12 Smart Dish Washing Hacks No One Ever Taught You

Here are some tips and tricks to get rid of dishes that have accumulated in the sink quickly.

A Never-Ending Chore

Washing dishes is a task that most people do not look forward to. If you want to do more than just washing dishes, check out these simple tips and pointers. They won’t free you from washing dishes, but they will make the task faster and easier than you think.

Bagging.

Small items such as bottle caps, cocktail forks, children’s toys and pacifiers can get lost in the laundry if they are left in the silverware basket or on the top shelf. Instead of tossing these items straight into the washer, place them in a laundry bag first. A mesh bag will prevent them from being thrown or, worse, lost in the appliance. When doing laundry, placing the bag on the top rack works best.

Blend the soap.

Mixers and food processors can be difficult to clean because of sharp blades and small crevices. To remove food stuck around or under the blades, start the cleaning process early by first running soapy water through the blender on the pulse setting.

Use a plastic bucket.

When you take on the responsibility of cleaning up after a meal, take care of your own, or at least the dishes. Instead of putting dirty dishes directly into the sink, place them in a plastic bucket. Place the container on the counter or in the sink if it is small, so you can use all or part of the sink space for other tasks until you are ready to handle the dishes. A bucket with hot water and a little soap will allow easy-to-dirty items to be soaked in pre-soap right away.

Use a soap dispenser.

Buying dish detergent in bulk saves money, but large bottles can be difficult to handle, especially if your hands are wet. Place refillable dishwashing detergent dispensers on the counter by the sink and refill bulk bottles under the sink. When you need it, just give it a quick squeeze of soap and you’re good to go.

Don’t rinse dishes!

Scrape the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, but do not rinse them. The small scraps of food left on the dishes are actually aggregate that help clean the dishes during the washing process.

Rotate forks and spoons.

When loading the dishwasher, be sure to alternate cutlery positions (some handles up, some down) so that forks and spoons do not overlap. When placing sharp knives in the dishwasher, always place them with the handles facing up for safety.

Sorting cutlery

When placing cutlery in the dishwasher, sort it by category, for example, forks in one bucket and spoons in another. Sorting cutlery does not add much time to the dishwashing process and saves time when putting dishes away.

Clean while you cook.

Wash pots and pans while cooking is being done. If the pots and pans are still hot, it is easier to wipe up food scraps and requires less cleanup after the meal.

Use cold water for cleaning dairy products and starches.

It may seem counterintuitive, but using cold water (rather than hot water) to clean lasagna pans will make the process go faster. This is because hot water makes the dairy and starch stickier and harder to rinse off.

Build another drying rack.

Don’t have counter space, but want an extra place to dry dishes? Install a cooling rack on one half of the double sink to create an extra drying rack. Not only will you double your dishwashing area, but your countertop will dry more easily because clean dishes will drip directly onto the drainer.

No waiting.

Whether you wash dishes by hand or in the dishwasher, throw away dishes immediately after eating to prevent food from drying and sticking to pots, dishes, and cutlery. A little washing now will save you the trouble of having to scrape up stuck-on dirt later.

Clean in the right order.

Yes, there is actually a right way and a wrong way to hand wash dishes. You should go from cleanest to dirtiest. Wash the glasses first to prevent oil from transferring to the glasses. Then wash the clean shaved dishes and cutlery, and finally wash the pans. Can’t you just get the cast iron pans dirty? Wash them last after the dish detergent has been rinsed out of the sink.

Reuse the time.

Once you’ve dealt with the dishes in the sink, you can then relax.