How do I conserve water while washing my dishes?

Question

My sink is one large wash basin. Do I have to get the soap off or is it ok to wipe and dry (no rinse)? Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Soak your dishes in soapy water before you start to wash them so that the grease and food remains will come off more easily. That will prevent you from having to try to clean them by jetting water at them. Once they have been scrubbed, put them in a very large plastic bowl. Once they are all cleaned (but not yet rinsed), cover them with clear water, dump it and then give each dish a quick rinse to get the soap off. That should do it, unless you live in a place where the water is "soft", having a very alkaline pH.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Why would you want to? Even if your whole area tried to conserve water it would make no difference where there is a drought. You may make a difference using less washing up liquid, rinsing dishes before food dries on, putting less detergents in the waste water. Even then you'd want the whole community doing it to make a difference. Even that most probably wouldn't be quantifiable on a county level, certainly not on a country wide basis.
Where you would be most effective is campaigning against industrial pollution. Then if you won that on a local level, fighting for tighter controls, the real effect would be to export the problem to less regulated countries. It takes government willpower to make a real difference and if you think the US or China is going to change it's spots?
This feel good greenery nonsense is delusional, the heart is in the right place but totally delusional on any rational assessment. Just think about it rather than emoting.

Answer 3

I don't think is very hygienic to just wipe and dry because you might leave residues of soap on your dishes that later may come back to haunt you in the form of diarrhea. Try this and see if it works for you

Scrub all of your dishes and put them on the other side of the sink, once your done give them a quick rinse and let them dry. I've found I'm using less water this way.

Answer 4

Rinsing is a necessity because you won't like the results (diarrhea). Get a roaster pan. Most grocery stores sell cheap aluminum ones especially this time of year. Put just an inch or two of water in the bottom and use it to rinse the dishes. This saves a lot of water over rinsing each piece individually with a spray.

Answer 5

You may want to get the soap off unless you want to "poop" alot.
You may want to try filling your sink with warm water and a 1/2 cap full bleach. Wash your dishes with soap and rinse in sink water. A couple dips and should be good.

Answer 6

actually over the long run, a dishwasher saves the most water. It's a proven fact that a dishwasher uses up to 40% LESS water than hand washing dishes. Even more if you always wait until you have a full load.
Having the dishwasher heat the water internally also saves energy.

Answer 7

Remember to always scrape your dishes off first. Ten soak them, then wash making sure you rinse the soap off well (if you don't, there might be a soap taste and you might be spending lots of time on the toilet.

Answer 8

You have to wash it off.You rinse your dishes after washing with detergent.You can save the washing water for cleaning other stuff example mopping floor and scrubbing.

Answer 9

you must rinse.soap left on can give you stomach problems
dont fill the wash basin as full of water
i bought a built in dishwasher
it saves me money .however that would be for a larger family

Answer 10

You have to rinse. You don't have to waste a lot of water doing it, though. After you wash all of them, use a trickle of water for the rinse.