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Thread Number: 44401
Your Hand-Washing Methods |
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| Post# 652320 , Reply# 1 1/10/2013 at 19:20 (4,117 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
My Tips:
I think most people's hand-washing results are downright frightening; I've seen just-washed things in people's dish drainers that a health department would close down a restaurant for. But I've often said that most people wait on themselves in a fashion they would not tolerate from Motel 6.
Many hand-washers make two basic mistakes: 1) They hate doing it, so they try to do it lazily. Sorry, washing dishes is one of those suck-it-up jobs, like doing your tax return or paying your bills. You have to do it, and doing it halfway will only cause trouble. 2) They try to economize on one or more of the basics - water, the water's heating and detergent. If water is precious where you are, then shorten your shower, let No. 1 mellow, stop watering your lawn or washing your car. Washing dishes is not the place to skimp - poorly washed dishes breed bacteria and spread disease. Many people are concerned with the price of detergent - they buy cheap pink stuff or ration it by mere drops at a time. Detergent is what helps get bacteria off your dishes, and it cuts grease, which breeds bacteria; you should buy the good stuff and not skimp on it. Water needs to be hot - this is also a help in removing bacteria. I wash in the hottest water my hands can stand - which, after a summer spent washing dishes in a restaurant as a kid, is plenty damn hot. I have an array of dishwashing tools, each of which helps me remove soil of a particular kind, or from particular areas. I use a blue Scotchbrite scrubber sponge for most washing of plates, etc., and yes, I sanitize it regularly and replace it frequently. I have a dish brush for crevices, seams and fork tines. A glass mop gets down inside glassware. And there are Brillo pads for scrubbing pots, a perc tube brush for the percolator stem, and a crooked-handle brush that's just for scrubbing out my coffee Thermos. And I wholeheartedly agree - you start with the cleanest pieces (usually glassware) and work toward the dirtier ones. Doing a lot of dishes may necessitate a second, fresh batch of dishwater. I rinse under running hot water. Yes, it costs. So do doctor's visits. Guess which I'd rather spend my money on. Dishes dry in the dish drainer. Pots and pans get a clean dishtowel, and in my house, dishtowels are only for drying pots and pans and utensils - never hands, countertops or anything else. They are also never laid on a counter - they go on the towel rack, no place else. And last, they are never, ever ever slung over a shoulder, where even the cleanest among us have some dandruff lurking. When dishes in the drainer are dry, they are put away after one important first step - washing my hands. Why on Earth people think this step is unnecessary is one of the great mysteries of life. If you can't have a dishwasher (my beloved KDS-55 can't be used at the moment, due to lack of space in the Smallest Kitchen Ever), you can have dishes every bit as clean as if you did. It's just a matter of doing it with a proper will, and staying away from false economy. P.S.: If someone in the house is sick, a dunking of the dishes into water with some bleach in it will work wonders to stop whatever vile bug is going around from going around. | ||
Post# 652321 , Reply# 2 1/10/2013 at 19:25 (4,117 days old) by appnut  (TX) |
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Hand washing? | ||
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Post# 652339 , Reply# 4 1/10/2013 at 21:05 (4,117 days old) by sudsmaster (SF Bay Area, California) |
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I'm with Bob, more or less. While there are a number of items that can only be handwashed, or are simply too big to fit in most dishwashers, when I finally got a dishwasher in 1997 I was in seventh heaven. I'd forgotten how much I detest handwashing a stack of grimy dishes and cold slippery flatware. On the flip side, I've grown to feel a bit uneasy when I hand wash a spoon, plate or fork. It just doesn't seem "right" any more. LOL.
I don't think there can be much argument that a good dishwasher gets things a lot cleaner than any reasonable handwashing effort. It's the combination of time, temperature, and strong detergents that most hands couldn't handle, even with gloves. PS-This being flu season, it's important to wash one's hands before touching one's face, eyes, mouth, or food. | ||
| Post# 652358 , Reply# 5 1/10/2013 at 22:45 (4,117 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea)) | ||
Always wash hands coming in from outside. Inside, you're immune to everything. Outside, people's habits are filthy.
