my house comes with an old dish washer that doesn't work very well and we almost never use. so we hand wash the dishes with soap and air dry overnight in the dish rack over the counter.
is this okay and hygenic?
2007-10-09 06:10:45 · 7 answers · asked by Eric C 4 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
Air drying dishes is perfectly allright, unless the air in your home is filthy enough to leave traces of dust everywhere (like living in a coal mine). Even those dishes, which have been through the dishwasher and heat-dried, will be exposed to the same air when you take them out.
When you wash the dishes, you use detergent to remove traces of grease and food. Additionally, you kill germs that were left over from raw meats. All this is accomplished during the wash (dishwasher or hand-wash).
Either case, you should use warm water. Although the dishwasher uses hotter water than people use during a manual wash, it still isn't hot enough to sanitize (as a result of heat). But then again, the dishes from either wash are exposed to the same air in your home before use.
Overall, what was good for your parents is good for you, too!
2007-10-09 07:00:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's OK I guess but leaving anything wet will allow it to collect dust in the air. Hand wash and hand drying with a clean dishtowel is a better idea. Of course using the dishwasher if it is not working too well is not a good idea. Start saving towards a new dishwasher so you can rest assured that your dishes are really clean and sanitized. If I didn't have one myself I'd probably eat out everyday or go TV dinner style.
2007-10-09 13:22:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes and no.
I grew up in a house without a dishwasher (my mother finally got a dishwasher in '99) and I don't think we ever got sick or could attribute any illness to the dishes not being sanitized.
Dishwashers use hotter water than you probably will use if you handwash, but you can add a dab of bleach to the water if you're worried that your dishes aren't sanitary.
I'd also like to suggest that you try the old school powder Cascade in your older dishwasher. My sister used to live in an older house with a dishwasher (which I would guess was installed in 1976.) That thing didn't work too hot until we tried the powder stuff, then it worked like a champ. I guess you have to figure that when her dishwasher was engineered, it was tested for powder, not gel or the tabs.
Good luck!
2007-10-09 13:15:52 · answer #3 · answered by nellbelle7 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't have dish washer in my house and wash all dishes by hand and air drying is perfect safe your not going to get sick off it unless it not fully wash of grease in that case i get best brand of dish soap DAWN and use hot water. I never use bleach in a dish pan or own one. I just let the hot water run was i wash the dishes. I didn't have any disease or do i have infection of any kind.
2007-10-09 13:47:01 · answer #4 · answered by rosabearr ") 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There have been some studies that have shown that air drying is better than hand drying or using the drying cycle of your dishwasher. If you wash by hand, remember to use very hot water and lots of soap. Rinse well. Adding a second rinse with about 1 cap full of Clorox in the dishpan full of water will sanitize if you want to be certain.
2007-10-09 13:22:18 · answer #5 · answered by math_prof 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that is the way its beeen done for millions of years before the dish washer. its more santitary with dish washer but thats the second best easy method. take care.
2007-10-09 13:37:02 · answer #6 · answered by Tsunami 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hand wash mine, Leave them out to dry. I have not gotten sick yet from it and I have been doing it for years.
2007-10-09 13:48:41 · answer #7 · answered by krennao 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