Washing dishes. What is the correct method?

Question

Some people
a: 1. rinse under tap. 2. wash in detergent/hot water sink 3. dry
b: 1. Wash in dergent/hotwater sink. 2. rinse under tap. 3. dry
c: 1. wash under tap with detergent cloth 2. rinse. 3. dry.
d: 1. wash in detergent/hot water filled sink 2. rinse in water filled sink 3. dry.
e: ....many other variations....

What are you supposed to do? there is a correct order for washing dishes... ie glass first pots last, but what is the correct method for washing? :)

Answer 1

you are supposed to sort the dishes from the glasses and silverware and pots and pans. you soak the silver wear, then wash them in hot soapy water, rinsing well with clean water, standing them upright in drainer. next you wash the glasses, rinse well in clean water, drain, then next you wash plates, bowls, cups, saucers, and other crockery,always rinsing with lots of clean hot water..
after that you clean the pots and pans, with the correct cleaning product - SOS or Brillo pad for non-treated pans, or proper product for your type of pans. dry all well with clean towels, put away. pour off old dishwater, clean the dishpan, and dry, and then clean out the sink. you can use a sponge or a dishwashing cloth to do them with. whew! a lot of work!

Answer 2

Just stick them in the dishwasher. After a few tries, you'll get a feel for what needs Scotchbrite scrubbing before the dishwasher (if your DW is a Maytag or Whirlpool, very little). Most dishwashers will use less hot water and less energy (Joules electrical versus Joules human) than washing by hand, and they take care of the problem for you.

Caveat: get the chunkies off first. Usually, just scraping a pot is enough if you've loaded it correctly. Second, use a good POWDER detergent. Marketing hype aside, part of the way these things work is the sandblasting effect. Third, never wash silver or crystal (dishwashing detergent, sandblasting effect) except to freshen them up after storage: hottest cycle with no detergent and no stainless steel touching the silver in the utensil basket.

Set the DW for hottest wash (usually "SANI" or some other variation where the dishwasher actually keeps spraying until the water comes up to the right temperature, usually 75C) as this is the longest cycle AND will kill the vast majority of stuff growing on your dishes. Open the door when the cycle ends (final rinse) and let it air dry - clean dishes with less energy and labor costs.

Either way, think about it. Compare the owner's manual of your DW (water consumption tables) with the volume of your sinks at your typical fill level. In front of me (pulled from my filing cabinet) is the original owner's manual including water consumption for a 1973 (yes, 1973, pre energy crisis) D&M dishwasher: 9.5 US gallons, or 36L. That's TWO washes and TWO rinses. Now, volume is LengthxWidthxHeight. Measure in centimeters your sinks at their typical fill-to depths, multiply together, divide by 1000. Is it less than 36L? Okay, stick it in your dishwasher.

Most modern dishwashers do a better job than hand-washing and use less than half the water; they spend 45 minutes scrubbing something and they use a turbidity sensor to detect dirt (oil, food) in the wash water and adjust their water inlet accordingly. Also, consider your electrical costs - a 15A circuit at 120V for under an hour - that's your worst-case scenario.

My own is a 1970 Maytag WU-600, which I spent over $1800 to restore the tank enamel (yeah, I could have had about three good dishwashers for that price, but you'll understand in a second). When it starts washing, the lights dim. When it starts draining, the floor shakes. And when I take out the cast iron frying pan onto which I burned an egg, the frying pan is clean. I'd marry my dishwasher, but it's not legal anywhere yet. That's why I restored my 37-year-old dishwasher.

You can see pics of it here:
http://www.glowingplate.com/toaster_in_dishwasher/

So buy a dishwasher! Besides, life is too short to wash gravy off saucepans!

Answer 3

I agree with you. Dish towels and cloths contain bacteria. I add bleach to mine when I wash them in a washing machine. I believe that the motion or agitation of a washing machine is more successful at releasing the particles that accumulate in dirty laundry. I am sure washing them in a dishwasher is better than nothing at all,but I also think they would impede the flow of water to the dishes in the lower rack. That would be a problem in cleaning dishes at the same time. Dish detergent for dishwashers is not formulated for fabric cleaning. Be glad that you have a husband that is innovative and in the kitchen. Tell him to try his hand at the washing machine. Hopefully he will not put dishes in with the laundry.

Answer 4

We wash in detergent/hotwatersink, rinse under tap, then put them in the dishwasher.

I know it's a very long process but it works.

If you don't have a dishwasher, then b is best. You don't want to rinse all of your dishes in the same sink.

Answer 5

rinse dishes off under tap;
in a dish pan add a measure of dish washing liquid
add hot water until suds comes almost to top of pan

the correct method for washing dishes using a dish cloth is to wash the glasses first, then the silverware, cups & saucers, breakfast & dinner plates, platters, and ect,
wash the cookware last
rinse off under running tap water
put dishes in a dish drainer that fits on the counter or on the inside of the sink
let the dishes air dry or you can dry them with a dish towel

Answer 6

Wash in soapy water after removing food particles, etc
Rinse water (ideal a few minutes)
Bleach water (for sanitizing)
Drip dry and put away. (towels accumulate germs)

Of course 3 sinks are not norms in households, so some will skip the rinse and go to the bleach water, or plain water for rinsing. Always avoid towels for drying, if possible.

Answer 7

There is no right or wrong way, as long as they are clean.
I personally put them in hot soapy water, wipe with a cloth, making sure there is no food left on it. Rinse in hot water filled sink, then let air dry.
My mom gave me words to live by: Never expect anyone to eat from a dish that you yourself wouldn't.

Answer 8

I'd say whatever gets them clean! I mean, come on, you wash dishes to, well, wash the food off of them so they are appealing to eat on again, right? So wash them whatever way gets them that way. I doubt anyone is going to say, Um, you wash your dishes really weird. lol

Personally I don't really like the water filled sink idea because the water doesn't stay clean, but hey, if it works for some people, fine.

I could go and tell you the order I do it, but....there's not really a right or wrong. ;-)

Answer 9

hahaha I like Twix's answer.

When without a dishwasher, I soak in hot soapy water for a few minutes, take out, wash with a soapy scrubbing pad, then rinse under tap.

Answer 10

It's up to you, lol, however you would feel like they are clen. When I was in Germany, they don't even rinse dishes, since the water costs too much, they just wash tih soap and dry. As long as they are clean, it's up to you.