Cleaning dishes

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To me being cleaning is important. It seems some people are a little extreme when it comes to cleaning dishes.

When I eat a sandwich for lunch and there are crumbs on it is it really necessary to waste water and time cleaning it?
I usually just leave it out on the counter for use during dinner.

After eating oatmeal and there is cinnamon on the bottom, I will usually just leave it on the counter for the next day. I am not sure I would leave it for longer than that. Most people would look at the bowl and think "disgusting". I can't see how it would be harmful to reuse a bowl that has cinnamon and a few pieces of oatmeal that was used the previous day.

I do live by myself. If i lived with others that use the dishes it might be a different issue. Even then I am not sure it really matters.

Leaving dirty dishes laying around can cause rodents and ants and it's unsanitary. I prefer to rinse my dish off or cup out before reusing it.

I used to just pile up my dirty dishes and then wash them whenever I was running out of bowls or plates. I didn't have that many plates and bowls because I lived alone.

I wouldn't leave a plate/bowl with food residues on/in it on the counter. It may attract insects (particularly cockroaches) etc and you may not see it. Also some bacteria and fungi might grow on it although they may not be visible. I guess people have different habits.

I think it's likely that you can safely relax on conventional hygiene standards quite a bit, but I would proceed with caution. And obviously it's important not to inflict anything risky on others.

I often re-use plates and cups without washing them. The time limit depends on the type of food. If I ate meat, I'd not do this. My reasoning is that the kind of bugs that grow on meat will likely grow inside a human, though there are a few dangerous vegetable moulds too. Cooked vegetables are likely more dangerous than raw, and I find it emotionally quite yukky to re-use a plate that's had anything sloppy on it, but luckily I don't eat many sloppy things. Eggs are readily infectable once they're opened. Dry food is much easier, it's often possible to brush most of the bits off into the sink.

I agree that mice, insects etc. would render my methods pretty dangerous. My preferred solution is to keep them out of the house. That's been easier for me than all that washing up would have been. I was furious last summer when a load of tiny winged gnats invaded my kitchen, and I had to tighten up my standards a lot until I'd eradicated them, which took several days. I hate winter, but at least the cold slows down the rotting of food, and insects are much less trouble.

When I lived on sandwiches, I often didn't use a plate at all, though I had to use very non-crumbly bread and I was careful to arrange the contents so that they didn't easily drop out like they do with most sandwiches that other people make.

Disposable plates apparently cost no more than the hot water required to wash the equivalent number of "real" plates. A dish washing machine might be good, if you have the money and the space.

I think it depends on the food. If you eat a sandwich and there are just a few crumbs on a plate, it's easy to dust the crumbs into the sink and wash it down so you aren't leaving crumbs about that might attract vermin. I wouldn't reuse an oatmeal bowl, personally. I would find that 'disgusting'. I use the same water glass all day long, but it's only had water in it so no harm there. I even offer my cat a clean bowl or dish for every meal.

We are a family that hates washing dishes, but we do it anyhow.

Anything like a sandwich, a slice of pizza or a donut I'd rather use a paper towel anyway (and even then only when someone's nearby to criticize barehanded eating).

No amount of water used is going to make the dishes sanitary unless it's HOT - and for good reason that health inspectors cite and close restaurants that shut off the hot tap. The water soaking action is probably more important than the amount of soap used. Anything milk or cereal based should never be left to sit dry since it becomes like mortar or superglue to remove later. I may exhibit more lassitude in other areas of my life but I get disgusted to the point of losing my appetite when I see what's evidence of prior use on cups, plates and cutlery

Same.

I am just the opposite. I hate having dirty dishes sitting around. Fortunately, I don’t mind doing the dishes. And, I get satisfaction when everything is clean.

me, also. i have two dirty plates right next to me now. one has onion bits, one smeared with frosting.

i don't think there are a whole lot of dirty dishes, if not, i'll do them all i guess. normally i don't do them at this hour since i don't want to wake up my folks and sister (and make them grumpy) but dad has the day off tomorrow so i guess it's ok-er.

on top of the rewarding feeling when they're all cleaned and set to dry, i like the physical feeling of the soft foam and hot water.

my sister likes to make a huge scene whenever she's asked to wash the dishes, because she evidently hates 'touching wet food'. i dunno, i've never had to actually touch wet food when washing the dishes, unless i'm unclogging the drain, if that's what she means.

but who washes their dishes with a bunch of food caked on it anyway? either wipe it, eat the crumbs or dump whatever you don't want into the trash. having those little bits splash in the sink when washing them is how we get ants. lots of ants.

She might be telling the truth. I have a strong "yuk" reaction to dirty dishes if the food remnants are wet or gloopy. I was relieved to discover those long-handled dishwashing brushes, they really help, much better than a cloth.

Hmm...... ......if she hates washing dishes and you don't, maybe the solution is to take her off the rota? Of course she'd need to be given another chore that she has less of a problem with, to make up the labour time. But you've probably already thought of that.

If you can afford it, one alternative to doing the dishes is eating out.

Most days, I use a single plate for my late breakfast and early dinner (my increasingly sedentary life neither requires nor benefits from more than two meals a day). As such, I sometimes get questioned about the sanitation of using the same plate twice over, say, five or six hours. I point out that I am extremely clean in every other aspect of life (my home is like a museum, art gallery or five-star hotel in its cleanliness). I ask my commenter if he or she would feel better if I placed the single dish in my kitchen sink rather than on top of my microwave oven, and, if so, how does doing so make the dish cleaner sitting in the sink. I get blank stares.

Now, this isn't always my routine, sometimes, I do mix it up and use several, separate dishes throughout the day.

Yes, if insects or vermin are enjoying a used, but not dirty, dish for their mid-day snack, the homeowner probably has a bigger problem on his hands than just a used dish.

Eating out is pretty much as bad as using a dirty dish at home. Hygiene practice in restaurants etc is pretty disgusting.

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Sometimes a small fly could come in from somewhere and have its mid-day snack on your dirty plate, even if your place is usually pest free. Also springtails are common even in clean houses. They are harmless but yukky.

Just make sure you use a copious amount of Dawn...then rinse copiously afterwards!

I was going to suggest antibacterial dish soap, but apparently it's no more effective than the ordinary stuff. The trade descriptions police seem to be asleep.

I like caustic soda. That stuff really gets things clean, and kills all bugs and moulds stone dead, though it could also blind you if you get it in your eyes, so use with extreme care, as it takes no prisoners. I've splashed it onto my hands but as long as I wash it off immediately, it doesn't burn my skin. Nor does it stink like bleach does. As an extreme tea drinker, it's the only thing I've found that cleans those stubborn tea stains. Baking soda doesn't come close to caustic soda.

For dry foods e.g. crackers, I sometimes use a sheet of kitchen tissue on top of the plate, tissue and crumbs go in the bin straight away. I would reuse a plate under those circumstances only, everything else is washed. Sterilizing fluid is my preferred disinfectant, and it has mild bleaching properties which is useful for stubborn tea stains too.