I hated it as a kid. I hate it as an adult. I tried to fake my way through loving it while teaching my kids. I failed miserably. They hate it too. It's one of those necessary evils in life like taxes and dentists, I guess.
The first step in making this task a little more palatable is to get yourself organized. Make sure your dishwasher (if you have one) is clean and empty.
Next, you want to organize your dirty dishes...that's right, I said organize your dirty dishes. You don't want to get to the bottom of your sink and find another glass, right? Organize before you start loading...
The next step is a controversial one. I like to put some soapy water in the sink and rinse off any food that may be baked/stuck on. Why wash the dishes before you wash them in the dishwasher? Well, you're not really washing them. You are just removing some of the grosser stuff before you expect your dishwasher to work miracles.
I always prefer to load the top rack first. There is no rule that says you have to do that, it's a preference. Make sure all bowls and glasses are upside down. Do not over load the dishwasher. If the water cannot move easily through the racks, it will not clean your dishes.
When loading the bottom rack, I like to start with the plates since they stand in a nice, neat row. After that, add your bowls and pans. Again, make sure your bowls and pans are upside down and that you have free flow of water by not overloading the rack. When loading silverware, load bigger items like spatulas and serving spoons first. Try to load spoons in separate parts of the silverware holder so they don't...well, spoon.
Once you are all loaded, add your detergent of choice and select your wash/rinse/dry cycles. For most dishes, you can run on the "normal" cycle. I very rarely heat dry. Before you run the dishwasher, turn on your water and run until the water becomes warm. Your dishwasher will have to work less to heat the water.
Money saving tip: Find out with your electric company if they have peak hours and when they might be. Run all appliances during the off-peak hours when possible.
Once you are done with all of these steps, don't forget to wipe out the sink(s) with Formula 409 or Fantastik, etc. Clean the food trap and run the disposal if you have one. The stink lives in the drain!
I hope this helps take some of the pain away from doing the dishes. Tune in soon for more helpful hints to get you through mundane tasks.
Please comment to let me know how I'm doing. Keep it clean people. As always, if you have anything in particular you want to see, let me know!
No comments:
Post a Comment