why do some people use a bucket in their sink to wash dishes?

Question

i've been watching a load of "How Clean is Your House?" (in england) and i've notice most of the people on the show have a bucket in their sink that they wash their dishes in. and i remembered seeing some friend's grandparents use a bucket/bin/tub in their sink. i thought maybe something was wrong with their sink at the time but i guess alot of people do it...why?

Answer 1

I use a washtub in my sink. It has several advatages. First, my sink is a single basin. Thus, if I fill it with water to wash the dishes, there would be no place to rinse them. Second, the washtub takes less water to fill, and thus less soap too to make suds. Third, it is easier to rinse and wipe the tub when I have finished than to do the entire sink. Also, it helps to stop bits of food (inevitable, even if you scrape the plates) from going into the drain and clogging it if you don't have a garbage disposal.

Answer 2

Habbit. I grew up in a house with a large kitchen sink but it was not divided. You used a bucket to wash so you could let rinse water run down the drain. If you needed to dump liquid down the drain, there was only one, you just did it. If you stopped up the sink, everything would be in your wash water. Also, if you use a bucket or wash pan, it keeps your sink fresher. I have a divided sink now and just use the stopper but I can see why people still use the dish pan. By the way, it is called a DISH PAN. Thus the saying, dishpan hands! (Also, people who raise pigs will use a dishpan because they dump the water out to the pigs. Pigs love to fight over dirty dishwater!)

Answer 3

Dish Pans For Washing Dishes

Answer 4

I used one when I had a sink that wasn't divided into two sections (the old-fashioned kind). It's hard to wash and rinse with only one sink bowl.

Answer 5

Could be they have old fashioned sinks where the drain can't be stopped. Oh boy, when I was little we had a slop bucket under the drain (no plumbing) and rather than pour the water "down the drain" we would throw it outside.

Answer 6

To conserve water is the thing that first comes to mind,otherwise some sinks are not designed to do the job right.Such as not two sides.or no room to rinse and wash.

Answer 7

You use less water plus you can rinse in the same sink without diluting the was water. For those of us looking at water restrictions, every little drop counts.

Answer 8

My mother did it that way and so do I. Never thought about it.....guess it saves water.

Answer 9

maybe they don't have a stopper. hard way to do the dishes