OH! You mean hand DISHwashing. Only time I have enough dishes to justify running the dishwasher is holiday guests. For just me I squirt detergent on a Dobie pad, scrub, rinse, rack in DW to dry. | ||
| Post# 652375 , Reply# 6 1/10/2013 at 23:56 (4,117 days old) by stan (Napa CA) | ||
Must agree
With the washing of hands!
Don't know how many times I've noticed, people start putting clean dishes from their dishwasher away, and not wash their hand first! I just don't get it! Why run a automatic dishwasher, if your going to cross contaminate with dirty hands? I live in a old house, with no dishwasher, no garbage disposal, and the kitchen sink is just one big sink, not a divided one. We scrape plates into a small plastic bag, that gets tied up and thrown in the garbage outside. I have a large vintage enamelware dishpan that gets filled with hot soapy water, everything gets rinsed under running tap water, and placed in the dish-rack to dry. If I hand dry, I use paper towel. Think it's a good idea for those who use a kitchen sponge, to wet the sponge and put in the microwave for 2 min, at least a couple of times week, to sanitize.. | ||
| Post# 652385 , Reply# 8 1/11/2013 at 02:34 (4,117 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia) | ||
Hand wash??? OMG!
If I have to, I do the following...
- Scrape - stack in the sink with...plug in. - as I have a double sink (...and double drainers...YAY!), plug in the spare. - fill the first about half full with as hot a water as I can stand - 50c is about it - glasses and then plates...rinse in the second under hot, keeping the rinse water. - cutlery next...and drop into the now half full rinse water sink - empty original wash water.. - remove cutlery to drain - detergent in the 'rinse' water - wipe down left hand drainer with hot soapy water - saucepans/prep dishes via the right hand sink - rinse in the left, keeping the water. - drain on the left drainer Empty original 'rinse' water. - Give benches a very light 'spray' with spray and wipe or similar. - wipe down with dish cloth - rinse cloth out in 2nd rinse water Rinse cloth out again, but in cold water. Wring out hard and hang over tap to dry assuming it isn't visibly marked.... Now, the second cold water rinse of the dishcloth helps prevent bacteria from breeding - they generally need not only moist, but warm...rinse in cold and you stop it from happening. | ||
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Post# 652389 , Reply# 9 1/11/2013 at 02:56 (4,117 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK) |
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Hand Dish Washing.???? | ||
| Post# 652406 , Reply# 13 1/11/2013 at 05:46 (4,116 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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Forgot to Mention.....
....Because for me, it goes without saying:
Scraping and pre-rinsing are part of hand-washing, too! I know someone locally who does not do much of this, and watching her wash dishes only makes me determined never to eat in her house. She seizes dishes with gravy, food or whatever, and dunks them into the dishwater as-is. The dishwater, of course, looks like the Environmental Protection Agency should get involved. Never have eaten in her house. Don't intend to. What gets me is that she has a dishwasher. | ||
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Post# 652418 , Reply# 15 1/11/2013 at 07:02 (4,116 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie) |
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Dirty wash cloths, dish towels, and hand towels in the kitchen make me crazy. I use white bath linen-type wash cloths in the kitchen, as well as bar mops and flour sack dish towels. I always wear a white chef's apron and hang a dish towel on my right side for quick hand wipes. When doing a fair amount of cooking, one goes through quite a number of these items. They never, ever sit overnight to be used the next day. I'll spray the counters and sinks with a bleach solution or the industrial pink sanitizer, wipe down the area and toss the bar mop on the laundry pile.
