There’s people out there who actually like washing dishes by hand – some even claim it’s therapeutic. For the rest of us though, that mounting pile of dishes at the side of the sink is something we pretty much dread.
Sure millions of us have dishwashers these days but rising energy bills and a bit of thought for the environment mean many of us are resorting to washing dishes once again by hand. So here’s some tips on how to wash dishes the easy way:
It’s all about the soap
The temperature of your water and whether you fill the sink right up or only half – none of these issues matter as much as the quality of detergent you use. There’s also a very fine line between too little and too much detergent. Add too much detergent and you’re going to have to spend ages rinsing those dishes; too little and the grease is going cling to the plates. Our tip? Buy the highest quality dishwashing liquid you can afford, and think of it in terms of one tablespoon detergent to four cups warm water.
From fairly clean to dirty
Before washing, stack all the dishes from least dirty to food-caked so that you clean the least dirtiest first while the water’s still clean. That way you don’t have to refill.
Deal with the food leftovers and scraps right away
That scraping of oatmeal left in this morning’s cereal bowl will come back to haunt you later in the day at dish washing time. The best way to speed up washing dishes by hand is to deal with food scraps immediately. Never let them harden on the plates; throw them to the birds or give them to the dog as a treat (just between you two) – just don’t let them sit there. Soak the plates if you’ve no time to rinse.
Drying on the right spot
Allowing your dishes to dry in a well ventilated area (such as below an open window) reduces the time you’ll spend with a drying towel in your hand. A warmer water temperature will do likewise.
Washing dishes by hand isn’t for everyone of course, no matter how much we care about the environment. Some of us simply don’t have the time thanks to tight work schedules, a family to care for and a home to keep shipshape.
In which case let our team at Budget Maids help. We provide cleaning services in Columbia, a maid service in Potomac or cleaning services in Vienna and surrounds such as the whole of VA and most of Maryland. No home cleaning task is too big or small for us. Why not give us a try today?
image via DetectEnergy.com
