Doing the dishes...

[tuesdayswife]

We don't have a dish washer so all of our dishes are done by hand. :dead: As I was doing the dishes last night, I got to thinking that I always do my dishes in the same order: bottles, glasses, plates/bowls/tupperware, silverware, pots/pans/misc. I always have to "group" my dishes together before I start too. Then, I have a specific way that I stack the dishes in the drainer.

With this said, it drives me CRAZY when Jeremy does the dishes because, to me, it's "wrong" :silly: . He just grabs whatever is closest to the sink and washes it.

So... how do you wash your dishes?

[Mandi]

I use my dishwasher. But when I'm visiting my parents who don't have one, I do it in the same order. Glasses/plates/silverware/pots. Generally the pots are the dirtiest and I don't like doing them early on b/c it means I'll have to change out the water.

[Melissa]

When I washed dishes by hand, I did exactly what you do. My mom taught me to do it that way because you don't want the cruddy water to wash your glasses and cups. :silly: Plus, doing it that way made the dishes fit better on my drying rack.

[magoo]

There is actually a proper order for washing dishes. I learned it in home ec. If I can remember properly:

Cutlery
Glasses
Plates
Pots and pans
Sharp knives

I remember the teacher saying that cups and cutlery come first becuase they touch your mouth and should be done when the detergent is at it's strongest.

[Jayne]

Well..since I don't actually fill my sing with water and wash..I use a little soap on everything, I don't have to follow the rule of thumb..but..

I was my dishes
Knives
then biggest to littlest..:dunno: No real rhyme or reason other then I like to get the big things out of the sink first !

[Lynn]

There is actually a proper order for washing dishes. I learned it in home ec. If I can remember properly:

Cutlery
Glasses
Plates
Pots and pans
Sharp knives

I remember the teacher saying that cups and cutlery come first becuase they touch your mouth and should be done when the detergent is at it's strongest.
Sarah's completely right. Anything that directly touches your mouth gets washed first. I only do the dishes that way (when I hand wash them, which is thankfully hardly ever! :lol: ) and it drives Keith crazy too. :)

[Mary DK]

I pretty much do it the way Sarah posted, the only difference is that I do the sharp knives at the same time than the rest of the silverware.
I don't have to do them very often by hand around here since I have a dishwasher but when I was little we didn't and when it was my turn to do the dishes (which I hated it) I had to "organize" the dirty dishes before washing them... my siblings thought I was crazy but come to find out I was right :lol:

[Bretta]

When I having to wash by hand (like after having a BIG dinner and everything won't fit in the dishwasher) I do it in this order glasses, cutlery, plates, pots and pans.