Washing/drying dishes (by-hand)

I don’t mind handwashing the pots but I always end up with a wet front after a vigorous session!
When I’m on a roll I go with it and wash everything that’s not nailed down.

We have a dishwasher but DH never uses it. I wash up about 5 times a day as I can’t bear seeing dirty dishes in the sink. My DH does so much round the house I wouldn’t ask him to do them, but have decided I shall restart using ours even though he thinks it is a waste of electricity.

There’s only me now, and I use very few dishes and pans, so I wash up by hand, always wearing gloves.

I do have a dishwasher, but I use it as an extra cupboard.

I have never had a dishwasher and never wanted one.

I have used them in offices and other places where I worked, but was never able to see why anyone would want one in a private home.

I try to use as few chemicals as possible both for my own sake (allergies) and that of the environment. As far as I know, dishwashers still need various chemicals to function well.

It does not take long to wash and dry dishes, and cooking utensils and I dislike the thought of a dishwasher standing with dirty dishes in it for two or three days before it is full enough to be turned on.

I've had a dishwasher for 46 years and am now on my third. The second one lasted 30 years, so fingers crossed for the current one. We have collected enough plates and dishes over the years so that even with just 2 of us we can avoid putting it on until it is full. We don't wash pans or mixing bowls in it, just plates, bowls, glasses, mugs and cutlery and so it goes on about twice in 3 weeks. It's great too for when the family comes to visit. DH is not allowed to load it, as IMHO nobody can do it properly except me.

As for chemicals, I don't like the tablets with a plastic wrap that dissolves, and so use Ecover tablets with a wrap that I can take off and recycle with the soft plastics at Tesco. We have soft water and so don't need salt and I have never used rinse aid. I don't do more than scrape any remaining food into the food waste bin and even dishes which have been sitting for several days don't smell and come out clean.

As has been said, each to her own!

Granmarderby10

I don’t mind handwashing the pots but I always end up with a wet front after a vigorous session!
When I’m on a roll I go with it and wash everything that’s not nailed down.

That's something I've not figured out and I'm all the more puzzled in that I don't think I used to get a wet front - so why now?

So I wear an apron and rubber gloves when washing-up and so my clothes don't get that problem - but water still seems to get onto the floor just by the sink and I'm blowed if I can figure out how it does it (ie in order to stop it).

I don't think I'd get a dishwasher if I had the room - but, with it being only a medium-size kitchen and oddly shaped at that = there isn't room for one. I've got room for one appliance only and so it's my washing machine. If I had room for a second one then it would be a tumbledryer (which I do want).

I've done my best to plan my kitchen properly when I finally had a new kitchen put in - so there's a carousel unit on the floor by the sink and the wall cupboards are 3 shelves high (not 2) and the walk-in larder fully shelved-up (including extra worksurface). I'd love a big modern kitchen with U-shaped continuous cupboards and work surface and an appliance wall. But there 'tis - and what I've actually got is the main kitchen is very oddly-shaped (as the house was built to accommodate owner no. 1 wanting a U-shaped alcove to put in a Rayburn cooker - which I promptly had ripped out as soon as I bought the house and so I've slotted a fridge and a freezer in there).

Am officially envious of people with a modern-size and shape kitchen and a next door utility room.

Re the wet front; I’ve probably shrunk or perhaps it was because I wore higher heels years ago, or the sink units were higher..I don’t know 🤔 it’s a mystery -along with why I can barely eat any meal now without getting it on me.

I’m clearly regressing. Is this why my old style granny would wear layers of wrap around pinafores?

Granmarderby10

Re the wet front; I’ve probably shrunk or perhaps it was because I wore higher heels years ago, or the sink units were higher..I don’t know 🤔 it’s a mystery -along with why I can barely eat any meal now without getting it on me.

I’m clearly regressing. Is this why my old style granny would wear layers of wrap around pinafores?

I do know for a fact I've shrunk darn it.

I know much earlier in life I was measured as part of an employers health check we were offered free. My proper height is 5'3 and three-quarters of an inch.

I must have shrunk fairly early on - as it was the era when jeans darn nearly touched the ground - as they were worn absolutely as long as possible. I had to take them up an inch and then I had to take them up again!!!! I think I'm 5'2" these days - not a happy bunny about that - as I thought my height was just about ideal.

