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Post by PerrinJade on Feb 7, 2010 11:55:44 GMT -5
I can't seem to keep up with the dishes. Some of my other maintanence stuff is going okay. I also got seriously behind on my overhaul list. I just can't seem to get the motivation. I got quite a bit done yesterday, at least. I still don't know how I got it all done so quickly, honestly. My living and dining rooms were a disaster-area.
I'm falling into old patterns, and I'm starting to feel like I'll never get out of them. It doesn't even click that it's happening, either. Maybe my dad's upcoming visit will help me get back into gear. I know that once I reach the clean level, I'll be able to mostly maintain it. My only downfall will be the dishes, I think. They always were.
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Post by peppermint66 on Feb 7, 2010 12:04:51 GMT -5
psquared, I can totally sympathize witht he whole dishes thing. the best thing i ever did was to pare down the amount of dishes I actually had. There were just two of us in the house , so when I finally got my kitchen under control, I decided to reward myself. I bought a really pretty inexpensive set of dishes, service for 4. I also bought a new set of pots and pans, all stainless steel, easy to clean. Then I got rid of everything else. I kept half a dozen coffee cups, and 8 glasses and a couple travel mugs and a few plastic cups my DH likes to drink water out of.Now, I can only let the dishes go 2 days max before I have to wash them. 2 days is way better than 2 months or more. Been there, done that, vaccuumed up the fruit flies! I know simplifying worked for me. Maybe it would work for you too.
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Post by moggyfan on Feb 7, 2010 13:06:30 GMT -5
Something that works for me in keeping up with dishes is ALWAYS using the time the microwave takes to heat something to do a few dishes.
I have a cheap-o, low-power microwave that takes about two minutes to get a cup of coffee really hot. I used to stand and tap my toe impatiently, but now I do however many dishes I can do in the two minutes, which is (surprisingly) quite a few. It's painless because it is such a short time, but since I reheat 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day, it adds up and keeps the sink pretty clear.
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Post by PerrinJade on Feb 7, 2010 13:59:45 GMT -5
Moggy--that's a really good idea. I might have to try that.
peppermint--I've been thinking of storing my extra-nice dishes and my crummy dishes somewhere. I think I may go ahead and do that.
Thanks for the tips!!
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Post by mellowyellow on Feb 7, 2010 14:17:36 GMT -5
Extra nice dishes: Would you consider using them more often? My mum got a book called "Use the Good Dishes" or something like that.. about living in the moment and not just saving things for "good" situations/parties/events that might never happen. I am slowly getting better in this matter. I have a lot of "good" dishes that I never use, but have started to either use things, or donate them. If they break, it is no different than if they were stuck in some distant cupboard never being used.
Crummy dishes: If they are too crummy to use on a regular basis, maybe you don't need to save them at all? Certainly you won't use them for a party or such... so maybe their time is finished?
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Post by Butterfly on Feb 7, 2010 16:48:35 GMT -5
..storing my...crummy dishes somewhere. Like MellowYellow, I think you should seriously consider getting rid of your crummy dishes. It sounds like you have plenty of good ones so why are you keeping the crummy ones? Life is too short to eat off crummy dishes! Now, to be slightly contradictory, have you considered paper plates and plastic cutlery and cups for everyday use? (Still get rid of your crummies!) I do this because it's just me and it really cuts down on the dishes that need to be cleaned. In fact, dishes are one area that I don't have much of a problem with. I only have to wash pans and bowls, things that can't really be replaced with disposables. I realize I'm not being as environmentally friendly as I could be but it sure beats having counters cluttered with dirty, smelly, insect attracting dishes. Maybe one day I will become a great housekeeper and will give up my disposables but until that day I think my trade-off is preferable. Just a couple of things that might make your life easier.
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Feb 7, 2010 18:46:36 GMT -5
Ditto for discarding all but the necessities. Not only will you be forced to wash them in order to have them to use, you will have plenty of room to put them away, the sink won't be overflowing, and you won't have a "house of cards" on your counter.
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Post by messymimi on Feb 7, 2010 21:30:19 GMT -5
If you are already behind on the dishes, do not try to catch up all in one day, unless the backup is just a few items.
Instead, commit each day to cleaning today's dishes, plus a few from the backlog. After a few days, there will be no more from the backlog.
To help you establish habits, make a list of the things, like dishes, that you want to do each day. You don't have to establish all of the habits overnight, but have them as a goal.
A timer can make a huge difference in concentration. If you find you don't get the dishes, or whatever, done because you are distracted, a game of beat the timer can keep you focused.
