How Often Do You Wash Dishes?

[Hannathy]

At least once a day. Actually 3 loads every 2 days would be perfect! You know how you don't have a full load but you know it isn't going to make it thru the whole next day.

I don't hand wash anything if I can help it. Hate washing dishes by hand and it wastes water. Dishwasher all the way.

 

[luvmy3]

She puts them in her dishwasher. It is her kids' responsibility to make sure they are done. They get washed once a week. She said she would rather they sit in the dishwasher and buy new dishes than argue with her kids.

OMG, I couldn't even open the dishwasher to put the soap in after things have been in there for a week. Here come the dry heaves again

I run my dishwasher once a day, sometimes two. I have never thought of it as a place to store dirty dishes until there was a full load. If I don't have a full load, I wash them in my sink.

 

[Katy Belle]

We are a family of 5. I cook breakfast and dinner daily. Run the dishwasher every day. Plus do some by hand every day.

If they are a family of 4, eat cereal every morning, that would be 28 bowls and spoons weekly. We have no where near that many spoons!

 

[Gigi22]

Depends what I've been cooking. That varies a lot. If I'm in a very gourmet phase or we are entertaining, there are lots of dishes, and I hand wash and run the dishwasher as needed. If it is just the two of us, I usually run the dishwasher every second day on a full wash cycle. I also run a 10 min. rinse cycle between full washes, plus hand wash as needed.
Since my city instituted a time of use billing system for electricity I've been trying to use major appliances like the dishwasher, washer and dryer during the cheapest billing periods.

 

[SaraJayne]

M-F the dishwasher is typically run once a day.

On the weekends, when we're all home and all eating here, it usually gets run twice a day.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

We don't have a dishwasher so we hand wash and put away the dishes once a day after dinner

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Are DH and I the only ones who hand wash everything before putting it in the dishwasher and wouldn't dream of just handwashing stuff unless there were no other alternatives?

I scrub my plates until there's no grotty stuff on them and they feel clean, then wash them on the hot setting. If I MUST only handwash because I'm at a rental cabin or whathaveyou, I handwash and then drop the dishes into a sink or bucket of the hottest water I can get from the tap (sometimes heated a few degrees hotter from a kettle) to kill anything bacterial that might be on the dishes.

(Of course, then my coffee mug at work never gets washed, just rinsed in boiling water every morning. . .never said I was consistent on these things!)

I gather most of you just leave the grotty until you wash the dishes? Not saying you're wrong, it's just. . .uhm. . .no. I think I'll stick with our method.

 

[disykat]

I voted once a day, but it's more like every day and a half. I don't know how a family a four FITS a week worth of dishes in their dishwasher. We are also a family of four and mine usually fits dishes for 4 little meals or snacks and one dinner. After that, if it hasn't been run dishes start stacking up in the sink and on the counter waiting their turn. - And this is with me making everyone keep a water glass on their assigned coaster and reuse it all day!

I have no problem leaving dishes in the dishwasher since I'm a rinser, we just use too many dishes for them to sit in there very long.

 

[wehavesix]

I was talking to a friend and was shocked to learn she only washes dishes once a week. Not pots and pans, but bowls, plates, glasses, silverware, etc. I can't imagine. She asked how often we do dishes. I told her at least once a day, usually twice. This was before our dishwasher. Now, with the dishwasher, it's once a night with a small load hand washed after breakfast.

She was absolutely floored that we washed dishes that often. I told her there is no way we could make it through two days, let alone an entire week, with the amount of dishes we have. She told me she will buy new dishes before having to wash more than once a week. That is her choice. I don't agree with it, but it's her home. She was quite offended with how often we are doing dishes in our home.

Her family size and my family size are exactly the same - husband, wife, teenage son and pre-teen daughter.

So - how often are YOU washing dishes?

Michelle

ETA - my friend has a dishwasher. She leaves her dishes in there all week. I still can't imagine it.

First of all, your friend is a colossal slob! Dirty dishes piling up all week? That's nasty. Also, either she never cooks, hence so few dishes they dont fill the dishwasher, or she has one heckuva jumbo capacity dishwasher!

