funny thing I noticed - and how do *you* handwash dishes?

[Heather Micaela]

There are three adults in our home: me, dh, and a male roomate. All of us wash dishes completely different

*I take a clean dish rag daily (One that has a scrubby side) and put soap on that, then wash the dishes with the water running. So I soap an scrub them then rinse them under the running water, then intantly put them in the drainer.
*Dh uses a scrubby brush thing and then does the rest like me.
*roomate uses a 2 sided sponge and then does the same we do

NONE of us fill the sink with soapy water. :shrug

So I was just curious, how do you was dishes?

[MarynMunchkins]

I fill my sink with soapy water, use a scruby sponge, rinse over the water, and put into the drainer. It saves water that way. ;)

Occasionally, I'll wash under running water, but only if I have one or two things to wash.

[Heather Micaela]

I think I don't do that because the water looks icky really fast to me. When I have done that, I drain the water like 3-4 times.

[hey mommy]

Depends on how many dishes there are.. For only a few, i just wet the rag, pour soap on it and then wash them. If there is a lot, I fill up the sink. And then I have to drain it a few times b/c we have hard water and the soap disapears after about 1/2 sink-full of dishes.

[Heather Micaela]

Depends on how many dishes there are.. For only a few, i just wet the rag, pour soap on it and then wash them. If there is a lot, I fill up the sink. And then I have to drain it a few times b/c we have hard water and the soap disapears after about 1/2 sink-full of dishes.

Hmm- maybe that is one of the reasons I stopped filling the sink. We have the hardest water known to man. Seriously.

[Mother of Sons]

I run the water. Sink water is really gross (not to mention dangerous). Usually there aren't very many dishes and I try to wash fast. I'm sure it's not environmentally friendly but I think washing dishes in dirty water is yucky.

[Heather Micaela]

I run the water. Sink water is really gross (not to mention dangerous). Usually there aren't very many dishes and I try to wash fast. I'm sure it's not environmentally friendly but I think washing dishes in dirty water is yucky.


I dont like the idea of standing water either. The thing I noticed is that I think I use MORE when I fill the basin because I re-empty it so many times. Plus what takes up all the room is the big pans, and they do fit well enough to wash in a basin anyway.

[Iarwain]

I plug the drain and squirt in some soap. While the water's running I put a little soap on the rag and start washing (less dirty things first). I put the washed but not rinsed items in the empty side of the sink. When the basin's full I turn off the water and keep washing, periodically stopping to rinse the things that have accumulated in the other half of the sink in clean running water. I do the icky stuff last, often with extra soap. Since everything gets the wash water rinsed off anyway, I don't think the sink full of dishwater is a problem at all. I definitely use less water this way, since I turn it off when the sink's full and rinse quickly.

[milkmommy]

for a few dishes a washcloth (the scrubby kind) under running water for a fill load fill the sink and wash. DH uses those scrubby brushes which I absoultly hate.

Deanna

[crunchymum]

i use a water glass (or cereal bowl, sometimes) with water in it, put soap on the sponge, and dip the sponge in the water before scrubbing the dishes in batches. i set the cleaned dishes just down in the sink and then rinse them when it starts getting full. then do another batch, though we usually don't do a ton of dishes by hand since we have a dishwasher. i rinse in really hot water. to me, the cup is less icky than filling up the sink and washing them that way, and uses less water than letting it run. :shrug

[cmecu2]

I fill the sink up on both sides when I do wash by hand. And when the water gets icky in the rinse side I'll empty it and start fresh. But we have a dishwasher now and having one actually saves water because it reuses the water it fills up with.

[Meli]

Under running water, no way - *runs screaming from the room*. As someone who lives in a drought area with our dams about 20% capacity for the last 5 years or so, that idea is totally abhorant to me! I can't imagine even considering that option.

I run the sink with very hot soapy water about half full (just bareable temperature to put my hands in) and then pop as many dishes as will fit under water in, leave them a couple of minutes, wash them off with a cloth and pop them out to drain. Then put more dishes in and repeat until all done. I don't know whether it is the detergent I use (a good quality concentrate), or how hot I have the water, but unless we have a full on use every pan in the house sort of meal, I never run out of hot soapy water before the dishes are done.

[HummusDip]

There are three adults in our home: me, dh, and a male roomate. All of us wash dishes completely different

*I take a clean dish rag daily (One that has a scrubby side) and put soap on that, then wash the dishes with the water running. So I soap an scrub them then rinse them under the running water, then intantly put them in the drainer.
*Dh uses a scrubby brush thing and then does the rest like me.
*roomate uses a 2 sided sponge and then does the same we do

NONE of us fill the sink with soapy water. :shrug

So I was just curious, how do you was dishes?


I have a dishwasher so I only handwash big items, but I do it like your husbad. I use a scrub brush and wash the item, rinse it, and put it on the drying towel. Once the towel is full, I dry the stuff on the towel all the way with another towel, put them away and then finish my dishes.

[krysmh]

I don't do many by hand... mostly just ones that won't fit in the dishwasher or aren't supposed to go in the dishwasher.

When I do it, I use a clean rag (sponges freak me out!), the hottest running water I can stand, and soap squirted on the rag and sometimes in the dish too. And, umm, I wash them twice usually. I'm a germophobe. :O

On the rare occasion that I do a sink full of dishes by hand, I'll fill the sink, but the sink is meticulously cleaned before hand, and the water never gets ooky because I'm a stickler for rinsing dishes off really well immediately after use. I hate washing dishes by hand though! :O

[canadiyank]

Two sided sink, one side with soapy water, the other with clean, use a two-sided sponge. Now we have a dishwasher, so I hardly do them by hand.

Hey, just heard some fireworks! Happy New Year! :D

[Quiteria]

I plug the drain and squirt in some soap. While the water's running I put a little soap on the rag and start washing (less dirty things first). I put the washed but not rinsed items in the empty side of the sink. When the basin's full I turn off the water and keep washing, periodically stopping to rinse the things that have accumulated in the other half of the sink in clean running water. I do the icky stuff last, often with extra soap. Since everything gets the wash water rinsed off anyway, I don't think the sink full of dishwater is a problem at all. I definitely use less water this way, since I turn it off when the sink's full and rinse quickly.


This exactly! Except sometimes I also plug the rinse side while I'm rinsing with running water, that makes the waiting dishes less soapy and thus less time for each under the running water, and when that side is full it becomes my new soapy wash water and the first side gets drained. So basically everything gets rinsed with running water, but I catch it to be the soaking water, too. When i'm done, sometimes I leave the cleanest side to soak the next meal's dishes.