Here's a few things I have noticed.
- Washing as I go keeps the kitchen much tidier.
- Kiddoes are definitely of a washing and putting away age.
- Washing with the kiddoes is a great way to have a chat and find out how they are feeling. (I remember reading an article about working side-by-side with kids is a great way to get them chatting. Keep away from the eye contact.)
- It is amazing how many songs can be sung and dances can be danced with a kitchen full of people doing the dishes after dinner. Thankyou, Pandora.
- I am definitely a drainer not a drier.
We had a bit of hot water system failure over our long weekend so instead of boiling water each time there were dishes I thought I would spark up the dishwasher again. It hadn't been used in about 6 months so fingers were crossed when I pressed the start button. It worked. Dishes were washed in hot water.
There were a few downsides for me. It took all day to get a full load and we actually used more dishes than normal because everyone kept getting out something new each time they needed a drink or a snack. When the machine was on after dinner, all of the dishes used after were stacking up in the sink. We have had a bit of an ant problem lately so I kept looking out for the ant army that could probably smell a crumb a mile away.
With the service of a fabulous local electrician, we now have hot water. (You don't know how much I have missed a hot shower). I think I will be going back to washing by hand.
Hand washing or dishwasher: what do you do?
Take care
Hand. Definitely. I think the thing that makes hand washing dishes a clear winner is when you have a proper double sink. I have one that came out of my childhood home, so it would be about 70 years old, stainless steel, that old fashioned design with two full size washbasins and two draining boards. I can stack, wash, rinse and drain dry a full dinner party of dishes in one go and I find it much less work than stacking and unstacking a dishwasher. And less electricity and water, and less dirty dishes hanging around, and less finding that the utensil you want to use is in the dishwasher. It's interesting that typing this, I've mistyped "dishwaster" several times over. Freudian slip!
ReplyDelete'Dishwaster'! That's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI have two sinks too. I even have a rectangular bucket in one so that if I am doing any rinsing I can catch the water and use it on the garden. It is amazing how many buckets of water we can put on the plants everyday rather then letting it go down the drain.