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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Doin' the dishes



Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell;
while others may go hungry, we're eating very well.
~Author Unknown


Ok, I'll be the first to admit that when my mind is given a wide range it sort of roams..big time. It can hop from here to there and then back again if I let it wonder. So, when I was doing the dishes today I started thinking about the order in which I do them. I cannot for the life of me remember why I do it in this order, if it was something I was taught or just something that I started doing.

You see, our dishwasher doesn't work. I know, I know..it's awful, but we are use to it. Before the house, when we lived in the apartment, that dishwasher didn't work either. And before THAT, when I lived at home the dishwasher never worked either. It's sort of just been what happens in the places I live. So there has been a lot of hand washing of the dishes.

I like to take ALL the dishes out of the sink and fill it up with nice hot, soapy water. I arrange the dishes on the counter like so, started from closest to the sink on back:

First, the silverware. Any sort of spoon, knive, fork..either serving or dining. I usually collect any measuring cups/spoons, ice cream scoop, pizza cutter, etc. in this pile as well.

Next, cups.

Third, plates and bowls.

Forth, plastic containers.

Fifth, cooking and/or baking dishes. Pots, pans, baking sheets, strainer, mixing bowls, cutting board.

My husband thinks it's a little strange because he leaves dishes in the sink while he fills it up. But, if I'm the one doing the washing he generally lets me do it how I want.

So, how do YOU do it? Do you wash your dishes by hand? Have a certain order? How about loading them into the dishwasher? Is there a 'right' way to put those dishes in the washer?

3 comments:

  1. I think you are my dishwashing soul mate!

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  2. That's about how I do it! Everything has an order, including the rinsing. I know some people (certain inlaws) who don't rinse their dishes. They just wipe them and afterwards, days later even, they still taste of bubbles.

    I have to rinse.

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  3. hehe, our last two homes have been without dishwasher. at first this was horrible, terrible, no no good. but now i'm pretty used to it, and in fact, when i was having terrible bouts of anxiety attacks, doing the dishes were one of the things that would usually calm me down.
    anyway! i have a set way too! i take all the dishes out and organize them on the counter top. cups first, then bowls and tupperware, then plates, then baking ware, and all the silverware in a pile. i start filling the sink, put the silverware in to soak, and start on glasses, then bowls and tupperwares, then plates, and finally baking ware!
    hooray! hehe.

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