I go into some kitchens and see the grossest, crusty, filthy wash rags and dish towels, the sinks and countertops no better. Might as well wash dishes in the toilet. Interesting thread! I also use the dishwasher for everything, so I almost never hand wash a single item. | ||
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Post# 652419 , Reply# 16 1/11/2013 at 07:13 (4,116 days old) by kimball455 (Cape May, NJ) |
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Dishwashing was never an item on my like to do list. Thus, the dishwasher. Pretty much everything that is not really fragile goes in. Friends that have a restaurant run just about everything that isn't nailed down through the dish machine. The top rack in my Amana can be removed for those really tall items.
I still have three large boxes of Cascade with phosphorus on the shelf. Found them a few months ago at Big Lots and bought several. Harry | ||
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Post# 652487 , Reply# 18 1/11/2013 at 15:54 (4,116 days old) by kevin313 (Detroit, Michigan) |
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I never minded doing dishes by hand. I grew up with a dishwasher and we always used it. At my cottage, where I have a septic system and small kitchen, I have no dishwasher or garbage disposal. So, unless we want to eat on paper plates all the time (which I hate), doing dishes is part of the ritual of cooking, serving, and eating.
Since I have no disposal, I scrape the plates, pots, pans, etc. into the garbage. Then I fill a plastic tub in the sink with hot sudsy water. I wash glassware first, then silverware, then plates, bowls, coffee cups, etc. I save the pots and pans for the last. When entertaining a big group - which is often at the cottage - I may change the water after the dishes are done and before moving on to the pots and pans. It's amazing how many volunteers I get to help with the dishes. It becomes a post-dinner party in the kitchen as friends and guests help dry and put things away. I have spent many wonderful hours over the years doing the dishes with people I love after dinner. We often reward our efforts with after-dinner drinks! | ||
| Post# 652503 , Reply# 20 1/11/2013 at 17:37 (4,116 days old) by dustin92 (Jackson, MI) | ||
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Hand what? Oh yeah... I pick up the dishes with my hands, and put them in the dishwasher. I never rinse, but I do knock of large chunks. In they go, about 45 minutes later I open the door and pull the racks out, then put them away when they are dry. | ||
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Post# 652520 , Reply# 21 1/11/2013 at 21:13 (4,116 days old) by jakeseacrest (Massachusetts) |
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| Post# 652524 , Reply# 22 1/11/2013 at 21:40 (4,116 days old) by Westie2 () | ||
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We were married 6 years before we had out first DW. 3 kids and us we hand washed for bottles and all. A month after I bought TOL MW convertable my wife said never will I hand wash things again. If thing s hand washed it is me. She used to wash and I would dry. | ||
| Post# 652532 , Reply# 23 1/11/2013 at 22:19 (4,116 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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And As My Grandmother Said:
"You haven't done the dishes until you've scrubbed the sink."
I wash my sink out after each and every meal's dishes, and I don't (and won't) have a disposal. Turning a sink into a garbage pail is not my idea of clean. TV consumer reporters are forever touting kitchen sinks as the filthiest place in the house - some go so far as to say the germ count on an average sink is worse than that on a toilet. The way many people treat their sinks, I shouldn't wonder - they're forever throwing garbage into it, and neglecting to wash it. I could see a little germ growth occurring under those conditions. | ||
| Post# 652571 , Reply# 24 1/12/2013 at 03:59 (4,115 days old) by retromania (Anderson, South Carolina) | ||
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I agree with Sandy's grandmother.... Sinks need love and affection too. I like Sandy do not have a garbage disposal and don't want one. Although if I could find a vintage GE batch disposal in good condition like the one we had when I was growing up I would get it just for nostalgia. | ||
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Post# 653274 , Reply# 26 1/14/2013 at 12:30 (4,113 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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Washing Dishes by Hand: DaveAMKrayoGuy's Method:
Is it possible to "wash like a dishwasher"?
