9 Dish Washing Tricks You Need When You Don’t Have A Dishwasher

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A dishwasher is truly a luxury, especially for people who live in bare-bones apartments in urban areas. For those of you who have to do things the old-fashioned way, life doesn’t have to be such a struggle. Here are nine dishwashing tricks you need when you don’t have a dishwasher.

1. Work From Cleanest To Dirtiest

It’s always a good idea to start with the cleanest dishes and work your way to the dirtiest. You breeze through the clean ones and empty out the sink a bit, making more room for the ones you need to vigorously scrub.

2. Clean Glasses First

Start with glasses since they’re usually the cleanest thing in the sink. You avoid getting grease and all sorts of food caked on them. If you’ve ever had food stuck inside of a mason jar you know the struggle. Getting in there with a sponge is not a good time, so handle your glasses first.

3. Make Use Of Your Extra Oven Rack

Use an extra oven rack or cooling rack to dry your dishes. Lay some paper towels underneath the rack if you’re worried about getting the surface wet.

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4. Refresh The Garbage Disposal

You can avoid having a smelly sink when you take a few seconds to refresh the garbage disposal. Cut up some slices of lemon and put one slice in each compartment of an ice cube tray with water. Once the cubes are frozen, toss two cubes down the drain and run the disposal. Run the water for about 10 seconds afterward to make sure you flush everything down.

5. Save Money And Soak

It might seem a little old-fashioned, but sometimes you need to give into the soaking life. You won’t regret it. Get yourself an old-school plastic bin, fill it with soapy water and drop in your pots, pans and any other dishes. Keep this bin off to the side so that you don’t take up your entire sink with those giant pots. When you make a whole bin of soapy water from a few drops of soap, you save money. Also, if you soak ahead of time, you use less soap to scrub off the food in the end.

6. Use Cold Water To Wash Off Dairy

When it comes to cleaning off dishes with dairy products on them, your best bet is to use cold water. Warm water will make things gummy and you’ll be there scrubbing forever.

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7. Get Rid Of Burnt Stains With Salt Water

For all of those stubborn burnt pots, all you’ll need is water, salt and a good sponge. Once the pots cool down, fill them with water and stir in about three tablespoons of salt. Let the pan soak for a few minutes and then boil the pan with the water inside of it. Most of the burnt bits should come off during the boiling process. For any stains that don’t come off, leave a little bit of that salt water in the bottom and scrub away what’s left. A little extra salt might help for anything extra stubborn.

8. Clean Pots And Pans Last

Since pots are usually the most annoying to wash, save them for last. Let them soak while you’re tackling everything else. By the time you’ve washed all of the utensils, plates and glasses, hopefully, your pots will be easy to scrub.

9. Plan Out Your Serving Dishes Ahead Of Time

The more last minute you are, the more of a mess you’re going to make. If you’re hosting guests for dinner, think about what dishes you’ll need ahead of time. If you can find yourself a serving vessel that wears a bunch of hats — like this tray with multiple compartments — you’ll have less work at the end. When you’re playing it by ear, chances are you’ll be using new dishes left and right and you’ll make a giant mess.

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