Washing the dishes is a task we all liked as a kid and now hate as adults. Washing the dishes is a chore we all have to live with. While you do it routinely right after having your bowl of breakfast cereal or every night after dinner, there is actually a right process to washing your dishes. The simple rule is to start washing from the “cleanest” to the dirtiest, this is so you don’t pass on more grease and grime to the cleaner ones. Here’s a breakdown on the right order to wash your dishes.
1 Crystal and Glassware
Start with your drinking glasses because these have the least grease. If you clean them the last, all the grease from your other dishes will cling on to them. Remember to wipe these dry with a dishcloth to avoid water marks.
2 Flatware
Your spoons and forks come up next. Remember to scrub gently and let your sponge do the tough work. Be careful on rubbing too roughly as this may remove your flatware’s polish.
3 Bowls and Plates
Wash the plates, bowls, sauce dishes, and other flatware you and your guests directly have eaten from. Start from the back of your dishes to the surface you’ve eaten from. If you’ve just eaten an extra oily dish, washing with hot water can do wonders to remove the grease. If your kitchen sink doesn’t have a hot or cold water option, you can heat up some water
4 Serving Plates
Your serving plates and dishes come next. Again, hot water can help you scrub those oil bits easier.
5 Pots and Pans
Since these are going to be the greasiest after each meal, they have to be washed the last. Aside from hot water, you can actually rub on a hefty amount of salt, which is actually a natural abrasive to remove any fried food that might have stuck to your pan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The fundamental rule is to wash from “cleanest” to “dirtiest” items. This prevents transferring grease and grime from heavily soiled dishes to cleaner ones. By following this sequence, you maintain cleaner wash water longer and ensure that fewer dirty items don’t pick up additional residue from greasier dishes that would be washed later.
Crystal and Glassware – Drinking glasses and delicate glass items (least greasy)
Flatware – Spoons, forks, and knives
Bowls and Plates – Items you and your guests ate directly from
Serving Plates – Platters and serving dishes used for food presentation
Pots and Pans – Cooking vessels (greasiest and should be washed last)
Since pots and pans are typically the greasiest items after cooking, they require special attention and techniques. You can use either the Salt Scrubbing Technique or the Hot Water Method.
