DBF's dad is headbutting with me on how to do dishes. So, how do you do them? - Page 2

[NikonMama]

Our new neighbor was over for dinner one night, and after we ate I washed the dishes (we have a dish washer, but we wash them by hand by choice).  I do them like you do...she must do them like your DBFs dad b/c she told me I was wasting water by letting it run like that, I should just fill up the sink.  I just said "Uh huh..." and kept on doing what I was doing.  LOL  I also think it's gross to wash the dishes with the dirty water, but what do I know.  I also think that washing dishes with a sponge is nasty (we use a clean wash cloth every time we do a new load of dishes), but I'm not going to tell someone else not to use them.  When we go back to our home town, we stay with my MIL.  She uses a sponge to wash dishes, and while I do think it's gross, that's how she wants it done so I do it that way and I'm not about to tell her otherwise.  To each their own. 

[gillibean]

While I wouldn't say that there is a right or wrong way, I would say that it's up to whoever is paying for the hot water and dishsoap.  

I grew up with a well so water conservation is a pretty big deal for me.  My method varies slightly on whether I'm at a double sink or single sink.  Currently we have a single sink.  Anyway, I fill the sink about 1/4 full with hot soapy water.  I wash dishes in the order of glasses, cutlery, plates/bowls, serving dishes, cooking dishes.  Dishes are scraped into the garbage before washing.  Liquids are poured into the sink before filling with wash water, if I already have wash water in then I'll either dump the liquid in the bathroom sink or leave it till last.  After wiping each dish with a soapy cloth, I rinse it under hot water from the tap.  Sometimes I'll wash several items and rinse them in immediate succession so I don't have to keep turning the water on and off.  They then air dry in the drainer.  Last night I did a heaping drainer-full of them and the sink was about 1/3 full of water when I was finished.

[C is for Cookie]

Originally Posted by gillibean 

After wiping each dish with a soapy cloth, I rinse it under hot water from the tap.  

Originally Posted by NikonMama 

 I also think that washing dishes with a sponge is nasty (we use a clean wash cloth every time we do a new load of dishes)

Hmm... That got me thinking of getting a dish cloth of some sort. DBF's dad bought me some "natural, environmentally green" sponges to support my "crunchiness". lol.  But I do think the dish clothes would be cleaner. 

[ollyoxenfree]

I think you can zap a sponge in the microwave once in a while to kill lingering mildew and germs. I don't use sponges so I've never done it. I prefer cloths. I find them easier to wipe, scrub, spread out over a larger surface, compress into a smaller surface, whatever I need to do for cleaning.... 

[SimpleLove]

Wow, I'm going to try using a washcloth! OP, I wash like you. The water runs the whole time. I conserve and am 'green' in every other area but it's worth it to me in the dishwashing case. Our water bill is under $100 a year and I'm okay with that. Soap is cheap and lasts a long time. btw, we don't have a dishwasher.

[purplerose]

we scrape off food and rinse dishes first. fill up sink with hot soapy water. (i can't stand wasting water!!) let silverware soak while i wash the dishes, then the dishes get rinsed off in the clean side of the sink. (the thought of soaking and not rinsing dishes after grosses me out!) we use a washcloth and i have a zillion of them and a new one is used daily.

the dish towels are to be used for drying CLEAN hands and dishes ONLY. not to wipe food on, or greasy hands.

[incorrigible]

The " fill the sink" method was just passed down from before running water is all. It's not right or wrong. It's like an inherited habit. =D My grandparents did that. My mom taught me that was the "right" way but just ran the water when she did them. lol I actually stack them a specific way first to allow them to soak without actually wasting so much water as to fill the sink. I run the hot water while I stack large plates then small plates then large bowls then small bowls then silverware inside then fill glasses and place them in the sink to soak. I come back later and everything has soaked and loosened up just like if I left it in a sink full of water (but using like 1/10th the water). Then I run the water while I rinse each item off and place it in the dish dryer (ok, dishwasher. I use it like a giant drying rack). Sometimes something needs a little scrubbing, but the entire process from dirty to clean uses far less water than it takes to fill the sink even once. It also takes almost no effort on my part, which is my favorite kind of conservation. =D Pots and pans I try to wipe out and rinse off immediately after cooking so I don't have to wash crusty stuff. Sometimes, I'll need to leave a little soapy water in the bottom of a pot if I overcook something, but a quarter of an inch will soak it as well as a full pot. 

[pek64]

I rinse in running water. My husband and his family does it the rinse in standing water method. Now that my food allergies are so severe, I *must* use the running watwr method to get off *all* foreign matter.

[AmandaT]

Because we do not have a double sink, and our sink is very shallow I have had to modify the way I do dishes :/

I first rinse off anything with visible food residue then turn off the sink. I wash only the top of the first dish, then fully wash the rest of the dishes (top and bottom), then the bowls, cups and lastly silverware. As I'm washing these I stack them on the counter until I'm finished and then rinse everything piece-by-piece and put them on the drying rack (washing the bottom of the first dish before I rinse it of course!). Our water bill is already so high (I don't know why!!) I don't want to leave the water running while I'm washing everything.

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by AmandaT 

Because we do not have a double sink, and our sink is very shallow I have had to modify the way I do dishes :/

My dream kitchen has a single big farmhouse-style sink and possibly a separate small sink for rinsing veggies etc. on the work island. Shallow doesn't sound good, but I'd give up my double sink, with the 2 ridiculously small sinks that won't accommodate a roast pan, in an instant. 

[pek64]

Love the big sink idea!!

How about a foot pedal for turning the water on for rinsing, so it doesn't have to run..

Oh, bad idea with kids who would waste water playing with it.

How about a sensor that turns on the water when you put something under the faucet. I believe those really exist. That would rinse well and conserve water. You could offer to pay for it. Just an idea.

Edited for typo correction.

[NikonMama]

Originally Posted by C is for Cookie 

Hmm... That got me thinking of getting a dish cloth of some sort. DBF's dad bought me some "natural, environmentally green" sponges to support my "crunchiness". lol.  But I do think the dish clothes would be cleaner. 

I love using a washcloth.  IMO, they stay sudsier longer.  Plus, they are SO much easier to clean.  I have about a MILLION washcloths that I rotate.  They sell ones now, I've seen them at both Walmart and Target, that have a layer of scrubby mesh sewn to one side of the washcloth.  I use those a lot, and they work really well.  :) 

There are days I will use more than one washcloth b/c I refuse to let them sit between meals and grow bacteria (same concept as a sponge IMO), so as soon as I'm done with a load of dishes I will put the washcloth in the laundry room to be washed, and I grab a clean one the next time I need to wash a load.