13 Handy Tips for Washing Dishes by Hand

Washing dishes by hand seems pretty straight forward, but you’d be amazed at how these tips make a difference. Even if you have a dishwasher, you never know when these strategies will come in handy.

In this blog, I’ll share with you the many useful tips I’ve learned over the years for washing dishes by hand — from my grandma, mother, and aunts. It’ll make your life so easy, you’ll quit using the dishwasher. Okay, not. But you will thank me.

Why Wash Dishes by Hand?

It seems like a dishwasher is a staple in the American household these days. Growing up, though, we didn’t have a dishwasher in many of the houses we lived in. (We moved a lot.) For the first five years of my married life, I didn’t have a dishwasher, either. My kids can tell you about the Mouse House we lived in. It had seven dishwashers — US. I’ve spent a good portion of my life washing dishes by hand.

There are times I hated it, but I have to admit, there are just as many times I found it therapeutic. Talking to a friend about washing dishes, she admitted that even with a dishwasher, she usually does dishes by hand. It’s a good time to think. I couldn’t agree more. I solved many problems and came up with amazing ideas with my arms submerged in warm sudsy water. Maybe scientists need to do more dishes.

Whether you can’t afford one, you’re renting and there isn’t one, the one you have is broken, or you simply choose to wash your dishes manually, I have tips for making the job easier, more sanitary, and faster.

TIPS FOR WASHING DISHES BY HAND

A lot of these tips I learned growing up. I was the middle of “the three little girls”. One of us would wash, the other would rinse and stack, and the other would dry and put away — or get a really full bladder and spend most of the time in the bathroom. Some of the tips came from having a chronic illness and needing an easier way.

It is amazing to me how many people don’t know how to wash dishes.Plus, I heard a commercial claiming that dishwashers use less water than washing by hand. That was shocking to me. How much water are people putting in their sink? Are they letting their water run to rinse? This is crazy, but an article I read does back up the fact for the general public. I’m guessing they don’t know my tricks. DON’T GET ME WRONG. I’m still going to use my dishwasher; I just think most people are a tad wasteful and didn’t have the grandma or mom I did.

I will list the tips in the order I use them:

GET DISHES READY

1. Soak Utensils

After dinner, we washed the dishes. That’s the way it was. You go to bed with a clean kitchen. As an adult, that wasn’t always possible for me. So I learned a handy trick.

I always serve dinner with a plastic pitcher of water on the table. This was how Momma grew up too. When I don’t have energy to do dishes right away, I fill it with all the utensils, and then add HOT soapy water. That way, they don’t get dried on and impossible to wash the next morning when I am energized.

2. Scrape Dishes and Pans

Another mistake people use (I’m sure this contributes to water usage) is rinsing their dishes. That’s what I was taught growing up. You don’t want a sink full of gross dishes. DUH. However, if you scrape your dishes with a rubber spatula, almost all the grossness comes off the plates. We scrape ours into the “chicken bucket”. Others might have a composting bin. If all you have is the garbage can, by all means, do that. It might be hard to teach old dogs new tricks, though. My sweet husband can’t NOT rinse the dishes even when I tell him the dishwasher does better with stuff still on them.

One article I read claimed that you have to change the water two or three times when washing by hand, so this compounds the amount of water you use — especially if you have a large crowd. Obviously, this group doesn’t rinse or scrape. Your water gets grody enough with what’s left on them, don’t make it worse by not scraping your dishes off.

Fill Your Sinks

I know some people like to use the little scrubbers filled with soap and never put water in the sink. They wash and rinse by turning on the water. You don’t realize how much water you waste by letting the faucet run. (And hot water is important for cleaning and disinfecting.)

3. Hot Soapy Water is Vital for Washing Dishes by Hand

MAKE IT HOT – I know this might seems like a given, but believe me, I’ve watched enough people wash with cold water to know that it’s a thing. Hot water cleans better — it softens what might be dried on. If, like me, you need to occasionally wait until morning to wash, get that water as hot as your hands can stand it. It cools off with time and when you add dishes. Warm water and silky bubbles on your skin is half the meditation equation, in case you didn’t know.

DON’T fill the sink full. Teach your kids about displacement by doing dishes. Plus, you’ll add more hot water and soap if needed. Most of the dishes wash fine with half a sink of water — especially since sinks are getting HUGE. Only put enough to cover what needs covering.

SOAPY – I love regular old Dawn dish soap. Personally, I think it cleans and has a million more uses than other brands. (I need to write an article on that one, but I’m sure someone else has.) Dawn does not pay me to endorse them — wouldn’t that be nice? I can dream. Oil sticks to the soap, making it easier to get your dishes clean when you’re washing dishes by hand.

4. Straight Hot Rinsing Water

This is my favorite tip from my Momma. Use super-hot water for your rinse water. For one thing, it sanitizes. Killing germs is important. Secondly, there’s magic in the heat. But how in the heck do you get the dishes out without scalding your hands? We’ll get to that. Patience, my young Padawan.

