5 Tips for Hand Washing Dishes

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

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One of the quirks of our house is that it has no dishwasher. Yep. That’s right. We’ve lived without a dishwasher for over a year now and we have managed just fine. It’s really not that bad. Hand washing dishes gives me an opportunity to gather my thoughts while enjoying my window view. The kids and I also enjoy many sink-side chats while we work on the dishes .

Even if you have a dishwasher, there are many things that aren’t dishwasher safe like crystal, non-stick pots and pans, good knives, and wooden cooking utensils. Then, you have the large items that won’t fit into the dishwasher, like cookie sheets and roasting pans.

Over the year, we have learned a thing or two about hand washing all our kitchen wares. Here are my tips for hand washing dishes.

1. Wash as you go

Tackle the dishes right after each meal if you have the time. This way they’ll never get out of hand and become overbearing.

2. Prep and soak well

The actual process of washing is so much faster if you take the time to prepare the dishes to be washed. Scrape off all food bits right after a meal. Soak everything immediately and let baked-on food bits loosen overnight.

3. Use hot water

The hotter the water, the better. It makes the food break away from dishes easier, it helps break down grease and it aides your glasses to dry without streaks.

4. Wash in the right order

Wash from least greasy to most greasy.

– start with glassware
– then wash your silverware,
– now wash your plates and bowls,
– then wash greasy stuff like serving dishes; last but not least,
– wash your pots and pans.

5. Invest in good dish soap

Research has shown that dishes washed by hand to those washed by machine leave more bacteria behind, which means family members are eating off of plates and cutlery that have more microbial exposure. This is my biggest concern when it comes to hand washing dishes. Luckily, the Palmolive® Multi Surface dish soap eliminates 99.9% of bacteria (*staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and E. coli ((157:H7)) from dishes and hard non porous kitchen surfaces.I recently found Palmolive® Multi Surface in the cleaning aisle of my local Walmart.On the back of the bottle you’ll find instructions on how to use it. For cleaning my countertops and other kitchen surfaces I diluted Palmolive® Multi Surface according to the instructions. I used a spray bottle to mix it in.

I mixed 4 parts of water with 1 part of Palmolive® Multi Surface .

You can do so much more than just wash dishes with Palmolive® Multi Surface. And who doesn’t like to get rid of bacteria in their sink?I feel good knowing that my dishes can get super clean,even without a dishwasher.Other things needed for hand washing dishes are a good sponge and a dish-drying mat or dish rack. This little drying mat rolls right up and out of the way. It’s perfect for just a few breakfast dishes. After dinner I usually use a large dish rack.It’s true, the cleanliness of your sink can make or break the cleanliness of your entire kitchen, and having fewer products to clean the kitchen seems like a time saver.