Most efficient way to hand washing dishes?

JenniO

Hi
About to go on a water meter, anyone have any ideas how to not waste so much water when hand washing/rinsing dishes please??????? (This is a serious question even if it sounds bizarre sorry).

We tend to let the cold water run the entire time we wash dishes so we pull a dirty dish out of the hot soapy water, wipe it down with a dish brush and rinse it under cold fresh water and put it in the draining tray.........so water 'runs' for a good 5 minutes or so......:eek:

alanobrien

No idea but you may have better luck posting this on the "In my home" board.

paddy's_mum

Would a simple answer be to have a separate bowl of cold water and dip the just-washed items into that before placing in the drainer? You would still have rinsed the dishes but used far less water to do so.

jillie1974

are we meant to rinse dishes...
i never do

Badger_Lady

I always rinse them with hot water (preferably from the kettle!) because it gets rid of the soap, sterilises (to an extent) and helps them dry more quickly.

But, in total, I still only use 1 sink full. I know because I have the plug in all the time and it never overflows! So doesn't really make much difference.

Is this similar to what you do?

JenniO

I do like the kettle idea actually! My big sink water does get rather mucky horrible looking as I'm washing dishes so yes, rather than rinsing them back in the mucky water I stick them under the cold running tap which is going in the middle of my sink (and down the drain really) where there is like a rectangular plastic grate thing?? (To the right of that is the draining tray).

If I just let the hot water run to rinse the dishes I wouldn't have enough hot water to then have a bath that evening .......:eek:


And I think i'm going to save money with a water meter.....whoa I gotta lot of work to do! :rotfl: :rotfl:

paddy's_mum

jillie - I don't wash dishes (got a dishwasher and swear by it!) but my mother always rinses items once cleaned. She says it saves them drying streaky but also she doesn't like to think that over a lifetime she has 'eaten' quite a large quanitity of detergent.

Rinsing also allows you to leave dishes to drain and dry naturally so avoiding a stint with the teatowel.

Zazen999

Hi all

Not green fingered but hey...
My aunt [and this means i have to], always used to rinse them before washing; so that the hot water never really got dirty as they had been rinsed nearly clean before going in the hot; so after every meal each went under cold water for the rinse and got piled up ready for the hot.

Having said that; I do rinse mine of the suds; just a quick squirt under the hot as i go. I wouldn't ever leave a tap running for that length of time. Esp glasses [something i learnt when i worked in a laboratory, rinsing the glassware completely clean using distilled water in a squirty bottle...

However, having said that as well, my other half does the dishes usually, and i only do them when he is out [ie tonight]. That reminds me, they are waiting and i am here typing...

arkonite_babe

This query is more suited to the green and ethical board, so I will move it over there for you

geordie_joe

JenniO wrote: »

Hi
About to go on a water meter, anyone have any ideas how to not waste so much water when hand washing/rinsing dishes please??????? (This is a serious question even if it sounds bizarre sorry).

If you need to rinse them you are using too much fairy liquid. Having said that, quite often I rinse the dishes by pouring a saucepan of water over them when on the drainer.

Cups and bowls can be rinsed on the inside by running under the tap before putting on the drainer.

Savvy_Sue

We have a half sink for rinsing in the big kitchen. In the utility room where I wash the mugs, I put some mugs in, start washing and rinse as I go. When the bowl's about half full, I turn the tap off, then just turn it on quick for each mug. Bowl doesn't overflow.

OR use a large plastic bowl or another small washing up bowl for rinsing?