I utilize my sprayer (which is actually combined w/ the actual faucet via a toggle switch on the head & comes off w/ a metal hose)... But use a dishcloth for whatever tuff stuff doesn't right away come off... And use it on stuff I have to wash by hand that can't go in the dishwasher like my ice cream scoop w/ the anti-freeze in the handle, or stuff I'll use again like my blender jar & parts and mynon-stick frying pan I frequently use for frying toast; stuff I don't eat off of... Never occurred to me that I should wash the sink right after washing the dishes in it & after reading about one person letting the food particles float in her dishpan, I got grossed out just reading it! Otherwise, everything we eat off and anything w/ food stuck on I do put in the dishwasher; and yeh, the appliance I could never live without! -- Dave | ||
| Post# 653277 , Reply# 27 1/14/2013 at 12:42 (4,113 days old) by retromania (Anderson, South Carolina) | ||
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I like a kitchen sponge for my dishes. I use the kind that is sponge on one side and a non-scratch material on the other side. Since there's nothing nastier than a soured sponge, several times a week I saturate it with bleach followed by a rinsing of white vinegar and water. So fresh and clean! :) | ||
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Post# 653370 , Reply# 29 1/14/2013 at 18:33 (4,113 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut) |
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 I've often made sport of me dear departed Mum for hand-washing every dish before putting them in any of her 9 dishwashers, but as age waddles on, I have to report that I am following in her footsteps only in that I am a procrastinator when it comes to dealing with the dirty dishes. There is something extraordinarily comforting about hand washing some dishes in the morning even after I've put most things in the machine. Something about the warmth of the water and the slow deliberate pace of hand washing dishes is an extremely easy way to wind up into the day. And I'm always suffering from a case of periniceum. I understand her better now. | ||
| Post# 653388 , Reply# 30 1/14/2013 at 19:15 (4,113 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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My Other Pet Peeve:
"Soakers."
These are folks who put dishes into the sink, run in some water and detergent, and then let the dishes soak. For hours. Sometimes days. What these people are doing is giving themselves the illusion they're accomplishing something when they don't want to do the dishes. It has to be said that they definitely are accomplishing something - they're making bacteria soup. Next morning, when they stagger into their kitchens, they are greeted by a scum of grease floating atop the water, which is too nasty to deal with first thing in the ayem, so they figure they'll get around to it that night. Sometimes, they don't get to it that night, because it's even more revolting than it was that morning, so on it goes, for days. Yecch. I cannot abide this. Sometimes dishes need a wee bit of a soak, but only just enough to let scalding water cool to a temperature you can put your hands into. I lived with someone who did this - for about a week. I put my Size 10-1/2 D's down. I go to bed with my kitchen clean, so that in the morning, I get to start my day in a nice environment. I also leave it clean when going to work, because after the turmoils of the workday, the last thing I want to see is self-imposed squalor. I simply do not understand people who don't see why this is better. | ||
| Post# 653404 , Reply# 31 1/14/2013 at 20:22 (4,113 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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Andy:
"I use the kind that is sponge on one side and a non-scratch material on the other side."
I'm assuming you mean the blue Scotchbrite non-scratch scrubber sponges. Like you, I'm a big fan - they function as a regular sponge until you need a bit of muscle, then flipping them over gives you some real scrubbing power, without scratching. You might like to know that Family Dollar has their own version. They're a little thinner than the real Scotchbrite version, but a package of four is all of a buck. Like you, I sanitize them regularly, and then demote them to other, dirtier jobs outside the kitchen until they're really worn out. Cheep! Cheep! | ||
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Post# 653530 , Reply# 33 1/15/2013 at 15:28 (4,112 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI ) |
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| Post# 653533 , Reply# 34 1/15/2013 at 15:37 (4,112 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E) | ||
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Tim: | ||
| Post# 653576 , Reply# 35 1/15/2013 at 17:19 (4,112 days old) by washer111 () | ||
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"As far as I'm concerned, if it can't go in the dw, I don't need it or want it."
Well then, I'll have to agree with you there polkanut, but I don't have enough authority here to buy that sort of stuff!
