If you are one of the folks who have always been fortunate enough to have a dishwasher in their home or apartment than you may have difficulty relating to this next article. If you have ever had a dishwasher break and you had to begin washing dishes by hand, or if you have not had a dishwasher before than you will relate this article fairly intimately, I would guess. It is hard to comprehend how mundane and mind-numbing washing dishes by hand can be until you have had to do it yourself. Imagine, you have spent all day working, you just finished cooking over a hot stove but before you can finally relax, there is the sink full of dishes.
No one likes waking up to sink full of dirty dishes the morning after, so you must get it done tonight. Well, I feel your pain, I get it. Having two young kids myself somehow my sink seems to have become a bottomless pit filled with barely used random Disney cups and silverware coated with peanut butter and jelly. If someone had tips to make the whole process easier or even, dare I say it, ‘enjoyable’ would you listen? That is exactly what I am bringing to you today, read on and when you are finished, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below!
- Make It a Bonding Activity – Like I mentioned above, I have two littles at home, and I have found they really learn the best by example. So, whenever possible I include them in whatever it is I am doing, chores especially! We almost always end up using this time to share highlights and stories about our day or turn on your favorite playlist and have an impromptu jam session right in your kitchen!
- Wear Gloves and Use Extra Hot Water – It feels like a no brainer, but make sure you are using the hottest water that you can handle! If your hands are a bit sensitive to the temperature or to the dish soap, no worries! Grab yourself a pair of cheap rubber gloves. Using the gloves will protect your hands and likely you will be able to use even hotter water than before which will only help speed up the whole cleaning process.
- Clean as You Go – This one might be a bit tricky; you do not want to end up ruining your carefully crafted entrée because you turned your back for a few moments to wash a pot or pan. However, washing the dishes as you go along will help greatly to reduce the amount of cleanup you have left to do at the very end once you have finished cooking and eating. If you have a double sink, fill one side up with hot, soapy water before you get started so you have a spot to dump your dishes as you go along, and they are out of your way.
- Consider ‘Reusing’ Dishes – Who isn’t guilty of using a plate briefly and throwing it in the sink as if it is filthy? Next time you have just a few crumbs leftover on a plate, ask yourself ‘Could I just rinse this off and put it away?’ Perhaps this is TMI but, I will rinse and reuse our plates and cups a few times before they ultimately get loaded into the dishwasher. This will help reduce the number of loads you have to do each week and ultimately save you some money with all that water you are saving.
- Time Yourself – If you are competitive at all then this trick might just be the one for you. Try timing yourself while tackling your next sink full of dirty dishes. Two things can happen here: (1) you learn how long it truly takes to clear the sink and clean the kitchen after dinner because I know it feels like forever but that is not really the case is it? (2) Make it a game against yourself and try to improve each time you do the dishes by cutting off a few seconds or even minutes. Set a goal for yourself and try to beat it!
For the full list of dishwashing burnout tips, click here. Thanks so much for reading and please feel free to leave your comments below and add to our tip list! If doing the dishes still does not appeal to you or if cleaning your kitchen is still too large to tackle on your own, please give us a call! 402-499-7867 We would love to lend a hand! Find us on Facebook or view a complete list of our services here.