WHAT YOU WASH & HOW

5. The Order of Washing Dishes by Hand

The order you wash dishes really makes a difference. My mom and Aunt Hannah taught me that you should always wash what you put in your mouth first. That would be utensils and cups. They’re also the least dirty. And that’s the next factor. Wash the least dirty to the most dirty. You don’t want to wash a greasy casserole dish before your plates. You use up all your bubbles on the grease and have to add more water and soap unnecessarily. Here’s the order I wash in:

• utensils
• cups and glasses
• plates & bowls
• mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc.
• greasy or heavily soiled pots and pans

6.Wash Where Your Mouth Goes

I know I mentioned cleaning stuff your mouth goes on first. This is a little different. I have a distinct memory of visiting my Aunt Hannah in Washington State when I was seven (before I became a dishwasher). She was a teacher by trade, so as we washed, she taught me that “simply putting the dishrag in the cup and turning it around and around isn’t good enough. It gets everything inside washed, but where do we put our mouth?” She waited for my reply. “That’s right. On the edge.” She took the cloth and gripped the edge of the cup, turning it in circles the same way we did to clean inside. The utensils were in the bottom of the sink (she washed the water glasses first) and so she proceeded to show me how to grip the eating end of the fork and spoons and scrub them vigorously. Everyone needs an Aunt Hannah like I had.

7. Add Soap as Needed

As you wash, you’ll notice how the bubbles disappear the more things (grease) you clean. Instead of emptying and refilling the sink, (Are you a Waste-A-Roo?) add more soap. Turn on the sprayer briefly or swish your hand around to get more bubbles. Are there any Sesame Street fans out there? Does this song come to mind?

HOW YOU RINSE DISHES DETERMINES HOW YOU DRY

8. Use the Heat

As I mentioned before, you get your rinse water lava hot. You might be tempted to grab everything out the second it hits the water. DON’T. To take advantage of the MAGIC, you have to let the tableware sit in the water and absorb that heat. It’s important for the next step.

9. Secret of Drying

How can there be a secret, you ask? My Momma showed me the magic that happens when you let your dishes sit awhile in the mega-hot water. When transferred to the dish drainer, the water mysteriously disappears. Like Aunt Hannah, Momma was a teacher even if it wasn’t by trade — momming was her trade, and therefore, so was teaching. Interested in educating your kids about evaporation? Wash the dishes together.

The great thing about evaporation, is that it makes the drying process faster. Most everything dries for you. If you don’t have “three little girls” and have to dry them by yourself, this is a huge time saver. If you do have “three little girls” and the dryer develops tummy issues at dish-washing time, this process is crucial.

10. Safety Trick

But how do you get the items out of the sink? With tongs. Or a wooden spoon, or the spatula, or any number of items at your disposal. Momma was resourceful. If you’re wearing rubber gloves, the water isn’t as hot, either — but we rarely used those.

11. Not Done Washing Dishes by Hand Until . . .

My oldest sister was the queen of stacking dishes. She could balance objects like nobody’s business. If you’re like her and do not want to put them away till they’ve all dried on their own, fine. In my house, they’re not done until they’re put away. The chant, “The dishes aren’t done till they’re put away,” echoes through the house now that only one kid is in charge of dishes. What is it about putting dishes away that’s so distasteful? I love a clean counter, so that’s my motivation.

Plastic does not dry well by itself. A good dish towel is absorbent but thin enough to get in the crevices — in my opinion. If I were an Amazon affiliate, here’s what I’d have links to make some profit on – drainers and dish towels, etc. I’m not that popular yet. (Spread the word.)

Two last steps

12. Sinks

Drain and wash the sinks. Wouldn’t it be great if we could pull the plug and walk away? But alas, it isn’t so. Give that sink a good scrub, and if it’s white, throw a little Comet or other bleach cleaner and let it sit a while. Bar Keeps Friend is also great to get sparkling white sinks again.

13. Dish Cloths

Spoiled kitchen rags are horrible!! The reason they soil is because they’re wet and warm. Bacteria grows where it’s wet and warm. So my Momma taught me this trick: Rinse your dish rag in hot water to get grease etc., then rinse in cold water. Lay it out flat or hang the cloth to dry, but do NOT leave it crumpled in the sink. The cold water and drying quickly will keep your washcloths from souring. There are anti-microbial cloths on the market now, and that’s great. I do NOT like sponges for the simple reason that they stay wet and encourage grossness.

READY TO WASH?

I hope this blog has helped you learn ways to make washing dishes by hand more productive. From, prewash to putting away, I hope these practical tips are useful.

Here are some other blogs you might like:

Are you fighting the kids to help with the dishes? Compassion in Parenting: How to find it and teach it

Need some meal breakfast ideas so you have dirty dishes?36 Easy Breakfast Ideas to Start Your Family’s Day Off Right

Need a good book for after the dishes are done? 4 Great Book Recommendations with “One” Theme: Drather B Reading Book Club #4

YOUR TURN

Do you enjoy washing by hand? I’m curious how many people have dishwashers and use them. Are you someone who has a dishwasher but doesn’t use it? Why?