13 Tips to Make Hand Washing Dishes Enjoyable

Hand washing dishes can be easier and more enjoyable than we make it out to be! Here are 13 tips to make it more pleasant:

0:00 Intro

0:10 1. Have fewer dishes.
This puts us in a position where we HAVE to wash the dishes. there is no chance of "saving them up for later" because we don't have enough dishes to do that. It, therefore, forces efficiency and consistency.

0:44 2. Be consistent with a routine. 
If we don't want work to pile up, we can get it done. This is true in every aspect of life. When we're kids, it's easier to do homework every night than to spend the weekend before finals trying to complete it all. The dishes are the same. The more small, frequent loads we wash, means we don't have to spend time or energy stressing about when we should devote time to deal with it.

1:27 3. There is no "proper," "correct," or "perfect" way to do the dishes.
We simply need them done. It doesn't matter if you get soap on your sponge and wash, or fill up a sink with hot water. It doesn't even matter if you simply rinse the dishes and reuse them. As long as YOU are comfortable with how you washed them, it's good.

2:35 4. Clean as you go.
Some people like to fill a sink with hot soapy water and put all the dirty items in as they cook. Others rinse immediately so they know the food won't dry and stick and they won't need to scrub them. It also makes a huge difference to tidy up as you go: put things away, throw things away, wipe the counters off, wash a dish or two in between stirring the food, wash the knife and cutting board. This means when the meal is done cooking, most of the "cleanup" is already done as well. Then you just need to wash the plates, silverware and a few things that were on the table.

3:07 5. Do it right away.
If we allow the dishes to sit overnight, that's what's greeting us in the morning. Not the best part of waking up. Doing them immediately means nothing gets stuck on, so the process of washing is easier. And if it's done, we can go live our lives without thinking about the sink full of dirty dishes waiting for us.

3:35 6. Get a drainer you like.
Using a dish mat means you don't have to have a big drying rack taking up space. You can hang it to dry between loads and you can wash it regularly in the washing machine.

4:02 7. Gloves to protect your hands.
Dry cracked hands is a real thing, and we can be nice to our hands by protecting them.

4:32 8. Make it enjoyable.
This is a great time to listen to an audiobook, podcast, or set up videos to watch as you work. The task of washing dishes doesn't take much thought, so your mind can be engaged elsewhere.

4:47 9. If you like scents, use a scented soap you enjoy.
I personally don't care for scents, but I know people that like scents because it reminds them of "home," family members they love, or special times and places. If you are one of those people, spend some time finding a dish soap that you love the smell of.

5:13 10. Scrapers are our friends.
My scrappers all came with my pampered chef stoneware (you can get them on Amazon) and I use them on everything. No breaking fingernails - I just reach for my scrapper.

5:38 11. Have a mug or cup full of water to keep silverware in until you wash.
This can help us not have to scrub on the silverware, especially sticky things like rice and avocado can be annoying if it dries at all. So when a mug or glass gets dirty, fill it with water and instruct everyone in the home to put their dirty silverware in it.

6:01 12. Do the dishes in order
from least dirty/greasy to most dirty/greasy: glasses, mugs, silverware, plates, bowls, pots & pans. I say this because it's something I had never considered until a friend told me, before she told me, I was always putting in more soap because the glasses weren't coming clean, so changing the order of washing made my life easier. But remember there is no "perfect" way to do it and if you do it in a different order, don't stress it. It's done and that's what matters.

6:49 13. Air-drying
It's more sanitary and makes life easier and why not?? If there is no "perfect" why not just do what works?? It is helpful to put them away, rather than leaving clean dishes in the drainer all the time. But again, we don't have to hold ourselves to a standard of perfection. We do need clean dishes to use, so that's the important part.

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