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Dishes
Jul 21, 2010 17:48:13 GMT -5
Post by dtesposito on Jul 21, 2010 17:48:13 GMT -5
I just thought of something else--I used a particular dishwashing soap for many years just out of habit--then I started experimenting with different soaps and found a few that smell really good. It's sounds silly, but it's made dishwashing so much more pleasant to have that lovely smell wafting up while I'm washing!
Diane
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Dishes
Jul 21, 2010 18:46:31 GMT -5
Post by CaringFriend on Jul 21, 2010 18:46:31 GMT -5
I agree with others that doing the dishes in a tub or elsewhere would be hard on the back. Even doing them in the Tupperware tubs or plastic storage bins would require backbending. Personally, I would use the large tubs/bins to gather all of the dishes so they are in one spot. Notsomessyshell wrote, "I stacked them all up on the counters, step stool, floor and stove. Just did one sink full at a time. I did a ton of it while hanging out in chat. I could do an entire sink load in the 15 minutes of challenge! One sink full after another until it was all done." Fireweed, you would be surprised how quickly you can whittle through the dirty dish mess by doing what Notsomessyshell did. - Once you have the dirty dishes/pots/pans gathered, fill a sink or dishpan with hot sudsy water, and fill it with dirty dishes.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and start a load of laundry, vacuum, or anything else.
- Return to the dishes. Wash with a cloth or sponge, rinse, and place in a dish drainer to dry.
- Repeat above procedure, keeping in mind that the water needs to be refilled occasionally to be kept hot......and definitely sudsy.
Before you go to bed, dry and put away those that have been cleaned and dried. Each day work on those corralled in the containers, until they no longer exist. The secret is to read all of the suggestions and try what you think will work for you. If you find that it doesn't, simply try a different method. Keep trying until you find one that works for you. Part of this whole process is not just washing up all of the old dirty dishes in your home, but preventing new ones from taking residence with the rest! Add today's dishes to the sink with the old ones. That way, at the end of the day, they too will be clean.
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Dishes
Jul 21, 2010 19:30:59 GMT -5
Post by gifted on Jul 21, 2010 19:30:59 GMT -5
Using the bathtub would not work well for me, because of the distance/ goatpaths that I would need to traverse.
I like to use a plastic picnic cooler to soak things, and get them "out of the way." while I use the sink.
I try to clear off a countertop before I fill the cooler with water, and position it so I can easily drain it into the kitchen sink.
I wrote a thread about this sometime ago.
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Dishes
Jul 21, 2010 20:39:30 GMT -5
Post by def6 on Jul 21, 2010 20:39:30 GMT -5
I fill up all of my pans to soak in sudsy water and I stack likes together. I get a large container and soak all of the silverware at one time. Sometimes I boil water in the kettle and add it to the water. I invest in washing up liquid that smalls fantastic.I sanitize my washing sponge in the microwave.
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Dishes
Jul 21, 2010 21:18:14 GMT -5
Post by fireweed on Jul 21, 2010 21:18:14 GMT -5
Good ideas everybody. You know I used to be so ridiculously cheap. For year I didn't wear gloves to wash dishes. And I wouldn't buy a dish brush because I thought they were too "expensive". Good grief. Thank goodness I got over some of that nuttiness.
good smelling dish soap is a must!
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 1:20:57 GMT -5
Post by clutterfree on Jul 22, 2010 1:20:57 GMT -5
I have never worn gloves to wash dishes, or used anything but dish soap and a cloth, or the occasional plastic scrubber thing, which is very cheap. I don't wear gloves when cleaning either.
Do most people really wear gloves to wash dishes, and use brushes and such?
I didn't avoid them because of the cost, but because it just seems like it would be awkward. And I tend to run my fingers quickly over the surface of things to make sure they're smooth and there's nothing stuck to it. Couldn't do that in gloves.
I'm really curious now.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 6:18:57 GMT -5
Post by MissABCD on Jul 22, 2010 6:18:57 GMT -5
I noticed that some folks suggested using bleach with your dishdetergent. You might want to check the warning label. I think most dish detergents say NOT to do that as it causes a serious chemical reaction. MissABCD
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 7:07:21 GMT -5
Post by dtesposito on Jul 22, 2010 7:07:21 GMT -5
I don't use gloves for washing dishes. As a scrubber I use a little rectangular pad that has a smooth surface on one side and a rougher surface on the other. This is an off brand sold only in certain stores--it's the only thing I like for dishes so I always hope they don't stop making them!
Diane
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 7:52:18 GMT -5
Post by CaringFriend on Jul 22, 2010 7:52:18 GMT -5
I have never worn gloves to wash dishes, or used anything but dish soap and a cloth, or the occasional plastic scrubber thing, which is very cheap. I don't wear gloves when cleaning either.
Do most people really wear gloves to wash dishes, and use brushes and such?
I didn't avoid them because of the cost, but because it just seems like it would be awkward. And I tend to run my fingers quickly over the surface of things to make sure they're smooth and there's nothing stuck to it. Couldn't do that in gloves.
