Dirty Dishes in sink or next to sink?

[U2_rocks!]

I have a double sink and no dishwasher. The left side holds the dish drainer (where we put clean dishes to drip dry) and we put dirty cups and glasses on the right drain board so they don't get broken/greasy. Both sinks are the same (no garbage disposal) so either can be filled with dirty dishes, but we try to fill one at a time so we have room to use the other sink.

We do not fill up the sink with water - it would get gross and I would not want to stick my hands in it. We boil water in the kettle and pour it all over greasy food plates and casseroles - they are much easier to wash after that! Then we stack them neatly in the sink until we get a chance to wash them properly. We fill up a large bowl of hot soapy water and soak the cutlery in that - again, so much easier to wash after a while. The kids take turns washing stuff - no way am I doing it all. Sometimes it has to wait while the child whose turn it is finishes homework (do not disturb a kid who is actually getting their homework done well! ) or their shower or whatever other chore they are doing.

I don't mind some dirty dishes in the sink - they aren't there that long, not long enough to attract vermin or bugs. Having them in the sink rather than on the counter means we can scrub down the counters after a meal and continue to use them. Luckily the friends who are most likely to come to my house also have "lived in" houses so we understand each other! My only issue is my SIL (she and my brother live 2 houses away) - she has a dishwasher and a full-time weekday housekeeper, and cannot stand a single thing out of place in her house. She only has 1 child and she has him very regimented, so he makes no mess. I cringe when I think of how she must view my very lived-in house!

 

[Hollymom1229]

Dirty dishes get rinsed and left in the sink in our house. I unload the dishwasher when I have a couple of minutes and then reload it from the sink. I'd hate if someone thought my house was filthy because of this. It's just DH and I, so the dishwasher can sometimes take a couple of days to fill. I ran the dishwasher last Friday night, when it got full and we spent most of the weekend away from the house so there are a few dirty glasses and couple of cereal bowls in the sink. Tonight I'll empty the dishwasher and load those dishes, but our counters are clean and wiped down and most of the house looks really good.

 

[pyrxtc]

They go on the counter next to the sink after being rinsed. When the dishwasher is emptied, they will then get put into the dishwasher for the next cycle of dishes. I don't like them in my sink because that is where things tend to slip from hands when wet and break whatever is below them. plus when you rinse the newer item, it's gets everything under it dirty.

 

[Julylady]

I am very OCD when it comes to my sinks. They have to be clean, clear and free of any dishes. So I rinse dirty dishes and immediately put them in the dishwasher. I usually run a load at night and then put them away in the morning while I am waiting for my coffee to brew. Sometimes I add additional dirty dishes to a clean dishwasher so that I don't have to put dirty dishes in the sink.

It wasn't until my late 40's that I realized I really have some OCD issues and this is clearly one of them! I often have family stay with me and of course, they have no compulsion about setting dirty dishes either on the counter or in the sink. I have to bite my lip and realize those are my issues.

 

[Momvic5]

Our dirty dishes go in the sink. I try to unload our dishwasher promptly, but I am outnumbered by both people and dishes in this house. If the dishwasher is full or has not been unloaded, all dirty dishes are placed in the sink. I don't want to see dirty dishes on my counters. Once they are placed in the sink, they are contaminated. Lol. The sink is dirty (we wash our hands and rinse food/items out in it) so if it touches the bottom of the sink, it can not touch my counters without being washed - not just rinsed. I am a freak - I know! I have to close my eyes and walk away when my dh is in the kitchen. I drive us both nuts if I watch how he cooks/cleans in the kitchen.

 

[mickeyboat]

Unless the dishwasher is running or full or clean, dirty dishes get rinsed and put right into the dishwasher. DH and DDs don't always do this, but I make sure it is done before I leave in the morning, when I get home from work, and before I go to bed at night.

If the dishwasher is not available, dishes are rinsed well and put in the right side of the sink. The garbage disposal is on the left side.

The dishes I hand wash like wine glasses and sharp knives are set on the countertop to the left of the sink. I usually wash them in the mornings. Pots and pans from dinner are usually washed after dinner.

I sure hope no one judges me if there are dirty dishes in my kitchen every once in a while. I work full time, have two busy daughters and a husband that I like to spend time with, so while my house is usually pretty clean, I don't stress about a few dishes.

 

[lurkernj]

In the sink so I can't see them. I have a 9 ft island that the sink fits into, and it is a constant battle to keep the counter cleared of everyones things, so I try to keep it as uncluttered as possible.

 

[Jill in Chicago]

We stack them up on the side of the sink. My mother would pass out if she saw how we actually live, versus how we live when she is visiting. I grew up in a "perfect" home, always clean. Us, not so much. No bugs or anything, just not always scrubbed and perfect.

 

[mfd25wife]

I stack in the sink if the dish washer is full. DH & DD stack on the counter regardless of an empty dishwasher or not. They may remember to rinse them off. When I cook, I try to clean pans as I go. When DH cooks, which he is good at, he uses every pot and pan in the house, and rinsing must not be in the contract. I am usually glad they at least made it to the counter as many times, they don't.

 

[mfd25wife]

I want to thank all of you who posted on this thread and made my OCD self get up and go wash all the dishes while I waited on my tea kettle to whistle. Chai Tea