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Post# 653636 , Reply# 36 1/15/2013 at 22:40 (4,112 days old) by whirlykenmore78 (Prior Lake MN (GMT-0500 CDT.)) |
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Manual Warewashing
The correct procedure is as follows.
1. Pre-scrap/Pre-flush, scrap and rinse the dishes using an overhead spray or rubber spatula. 2. Wash, Immerse in Hot(50C) water and detergent and scrub with brush. 3. Rinse, immerse in clear hot (50C) water to remove detergent. 4. Sanitize, Immerse in water over 70C for 30 seconds or 40C with chemical sanitizer for 2 minutes. Remove from 3rd sink to drying racks and allow to air dry. This process will satisfy any health department. However it is better to use a dishmachine. WK78 | ||
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Post# 1001198 , Reply# 38 7/23/2018 at 18:00 (2,097 days old) by DaveAMKrayoGuy (Oak Park, MI) |
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Well, the second photo here will show how lazy I have been: if it can't go in the dishwasher, I a man just not gonna do it until I need it...
My non-stick frying pan, as I'd mentioned has become all-purpose, so that (among the numerous scratches it has gotten from careless uses with knive) it can be washed in the washer safely--and I have even found a way to mount my blender blade (both, once) in the top rack away from the wash arm... -- Dave | ||
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Post# 1001223 , Reply# 39 7/23/2018 at 23:01 (2,097 days old) by ea56 (Cotati, Calif.) |
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In March of this year our DW conked out and I had to begin washing the dishes by hand until it was repaired under warranty, which took almost a month. By the time the DW was repaired I had discovered that after 30 years of having a DW, I actually preferred doing the dishes by hand. I like that I don’t have to unload the DW later on, and I actually enjoy cooking more too. I don’t have to be aware of what pot, pans, bowls and other utensils I’m using, to be sure I won’t be needing them again before I run the DW. And the whole process of washing the dishes is strangely therapeutic somehow, at least for me. So, even after the DW was repaired, I’m not using it, and haven’t since it stopped working in mid March.
I know that most members here are horrified that I like to wash the dishes by hand, but then I’ve never been one to follow the crowd, LOL. I use good quality rubber gloves so I can use the hottest water from the tap for washing and rinsing. I scrape the dishes, stack them in the order they are to be washed. Run about 3-4 inches of hot water in the left hand side of the sink with a good squirt of Dawn or Palmolive dish detergent, putting the silverware in the bottom. I wash the glasses first,then plates and bowls, and next the pot and pans. I place the washed items in the right hand side of the sink as they are washed, and then rinse them all at once with a slow stream of hot water, so the items underneath are getting rinsed too, saving water, stacking the rinsed dishes in the dish rack. Once all the dishes are washed and rinsed, I go over the counters and stove with the dishcloth, then drain, clean and rinse out the sinks. By the time all this is done the dishes are almost all dry, and only need a light touch of a clean dish towel. And I think that our kitchen is cleaner now too. I don’t see myself ever going back to using the DW again, but never say never. Eddie | ||
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Post# 1001229 , Reply# 40 7/24/2018 at 00:14 (2,097 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc) |
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I am doing dishes by hand,too since my KA dishwasher died.Haven't gotten a another one yet.don't want a new machine since they are overpriced and cycles just take too long.I can wash my dishes in less than 10 min.Havn't gotten sick yet. | ||
| Post# 1001233 , Reply# 41 7/24/2018 at 01:14 (2,097 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
 I've washed dishes by hand more often than not. Indeed, I never even used a dishwasher until about 11 years ago. Every place either had no working dishwasher, or there was a prevailing attitude of "it's not worth bothering with for the volume of dirty dishes generated here!" Finally, 11 years ago, there was a dishwasher available that worked, and I thought I'd try it just to try it. "It's not worth it, but it wouldn't hurt to play with it!" And before the first box of Cascade was even quarter gone, I was addicted to the convenience.
