I like doing the washing up. Stay with me for a minute: Few things in life are more meditative and satisfying than doing the dishes. Many of us have dishwashers, and we get busy, so dishes have a nasty habit of languishing in the sink. Yet, a surprising amount of us don't know how to wash them by hand properly.
Like all things, if you have the right tools and know-how to do it properly, even something as mundane as dishwashing can be a (mostly) pleasant experience.
In our eternal quest to find beauty in the ordinary and elevate the everyday, here is our definitive guide to doing the dishes.
First, Gather your tools. To do the dishes, you’ll need:
- Dish Soap
- Dish Brushes: I use a bottle brush, a pot scrubber, and another for general scrubbing.
- I use dishwashing gloves because I like HOT water!
- Dishwashing Sheets
- A sponge for cleaning. Never for doing dishes!
- A compost or rubbish bin.
- Dish Towels: Use different ones for drying dishes and cleaning.
The first step is to scrape all the food scraps from the plates into your composter or garbage can.
I use a dry dish brush to scrape any food scraps off the plates. Resist the temptation to rinse! Dishwashing Sheets are designed to attack food residue, so you’ll actually get a better clean if you leave (fresh) food residue on your plates. It’s counterintuitive, I know, but you’ll get used to it (and save a lot of time and water).
We have a garbage disposal, but I throw most food scraps into my new composter (!) or the garbage can. If you do have a disposal, you should use it sparingly and never put things like meat, eggshells, bones, or coffee grounds down the disposal.
Speaking of which, here's a list of things you should never put into a dishwasher: Fine bone China, hand-painted or decorated dishes, sharp knives, wood, cast iron, aluminum, silver, crystal, and some plastics (check the manufacturer's website). If you got it off a registry or spent a lot of money on it, it's safer to hand wash it.
If I'm doing more than a few dishes or a lot of glasses, I put the stopper in and fill the sink with hot water. I also put a washcloth or another tea towel at the bottom of the sink to prevent breakages.
Start with the glasses. Wet a bottle brush with hot water and a few pumps of dish soap and scrub them all without the tap running. Rinse them all at once. Place them upside down on a clean dish towel (I'll use a bath towel on the kitchen island if I'm doing a lot of glasses).
Once the glasses and stemware are done, I get the biggest thing (like a pasta pot, salad bowl, or mixing bowl).
Move onto plates. Use the hottest water you can stand, except for dishes with flour or cheese. Use tepid or cool water because hot water makes those ingredients gummier and harder to remove.
You should also refresh the soap and water as needed. Throw rinsed cutlery into the sink to soak while you start on the pots. It's the Pot Brush's time to shine, and its extra-strong bristles and specially shaped handle make it easier to get rid of baked-on food and stains.
I recently stopped using a dish rack because dishes always get left there and never get put away. Instead, I use a clean dish towel to leave clean dishes until I can dry them. This simple trick keeps me honest, and I’m way more likely to complete the job by drying and then putting the clean dishes away. Trust.
Finally, make sure to dry everything thoroughly before putting it away. Moisture in cabinets is more likely to grow bacteria, and if you have hard water, it can leave ugly water markings etched into your China.
Once all your dishes are washed, dried, and put away, there's just one last step. Wipe up any drips or messes, take a deep breath, and pat yourself on the back.
You just completed a proper Washing Up job.
Well Done,
xx, mlk
