Hand washing dishes.

Yes, well we were all taught to start with the glasses, then do the cutlery, plates, and the saucepans last, and never, never to wash or rinse anything under a running tap, weren't we?

Yes, WE WERE, but our visitors weren't!

So either point out that water, and heating it is too expensive to waste by rinsing things under the tap, or say firmly, but pleasantly, "I shall do the dishes later on my own, I have my own system and I would really rather sit and talk to you, than stand at the kitchen sink."

Any well-mannered guest will take the hint. Sisters and other female relations are more difficult, but we tend to be blunter to them, don't we?

Perhaps something along the lines of "If you are helping here, you do things my b. way!"

Or as a school friend of mine said, (when we were 16 or so) to my mother, "Why don't you go and emulate the lilies of the field? They toil not, neither do they spin. And leave the washing up to us."

Mother was not amused.

We have a luncheon club run by volunteers for anyone over 60. It is held in the village hall and is popular. Just before Christmas I was helping out doing the washing up at their Christmas meal and the conversation became very heated because I insisted in rinsing everything in non soapy water after washing. Half the helpers thought this unnecessary and one lady insisted everything must be rinsed in a second bowl with a good squirt of washing up liquid!
I can remember a dragon of a teacher, Miss Huntley, in our domestic science lessons drumming into us: hot, hot wash, rinse and boil your dishcloths everyday( horrible ones we were made to hand knit). She had a pot boiling on the stove permanently it seemed for this purpose. We also had to scrub the tables and draining boards with some stuff that is probably now illegal that no germ could stand up to.

My father was very fussy about washing up.
He would do the glasses first then put all the cutlery in the bottom of the bowl while washing first the plates, cups etc.
He would then fish out the cutlery and do the oven pans and saucepans.

Many years ago, when Domestic science (cookery) was taught in secondary schools - not sure what they do now - our Domestic Science Teacher and her assistant made sure that we girls all knew how to washup correctly long before anything else.

Thank goodness for dishwashers! DH and I remember many so "pre-dishwasher" Christmases, when we were hand-washing into the wee small hours of Boxing day. Our dishwasher changed all that! A load put in/on and the rest stacked ready for first thing on Boxing day.... Even if I lived alone I know that I'd be using it daily. Some hand-washing is necessary, but not so much.

Henetha I burned a frequently used pan last night. It has had two treatments of bicarb overnight and a final scrub this morning and is fit for use today.

It used to drive me mad at my inlaws at washing up time. Dirty plates were put in the sink to soak, and their owners would start off by washing them, whereas I moved them out and restarted with fresh water with glasses, and cleaner items, in the proper order.
It worked better for me to wash, as I never knew where things lived if I dried and put away, in a tiny kitchen.
We have a dishwasher now, which we didn't get till after the children had left home, but there are always things that need handwashing, or are too big for the dishwasher.

I've never owned a dish washer but have used them in other people's houses and they are handy.
Anyway, I wash by hand, no problem. Glasses and stuff first, then greasy things later. Occasionally leave something to soak overnight if necessary.
I badly burned a saucepan recently. I think it's beyond help.

NotAGran55 - I loathe washing-up bowls and I also have to use rubber gloves, a sponge and scrubby things!

And you must thoroughly clean the sponge and scrubby thing too or it is horrible.

I think my dishwasher is best and ultimately cheaper.

I find spraying roasting land with decreased and leaving them to soak while I do the rest of the things that need for by by hand e.g. good glasses and delicate china. Everything else goes on the dishwasher on the eco cycle.

I am not very efficient. I only have to wash the big things as I have a dishwasher. I save water in the washing up bowl and scrub all the bits off everything. Then I scrub the sink and washing up bowl with washing up liquid and rinse it out with hot water, and clean out the plug with kitchen paper. I wash everything with a sponge, lots of washing up liquid but little water. It is then stood all over the work surface - the draining board isn't big enough for the big stuff like this (trying pans, chopping boards, oven trays).

We learnt during COVID that soap and hot water kill germs, so I leave the things standing there with their soap suds while I wipe down any appliances I have been using, kettle, splashback etc.