Alas, the dishwasher era was short lived. I haven't lived in a place with a dishwasher in nearly ten years now.
In the background, we hear Lord Kenmore's loud sobs.
I've felt at times that a dishwasher is #1 priority for the next place I live. Washing dishes by hand is not fun. It's often tiresome. It can be pure drudgery. And I've thought I might have more enthusiasm for cooking if I had a machine to help with cleanup.
Oddly, though, I've started questioning how important a dishwasher would be... It's not that I've suddenly started liking to wash dishes. But I see certain arguments in favor of handwashing dishes. I don't like the idea of long running times on modern dishwashers. (I may be a control freak, or simply too safety minded--but I don't like leaving appliances running totally unattended. I don't sit over them, but I don't like to have them running when I'm out, or in bed.) I also see the argument that "I'm single, I live alone, and it's not that hard washing a few dishes here and there." And there is a real argument to be made for a kitchen with fewer items (less clutter), even though that likely precludes being able to run full dishwasher loads. There is also a real argument to be made for a kitchen that emphasizes quality equipment, which will work better and last longer, but be too expensive to buy in huge quantities. A good sauce pan might be obtainable. It could be unaffordable--or at least painfully expensive--buying multiple good pans so that one is always guaranteed to have a pan available, and can always run full dishwasher loads. And, of course, there are always a certain number of items that are not dishwasher safe for whatever reason, so one might not ever eliminate washing dishes by hand. One could argue that by the time one runs hot water to wash a good knife and cutting board, one might as well just wash the rest of the prep equipment, and be done with it. Plus, of course, being negotiable on a dishwasher may open options when looking for a place to live.
We'll see what happens, I guess. | ||
| Post# 1001234 , Reply# 42 7/24/2018 at 01:28 (2,097 days old) by LordKenmore (The Laundry Room) | ||
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As for approach to washing dishes...
I've probably used lots of approaches...
Currently, I'm practicing real minimalism--I have very few dishes in daily use. This could help cut clutter (although it would help a lot more if I got rid of everything I don't use...). But one advantage of having few dishes in use is that it forces me to keep up with the dishes. Years back, it was too easy to just let dirty dishes accumulate. And so a ten minute job I don't like became a much longer, much more tiresome process.
Historically, I've air dried when possible. This was the method I grew up with.
I'm currently using higher end detergents. They cost more, admittedly, but I think the value is better. You may get a bigger bottle of cheap detergent for a given price, but the good stuff goes further, so it lasts longer, and it also has cleaning power available when one needs it.
In the past, though, when I had more disposable income, I tended to use "green" (e.g., Seventh Generation) detergents. They weren't as powerful, but I liked the green aspect, and I thought they were easier on my hands. Plus the scents (based on real scent, not some lab concoction) were nicer. | ||
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Post# 1001238 , Reply# 43 7/24/2018 at 02:11 (2,097 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN) |
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 I use my hands to place items into the dishwasher. I then use my hands to add detergent to the dispenser cups. Close the door and latch with one hand and turn timer knob with the other hand. When it's finished, I use my washed hands to remove clean dishes and place in proper cabinet or drawer. ducks and runs..... | ||
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Post# 1001284 , Reply# 45 7/24/2018 at 08:55 (2,096 days old) by jakeseacrest (Massachusetts) |
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So the other day I thought I would just give my Cuisinart bowl and blade a quick hand wash since it had been in the pantry unused for a few months.
I now have 3 stitches on my pinky finger. It must be the gods warning me not to hand wash no matter how small so I will continue to put everything in the dishwasher | ||
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Post# 1001287 , Reply# 46 7/24/2018 at 09:27 (2,096 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O ) |
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95% of our stuff goes in the dishwasher.. Usually it takes a couple of days or more to have a complete load. Re dishwashering the blender blades.. I wouldn't do it.. Oster iirc specifically recommends not to as it can dry out the bearing or seals.. and always run your blender 30 secs or so after washing to get the water out.
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