Once Again On Life Without A Dishwasher....

I thought I would revisit this topic after having lived without a dishwasher for 3 (I think it's been that long??) months now. I do miss having a dishwasher sometimes, especially when I have a super busy day or am just feeling tired and the last thing I want to do is wash dishes. But mostly I enjoy my little routine I have developed. Throughout this journey I feel I have learned a lot so I will pass on my wisdom to those of you who may want or need it. If you missed posts one and two on the Great Dishwasher Fast of 2008, please go here, and here to read them.

So, here is what I have learned to help washing dishes go smoothly and quickly.

1. Wash the dishes more than once a day. I wash our dishes after breakfast, lunch and dinner. This makes it go quicker because I have less to wash at once. It gets tiring to stand at the sink for an hour washing every dish and pot and pan from the day. I find the dishes wash more easily as well because they haven't been sitting out all day. I will also wash the dishes an extra time if I make cookies or something like that. This also allows me to leave the dishes in the dish rack to air dry rather than having to towel dry. If I only wash once a day there are too many dishes to wash at a time to allow this. So, by doing smaller loads I just leave the breakfast dishes to dry in the rack and after lunch I put them away before I wash the lunch dishes.

2. If you can't get to the dishes right away, rinse, rinse, rinse!! Especially anything that had milk in it, that is really hard to get off once it's dried on.

3. Sort the dishes by type before you wash. So, pile all the plates together, and bowls together etc. I've found it is easier to wash one type of dish at a time, and they fit better in the drying rack. It's also easier to put them away when they're dry.

4. Order of wash is important. This is the order I've found that works best: glasses, bowls, plates, silverware, serving bowls, pots and pans. Basically wash the less dirty to the most dirty then you don't have to change the water multiple times.

5. Rinse with as hot of water as you can, it helps the dishes to dry really fast so you don't have to dry them by hand! A spray nozzles helps with this. I can put the water as hot as it will go and spray everything without burning my hands.

6. A baby bottle cleaning wand works great for cleaning out cups, especially if you get the one with a sponge on the end (I love the Munchkin brand from Target). They are also cheaper than the fancy cup cleaning ones you will find in the cleaning aisle at your local grocery store.

7. Change your washcloths and kitchen towels daily so you don't get germs growing in them.

8. This one is the most important to me because I get eczema on my hands--Keep a bottle of good lotion by the sink so you can put some on after washing to keep your hands from drying out!

So, there you go folks. This is what I have learned to help me wash dishes efficiently and without too much hassle! And if anyone has any other helpful tips leave them in the comments!