I've been washing a lot of dishes lately. Rachelle usually gets home before me and make dinner (she is the best cook EVER...we've had stuffed peppers, pesto pizza, baked chicken, garden burgers, and so much more), so naturally I feel obliged to wash the dishes. I think this is one of the worst chores, especially when there is a pile of dirty dishes and you have no dish washer.
My only weapon is a sponge, and though one side is brilloish, it still leaves me with a feeling of helplessness. I like to soak everything as much as possible, therefore I will let the hot water run over everything and try to get all surfaces covered with water to start the soaking process. The smart thing to do would be to wash all the knifes first as to avoid cutting myself when I reach down to grab something. Unfortunately, I don't do this because I like to space out washing the silverware over the course of cleaning to break up the dish/cup monotony.
I always start with the biggest thing in the sink such as colanders, large pots, or the popcorn bowl. This leaves me with more room to maneuver the plates. If the largest thing in the sink is super dirty, my general rule is leave it in there to soak while letting all the suds of other dishes wash away some of the dirt at the pace a river washes away a mountain.
I then move on to the plates because they are the easiest and by this time I am slightly tired from washing the big pots. I deserve the break. The plates are considered my friends, I enjoy washing them and I like to feel they enjoy and appreciate my efforts. Plates also fit perfectly into the dish dryer rack thing so they take up little room over there.
From here I tackle the glasses and cups. I make it a judgment call and grab what appears to be the cleanest cup, glass, or mug and go from there. Using the spongy part of the sponge I make a ring around the edge where mouths would go then jam the sponge as far down into the drinking utensil as possible. The problem with that is I have big hand, so sometimes the bottom of the cup does not get cleaned. Sometimes, depending on the severity of the situation, I will grab a butter knife and use it to force the sponge down in there, but sometimes I just leave it. Glasses don't really fit into the rack so well, but I jam them in and hope for the best.
Bowls come next. Bowls are fairly simple like plates, and after the strain of cups, I need another break. Bowls also usually contain the messier of the food product, so are usually harder to clean. They also don't fit so well on the rack but due to their convexity can safely sit on top of a glass.
As I stated earlier, forks, knifes, and spoons are intermingled with the other dishes. I like to throw a few in here and there just to break up the monotinity. I find that washing two or three utensils, never more, works well and saves you the time of continually reaching down for another.
Things I leave for absolutely last include the spatula if it was used to scramble eggs, the black pan if it was used fry eggs, and anything that has egg on it. I also refuse to wash anything that comes from my brother's room because the food is so old it sticks to the plate and is disgusting.
So that's how I wash dishes, in case you were wondering.