Then I take the bowl out and rinse everything under a hot running tap and stand it all on the other side. Dry up, put away, wipe down with a bleach solution. I then use the water in the bowl (there is only about an inch of it, but I have a guilty conscience about all the water used for the rinsing) to clean out a shelf, cupboard or drawer and/or mop the floor. Dishcloth and teatowel go in the wash.

Very cumbersome and probably not very efficient, but I'm happy when it's done and the kitchen is sparkling and tidy.

I have a dishwasher but I never put my good wine glasses in.
If I have to wash by hand it is always in the same order, glasses, cutlery, china and then pans. It was drilled into us in domestic science classes.

I wish I had never bought my integrated dishwasher, it is a good one too, miele and hardly used as I live alone. I like hand washing, it means that two small loads get done every day and quickly put away. Naturally I know how to hand wash my dishes, hygienically and effectively and I use a good washing up bowl, with a plug and bio D liquid. Nothing is ever bathed in grubby water.

It would be different if there were more than one here and I may give the dishwasher a run if and when I have a baking session.

When we were a family of 6 the dishwasher was a godsend. It meant a tidy kitchen and sparkling clean plates and glasses.
It was on a timer so used off-peak electricity.
I use an industrial machine at the community café where I work . It takes 3 minutes!

I’m with NotSpaghetti
If I had to wash by hand it would be rubber gloves 🧤 and the hottest soapy water I could stand and everything rinsed under a running tap. Dishes left to air dry, not a tea towel in sight.

Dishwashers are infinitely more economic with water and far more hygienic than hand washing and tea towels according to Which?

If people are used to a dishwasher they don't do washing up, I would just be pleased she offered.
I had a dishwasher that rusted out as I found it a pain. Very useful if you've a family though. All these durty things waiting until you have a load. Much prefer hand washing, done in correct order as mentioned.

How I was taught (no dishwasher when I was young and our current one doesn't work):

Glasses
Cups
Cutlery & utensils
Bowls
Saucers
Small plates
Dinner plates
Serving dishes
Pots and pans
Ashtray (Mum smoked)

If there was something that was kind of gross, such as the big turkey roasting pan, Mum would fill it with soapy water after she'd removed the food from it. That way it could sit for a bit.

Having had my boiler turned down a notch as per the recent advice I’ve found that I’ve needed a little extra elbow grease but things are perfectly clean. Mind you I use very little fat when cooking.

I don’t like dish washers
I have never had any order of washing up I just do it as it arrives I have no interest in it apart from cleaning the items used

I do very little cooking as my nephew brings me microwavable meals. I dont have a diswasher as I live alone so I only have to wash up about twice a week or when I run out of plates etc. No need to do it every day.

I hope Santa brings leaves me a new washing up scritcher.
I host young people from around the world and can tell if they have dishwashers at home.
Some have never hand-washed dishes - truly!
Mind you others can't stack a dishwasher.
I worry about precious things getting broken and never allow people to help when they've been drinking.
I just say firmly " leave it -I'll do it in the morning"

I do glasses, plates, then cutlery, rinsing as I go. Usually a water change at this point (especially if there are lots of dishes) then the casserole, serving and pots.

No dishwasher at our house, only DH!

*forced into

I use the dishwasher for anything that will fit in.
I don't rinse first.

If (gorced into) hand washing my water is scalding hot and everything is hot rinsed too.
I use gallons of water I think.
I soap everything from a very soapy solution in a bowl or pan (whatever is in the washing queue) and scrub under a slowly running hot tap and then rinse under the hot tap. I put the cutlery in the soapy solution whilst I work and do the least dirty things first.

I'd rather use the dishwasher. 🤣

I have a stiff brush by the sink and use that with cold water on all plates and pans as they are used, so that everything is stacked ready to wash but not very dirty. That way there is nothing stuck on and the washing water remains cleaner for longer. Obviously wash in order, glasses, cups, cutlery, plates, pans. Any dirty pans are left to soak for a while at the end and may need a good rinse afterwards to remove any residue of greasy water. We used a dishwasher for about 25 years but I can't justify having one now living on my own.

Regressed=refreshed!!