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Dishes can quickly pile up in your kitchen, but they're actually pretty easy to clean. Most dishes can either be washed by hand in the sink or by using a dishwasher, except for cast iron cookware. With a little time and effort, you'll have a stack of sparkly dishes!
Scrape any leftover food from your plates into the trash or garbage disposal.
Use your silverware to push any leftover food on your dishes into the trash can. If you have a garbage disposal, you can also put any uneaten food down the drain while your disposal is running.
Fill your sink halfway with hot water and 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of dish soap.
Use the hottest water that you can handle putting your hands in. While the sink is filling up, pour 1 US T (15 ml) of dish soap into the running water so it creates suds. When your sink is half full, turn off the water.
Make sure your sink is clean before filling it up.
Work from lightly to heavily soiled dishes.
Start by cleaning dishes such as utensils and drinking glasses. After you’re done cleaning the lightly soiled dishes, move onto cleaning your plates and bowls. Lastly, soak and clean any pots, pans, or other cookware since they’ll make the water the dirtiest.
Wash your dishes underwater with a sponge or dishcloth.
Keep the dishes underwater as you scrub them to loosen any stuck-on food. Wipe each dish clean with a sponge or a dishcloth in circular motions. After you scrub your dishes, pull them out of the water and look for any leftover food that’s still stuck.
If the water ever gets too dirty where you can’t see through it, drain your sink and refill it.
Wipe knives clean from the back so you aren’t holding onto the blade. Never keep sharp knives in the sink since they may be hard to see if the water gets dirty.
Rinse off the soap with clean hot water.
After you wash a dish, rinse it underneath the hottest water you can handle until the suds are gone. Make sure to rinse the inside of bowls and glasses a couple of times to ensure all the suds are removed.
Avoid using cold water since they may cause water spots on your dishes.
If you have a double sink, rinse on the empty side so you aren’t filling up your sink more. If you do not have a double sink, then you may need to drain your sink as you rinse your dishes.
Let the dishes dry in a rack or on a clean towel.
Set the dishes inside a drying rack on your counter or on the second side of a double sink. If you don’t have a drying rack, set the dishes upside-down on a clean towel so they have a chance to dry. Leave them to dry for 30-60 minutes.
It's best to let your dishes air dry since drying them with a dirty towel will only spread germs around more.
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