oven to cook or something on the stovetop to boil or simmer. I'm not sure we have enough cutlery and dishes to go a whole day before turning on a dishwasher anyway.

[umsami]

We lived like that for many years with three kids and way too many sippy cups.

Clean as you go when you cook.

Minimize cups/plates/etc.

One cup per person per day. (Usually)

When the kids were older (4?), we had a dishpan filled with soapy water in the sink during the day.... and a step in front of the sink. The kids would wash their lunch dishes (and I'd help rinse).

We never dried.... but just had a dish rack set up. Got a great one at Ikea that I loved.

I hate doing dishes, but I had a rule that all dishes had to be done before I went to bed. Ideally, I'd wash after each meal, though. Much easier and only took a few minutes--even with 5 people.

[Serendipity]

We have a dishwasher but a few months ago I decided I didn't want to use it anymore so I only keep four plates, four cups, four bowls, four forks, spoons, knives etc. in the cabinet. If its dirty when you want it, you wash it. The rest is stored so we can get it out when people are over but it can't pile up on us.

[phathui5]

We do dishes after most meals. I often was dishes before breakfast, after lunch and after dinner. It's a lot. I do wish we had room in the house for a dishwasher, but we just can't fit one in anywhere.