I'm really curious now. I've never used gloves for the same reason. Every morning I get out a fresh dishcloth, hand towel, and dish-drying towel. The dishcloths are laundered in bleach. For hand-drying towels, I like to use those hand towels sold in the bath towel section. I like the thickness and they are not all wet after I use them the first time. I simply buy them in colors that complement my kitchen. I use a scrubbie that has a plastic net covering for stubborn stuff on dishes, pots, and pans. That isn't often because of soaking immediately with hot water and suds after being emptied. A tip I'd like to share...........I like the look of a clear kitchen counter. Instead of keeping the bottle of dish detergent on the counter, by the sink, I place it inside the upper cabinet to the right of the sink (because I am right-handed). I leave the bottle open so that all I have to do is open cabinet door, grab, squeeze, return to shelf. Of course it is the small bottle. If I buy larger bottles on sale, I fill the small bottle from the larger ones. I used to keep the dish detergent under the sink, but found the upper cabinet location much more convenient.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 8:00:08 GMT -5
Post by scribbles on Jul 22, 2010 8:00:08 GMT -5
I wear gloves to wash the dishes, but that is because my skin is sensitive to something in dish detergent. If I don't wear gloves, the skin on my fingers starts to peel off. You can feel stuck-on food particles through the gloves, or just use a really good scruby thing to make sure they are clean.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 9:08:59 GMT -5
Post by Script on Jul 22, 2010 9:08:59 GMT -5
Do most people really wear gloves to wash dishes, and use brushes and such? I wear gloves to do everything, and I do mean everything: *dishes, that goes without saying *hand-washing lingerie *peeling carrots, potatoes, apples *mixing ground meat *washing salad or other veggies *washing floors *ten-second-swiping sinks I do not garden, period amen, but if DH somehow asks me to do something outside, I wear gardening gloves. With slatherings of cream on first. If I were to do other outdoor work with a rake, I would wear gardening gloves, but I try very hard not to do this, as I get blisters in a nano-second. My hands are very sensitive and get terribly sore {fibro}. I have a pair of rubber gloves [latex, whatever: usually heavy duty] on each floor of the house: by the laundry tubs; by the kitchen sink; under the bathroom sink. I have in the past used cheap plastic disposable gloves to wash my hair. When I shave my legs [weekly, when my nerves are ok] I put on heavy-duty hand cream first. I understand that hand models use cream twenty times a day and use gloves when washing their hair. I will eventually have to move up to this level of care, as my skin gets worse as I age. The skin on my hands is very very sensitive, and simply cannot take water or chemicals or even organic soaps. My dishes are clean enough, even without being able to 'feel' as well through the gloves. Why? Because I can use MUCH HOTTER WATER.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 10:09:50 GMT -5
Post by fluffernut - now Jannie on Jul 22, 2010 10:09:50 GMT -5
Last Thanksgiving I had no dishwasher. I took all the dirty pots and pans and piled them outside my side door, which no one uses. They were still there in February. This was during a cold snowy New York winter. My daughters finally shamed me into washing them. Unfortunately, some had rusted and had to be thrown away. Now I do dishes every single day. Oh and my dishwasher has been fixed.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 12:23:15 GMT -5
Post by mellowyellow on Jul 22, 2010 12:23:15 GMT -5
I've never had a dishwasher so I understand.
First of all, there is no reason on earth that you need to wash all these darn dishes at once. If they've accumulated little by little, there is no reason why you can't clean them little by little.
How about you just focus on washing 3 or 4 pieces? And then, if you feel inspired, do another 3 or 4? You don't have to do more at this point, but it would be lovely. Then leave them alone for a bit. Do something else that is fun or useful.
A little while later, come back and wash another 3 or 4. Set a timer if you want. The key here is that by not setting yourself up to fail (wanting to wash ALL the dishes and have it ALL done), you are always being successful. You are successfully cleaning 3 or 4 dishes. Each and every endeavour will be a success. How wonderful is that? I believe that will give you an unconscious positive reinforcement, rather than allowing you to dwell on how much you have to do.
Try it and tell me if it works.
P.S. I put my detergent in a beautiful stainless steel handsoup dispenser that is meant for a bathroom. I searched for quite a while until I found the one I wanted. It is elegant, small and attractive.
ETA: Much to my mum's chagrin, I also do not use gloves. I hate the feeling of them on my skin, and I always manage to get a drop or two inside, and then they feel really gross and slimy.
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 13:58:44 GMT -5
Post by Starting Again on Jul 22, 2010 13:58:44 GMT -5
... there is no reason on earth that you need to wash all these darn dishes at once. If they've accumulated little by little, there is no reason why you can't clean them little by little. I've used that approach when I was so down in the dumps (depressed) that I could scarcely do anything. ..But if the next meal is coming soon and you have a pretty large family and lots to do it might make sense to get the dishes over with quickly. I live alone so dishes are not very significant. However, I managed to let them accumulate anyway. I'm just now trying to get over that bad habit, as even with one person they can get a little gross. Maybe this applies more to people with few dishes - but has anyone tried to use foaming dish detergent? I'm thinking of refilling a bathroom foaming dispenser with dish detergent (and water). I hate wasting dish detergent on just a few dishes. An elegant dish detergent dispenser sounds nice. The place I do most dishes is at my mom's house on Sunday, where we have 8 people. I don't cook so I do the dishes. I can't really put it off because it is expected by everyone. My mom uses old credit cards (with a corner snipped off) for scrapers. Works very well. messylife
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Dishes
Jul 22, 2010 16:42:02 GMT -5
Post by stretch on Jul 22, 2010 16:42:02 GMT -5
I'm in the process of buying a house that has no dishwasher. Getting one installed is going to be priority number one for me, because I *know* dishes are a serious weak spot of mine.
I agree with the others - it sounds like Rubbermaid tubs are the way to go. Good luck!
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