Keeping up with the dishes... by hand!

Oh how I dream of the day I have my very own dishwasher (and no... I'm not talking about the day when I can have my kids do it!) In the mean time, however, I'm relegated to a sink that slowly (and sometimes quickly) fills with dishes all day long. It is, after all, such a big process to wash the dishes. First they need to be organized (if there are that many), then the dish drainer needs to come out from under the sink (where you have to battle child proof locks), then after the water is warmed up and the washcloth has been amply soaped, the washing can begin.

Seems like a lot of work for just a few dishes... so they pile up all day long until there are "enough" to do them. Unfortunately, by the time there are "enough", there are too many! How many times have I looked at the dishes in the sink and said, oh, I'll do them after dinner when there are "enough" to do. After dinner the kitchen is a mess and the job looks overwhelming. It is at this point that I decide I don't have "enough" energy to do the job and it can wait until morning!

I tell you, this is no way to live! First of all, why not enjoy that clean kitchen feeling all day long, not just after a big washing or when you get up in the morning! :)

So what can be done? I'm embarrassed at how easy it is... embarrassed because I never would have thought of it myself. This tip comes directly from watching my mom the last couple times she's come to visit! She too HATES the child proof locks under the sink that trap the dish drainer! As she works little bits at a time to keep the sink empty of dishes (when she is here, in all her preciousness, her main goal is to do as many of my jobs as possible so that I can have a break from them! :) It's no wonder we keep welcoming her back!) , she came up with a simple solution. She gathers all the dishes (be it 3 or 10 or more) into one side of the sink, washes and rinses (without filling the sink with water). The clean dishes are placed in the other side of the sink to wait (and drip dry some). When they are done, she towels them dry and puts them away.

It's as simple as that! :) When I finish washing (with my soapy washcloth), instead of rinsing the washcloth all the way, I just wring out the water and leave the soap in it. That way it is ready for the next few dishes that gather in the sink.

Presto... clean kitchen feeling all day long! Until dinner that is... that is when the drainer comes out! :)

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Labels: In the Kitchen, Keeping My Home, Passing it On

posted by ~Babychaser~ @ 3:29 PM