I wonder if it could be something to do with not being quite as much "taller than the sink" as I used to be?

CariadAgain we could try AI on google, see if it could explain the phenomenon 😄

My dishwasher recently died and I knew I wouldn’t replace it. I no longer run out of bowls or forks whilst waiting for the dishwasher to be full to switch it on nor have to wait for it to finish.
I wash up after each meal now, it takes just a few minutes and if I have visitors they always help.

OP wasn’t saying they would prefer the dark ages. Sarcasm is a form of hostility.

We use our dishwasher daily,I like to have everything tidy in the kitchen without having to wash up several times a day. My husband was a chef in a previous life and uses a lot of utensils in the kitchen thinking he still has a brigade to help.

Whatever can go in the dishwasher goes in the dishwasher.

Two of us here, it usually goes on every other day, apart from when I cook a full roast dinner on a Sunday when it goes on straight afterwards.

Wouldn’t be without one.

We put ours on over night whether it is full or not as we have cheap electricity for charging the car. We use the washer overnight too. A bit like economy 7 in the old says.

I have never owned a dishwasher and never wanted one. Doing the washing up has always been quite a social occasion for us. When the AC were young they all had two days a week when they were on drying up duty and during this time they would chat about their day. Many years later when the grandchildren were living with us we did the same except that they had three days each there being only two of them! Now when we have family or friends with us they help with the washing up and we all have a good chat.😀 Loading and unloading a dishwasher does not have the same feel!

I had to have a peek to see how a thread on dishwashing had so many posts!

I cannot imagine dishwashing by hand if I had a dishwasher!

My dishwasher once broke down 3 days before Christmas, I spent hours with Yellow Pages trying to get a new before the big day.

I succeeded.

We have no room for a dishwasher as we would have lost significant storage to fit one in when the kitchen was remodelled. There’s only two of us and we manage with pot washing just twice a day……more often if I’ve had a baking session though.

GrannyGravy13

Whatever can go in the dishwasher goes in the dishwasher.

Two of us here, it usually goes on every other day, apart from when I cook a full roast dinner on a Sunday when it goes on straight afterwards.

Wouldn’t be without one.

Same here. My dishwasher and electric blanket are two things I couldn’t live without. Having a dishwasher means the kitchen stays tidy. I never wash up anything.

MT62

Half n half. Still wash certain things by hand, but mainly use my dishwasher.
I believe the dishwasher uses less water.
Plus if I did everything by hand I would have to rinse everything in hot water.
So I think the dishwasher has to be more economical.
There are small work top dishwashers available, whether they are any good, or not is anyone’s guess.

I have just bought a mini dishwasher that sits on my draining board. I absolutely love it as I’ve always hated washing up by hand.

I live alone, I have a dishwasher, I have half-price Electric on Saturdays (11 - 4) and same on Sundays. So, I rinse dishes, pop them in the DW and run it once a week, on Sunday, between 11 and 4 pm.
Suits me

I haven’t used my dishwasher since the last of my offspring moved out in 2020. I wash up by hand and leave to air dry.

I gave my dishwasher away about ten years ago.I like handwashing dishes and the garden outside always has something worth watching.
This week ots a bossy wee robin chasing the smaller birds away from the feeders.
I also like the kitchen to myself ,don’t want help ( folk under my feet) at any time .
Theon
Y exception is baking days with the grandchildren

I understand I'm in the minority here, but although there was a brand new dishwasher in the house when we bought it, I have never used it. I don't have a problem with washing up, I wash up as I go along when cooking a big meal, then there's only plates and cutlery to do after eating, which doesn't take long. I admire the garden out of the window while at the sink, birds on feeders, squirrels up trees, my hands get a good wash and the kitchen is kept clean and tidy. I would swap the dishwasher for another cupboard, but my husband thinks that's a crazy idea, even though we don't use it 🙄

We’re on our third or fourth dishwasher. I do a lot of baking and couldn’t do without one.

Both DD (household of 1) and us (household of 2) have dishwashers - and use them.

But I do not have tumble dryer.

each to our own