Feel free to use or ignore these, but sometimes they help.
messymimi
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Post by bigtimetroubles on Feb 7, 2010 23:05:56 GMT -5
dishes is my sore thumb....I hear you....I am not sure what to do but I have an automatic dishwasher and I am just the worst at getting it unloaded from clean dishes....so the dirty pile up!
hugs btt
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Post by homesteph on Feb 7, 2010 23:30:13 GMT -5
psquared, I can totally sympathize witht he whole dishes thing. the best thing i ever did was to pare down the amount of dishes I actually had. ... I know simplifying worked for me. Maybe it would work for you too. I agree totally! I did this - giving my set of heavy stoneware with a million pieces per place setting back to my aunt (It was Grandma's). Then I bought 8 place settings of very nice Corelle - so light weight that washing them doesn't hurt my joints. I also packed away half the glasses and the extra set of silverware for when DS moves out one day.
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Post by homesteph on Feb 7, 2010 23:32:41 GMT -5
..storing my...crummy dishes somewhere. Now, to be slightly contradictory, have you considered paper plates and plastic cutlery and cups for everyday use? ... Maybe one day I will become a great housekeeper and will give up my disposables but until that day I think my trade-off is preferable. Just a couple of things that might make your life easier. I agree here too, since my dishwasher broke I have switched to small cheap paper plates for feeding the cats. We now have 4 - 2 rescues this year - and all get wet food for various health reasons. No way I want to hand wash all those cat food plates daily! It's a compromise - we make extra green efforts elsewhere.
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Post by Meme on Feb 7, 2010 23:48:11 GMT -5
I hate dishes too but I found it was better to keep one sink clean and do small batches rather than osetting up two sinks with piles around them-- also try to not over use dishes or pots- one pot meals work best and do the small amount as I was cooking- and keep the small batches put away so u always have some working area to do the dishes- i never found a paper plate that was both economical and strong enough to use with out having to put a real plate under for support - I do use foil for any oven foods to avoid a lot of mess-- I noticed when i got rid of keeping too many dishes I used less and keep on top of the dirty ones- if I had clean dishes still in the cupboard it was too easy for me to skip washing until later but now I need the dishes clean to eat-- hugs
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Post by Arid on Feb 8, 2010 0:38:07 GMT -5
Yes; keeping up with the dirty dishes ALWAYS has been a BIG problem for me. (I hand wash everything.) What I found that helps the most might be perfectly obvious to most people, but it wasn't to me: Do small batches, and do them more often.
This means that I had to get over what was a HUGE stumbling block for me! I had to get over the idea that washing small batches of dirty dishes at a time was "wasting" water. (I grew up on farms with well water; so, conserving water was somethng that was ingrained in me from birth!!!)
However, I find that I have much less "demand resistance" when it comes to washing dishes when I know that it isn't going to be an agonizingly long (at least, to me!) chore.
Arid
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Feb 8, 2010 1:18:30 GMT -5
I have a lot of "good" dishes that I never use, but have started to either use things, or donate them.
If they break, it is no different than if they were stuck in some distant cupboard never being used. Exactly. no different. -
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Post by Evelyn on Feb 8, 2010 5:40:53 GMT -5
My tips for dishes: - Have something nice to stare at while you're at the sink: If you're lucky enough to have a window, keep it clean so you're not just staring at grime. Put a birdbath and/or birdfeeder outside, and/or plant flowers. If the view out the window can't be improved, hang one of those stained-glass (or stained-plastic ) suncatcher-thingos in the window. If you don't have a window (I've always had a blank wall), hang up a picture. For years and years, I washed dishes to a nice botanical print of a branch of ripe persimmons. If your view while standing at the sink is straight into your cheap wood-grain-veneer cupboard doors, think of something that would work along the above lines and then tell me what it is as soon as possible. I've been stuck with a cupboard-door view for almost two years now and it's driving me bats. - Put a mat with some cushioning to it on the floor in front of the sink, especially if you're on concrete-slab floors. And if you're going to be washing more than a few dishes, be sure to put on some comfy-but supportive shoes. - While you're waiting for the microwave - or while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, or the pasta to be done, or.... all those little scraps of time can be used to chip away at Mount Dishmore. - When I visit my mom, whose backlog of dishes is often more than I can deal with all at once (she's 80; and, while still full of spit and vinegar, not so spry these days) and whose TV is easily audible from the kitchen, I often work on the dishes during commericals and then go back and sit down to watch the TV shows. One hour of Jepoardy/Wheel of Fortune is often enough to get the dishwasher emptied of clean dishes, refilled, and ready to go. - I have a rule for myself about clean dishes: if the dish I want to use is under a bunch of others in the drainer or dishwasher, I have to put all the others away as I move them aside to get at the desired dish - no just edging them out out the way and leaving them in the drainer. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll extend this to putting all the clean cups away when I go to pull one cup out of the dish drainer, putting all the clean plates away when I want one plate. etc. This works especially well for getting the dishwasher emptied almost painlessly. As for as discouragement goes - I've been having trouble with that lately, too. Sometimes it helps to make sure I've actually eaten a proper meal; one with real protein, complex carbohydrates, and at least one genuine vegetable. Other times, I just try to pretend that I'm not discouaged after all, and I occaissionally even manage to fool myself into a better mood.
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