As for me, I personally don't wash them very often but my teenagers wash them EVERY day. I cook and they clean. This happens at least once daily. More when we are home during the day since more dishes get used then. When my kids are all grown and gone then DH and I will share the chore of dish washing every day.

 

[kirstenb1]

The stuff in the dishwasher gets washed when it's full; once or twice a week at most. Pots, pans, knives get washed when used.

same here. there are 4 of us. I cook every night. I wash pots/pans by hand and load plates and silverware in the dishwasher. I run it every other day.

 

[luvsJack]

Are DH and I the only ones who hand wash everything before putting it in the dishwasher and wouldn't dream of just handwashing stuff unless there were no other alternatives?

I scrub my plates until there's no grotty stuff on them and they feel clean, then wash them on the hot setting. If I MUST only handwash because I'm at a rental cabin or whathaveyou, I handwash and then drop the dishes into a sink or bucket of the hottest water I can get from the tap (sometimes heated a few degrees hotter from a kettle) to kill anything bacterial that might be on the dishes.

(Of course, then my coffee mug at work never gets washed, just rinsed in boiling water every morning. . .never said I was consistent on these things!)

I gather most of you just leave the grotty until you wash the dishes? Not saying you're wrong, it's just. . .uhm. . .no. I think I'll stick with our method.

If you are worried about bacteria after you wash your dishes, put a couple of tablespoons of bleach in that final rinse water. Kills more bacteria than just hot water will.


I guess I will be the only one who admits to not washing dishes everyday. My dishwasher is not working so everything is handwashed and some days, my time just runs out. They are rinsed and stacked in the sink but some nights, I am exhausted and dd is busy and we just have to let it go.

 

[SaraJayne]

Are DH and I the only ones who hand wash everything before putting it in the dishwasher and wouldn't dream of just handwashing stuff unless there were no other alternatives?

I scrub my plates until there's no grotty stuff on them and they feel clean, then wash them on the hot setting. If I MUST only handwash because I'm at a rental cabin or whathaveyou, I handwash and then drop the dishes into a sink or bucket of the hottest water I can get from the tap (sometimes heated a few degrees hotter from a kettle) to kill anything bacterial that might be on the dishes.

(Of course, then my coffee mug at work never gets washed, just rinsed in boiling water every morning. . .never said I was consistent on these things!)

I gather most of you just leave the grotty until you wash the dishes? Not saying you're wrong, it's just. . .uhm. . .no. I think I'll stick with our method.

Why would you handwash the dishes and then put them in the dishwasher to be washed again? What a waste of water.

If the dishes are going to be washed immediately, they go directly in the dishwasher, with food scraped in the trash. If I know the dishwasher won't have enough for a load, they get a perfunctory rinse.

 

[stargazer2892]

When both DH and I worked we would only have to run it about twice a week, since we both work in a restaurant at night actual dishes didn't accumulate very quickly. Normally the top rack would fill up way before the bottom and glasses and bowls would end up down there. Now that I'm home with DS we run it once a day or every other day depending on what I ate.

 

[mvazul]

Are DH and I the only ones who hand wash everything before putting it in the dishwasher and wouldn't dream of just handwashing stuff unless there were no other alternatives?

I scrub my plates until there's no grotty stuff on them and they feel clean, then wash them on the hot setting. If I MUST only handwash because I'm at a rental cabin or whathaveyou, I handwash and then drop the dishes into a sink or bucket of the hottest water I can get from the tap (sometimes heated a few degrees hotter from a kettle) to kill anything bacterial that might be on the dishes.

(Of course, then my coffee mug at work never gets washed, just rinsed in boiling water every morning. . .never said I was consistent on these things!)

I gather most of you just leave the grotty until you wash the dishes? Not saying you're wrong, it's just. . .uhm. . .no. I think I'll stick with our method.

We rinse everything to get all of the food off before putting in the dishwasher. They look clean, but are definitely not until run through the dishwasher.

First of all, your friend is a colossal slob! Dirty dishes piling up all week? That's nasty. Also, either she never cooks, hence so few dishes they dont fill the dishwasher, or she has one heckuva jumbo capacity dishwasher!

As for me, I personally don't wash them very often but my teenagers wash them EVERY day. I cook and they clean. This happens at least once daily. More when we are home during the day since more dishes get used then. When my kids are all grown and gone then DH and I will share the chore of dish washing every day.

The strange thing is, she's really not a slob. She is former military and her house is very clean. I have been there a handful of times and would have never known if she hadn't said something.

 

[badblackpug]

Well I am a colossal slob. I don't hand wash anything, and I am certainly not washing dishes so that I can wash dishes.

The dishes get rinsed off, rinsed not scrubbed, and put in the dishwasher where they sit until the dishwasher is full. When it fills up depends on our schedule and what we are eating. Sometimes the kids just want peanut butter toast for breakfast so they eat that on a paper towel. If we grill there are less dishes. (no pots and pans) if it is the weekend there are more, because during the week the kids and my husband don't eat lunch at home. I have a large capacity dishwasher and lots of dishes.

I won't waste water double washing dishes and I won't waste water and electricity washing a load that isn't full.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Why would you handwash the dishes and then put them in the dishwasher to be washed again? What a waste of water.

If the dishes are going to be washed immediately, they go directly in the dishwasher, with food scraped in the trash. If I know the dishwasher won't have enough for a load, they get a perfunctory rinse.

But we only run the dishwasher, oh, about twice a week. Once a week if one of us is travelling. Pre-washing the dishes takes about, oh, two quarts of water.

So handwashing is a waste of water, but running the dishwasher every meal isn't?

Besides. Ever queried what a suburban home in a semi-tropical region (no sprinklers needed) uses in water vs. the industrial waste in water or what farms waste in water? We're not even a blip on the radar.

 

[Hannathy]

Why would you handwash the dishes and then put them in the dishwasher to be washed again? What a waste of water.

If the dishes are going to be washed immediately, they go directly in the dishwasher, with food scraped in the trash. If I know the dishwasher won't have enough for a load, they get a perfunctory rinse.

Exactly!!! Wow what a waste of water. Using a dishwasher is the most efficient way to do dishes. Uses far less water than handwashing.

Also Dishwasher detergent works better on dishes that have not been rinsed. It adheres and cleans better on dirty dishes than dishes with a film of water on them. All dishes need before going into the dishwasher is a good scraping.

 

[luvmy3]

Well I am a colossal slob. I don't hand wash anything, and I am certainly not washing dishes so that I can wash dishes.

The dishes get rinsed off, rinsed not scrubbed, and put in the dishwasher where they sit until the dishwasher is full. When it fills up depends on our schedule and what we are eating. Sometimes the kids just want peanut butter toast for breakfast so they eat that on a paper towel. If we grill there are less dishes. (no pots and pans) if it is the weekend there are more, because during the week the kids and my husband don't eat lunch at home. I have a large capacity dishwasher and lots of dishes.

I won't waste water double washing dishes and I won't waste water and electricity washing a load that isn't full.

My dishwasher has many different settings, one is low energy.

 

[Nolcrest]

We don't have a dishwasher so I wash dishes after every meal and in between whenever there are dishes in the sink.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

We rinse everything to get all of the food off before putting in the dishwasher. They look clean, but are definitely not until run through the dishwasher.


The strange thing is, she's really not a slob. She is former military and her house is very clean. I have been there a handful of times and would have never known if she hadn't said something.

Amen to the first!

I bet she's probably adopted the strategy DH and I have - the grotty is off the plates so they're not getting gross, why waste the hot water until the dishwasher is full or you're out of something?

Who knows, like me she may have 15 place settings of Fiestaware (It's sort of a thing with the women in my family - we accumulate Fiestaware, far in excess of what we need because we start at marriage and end at death.) and two complete sets of 12 settings of silverware (I bought one and inherited one. My inherited set is now in storage, but maybe she has hers out.)