Kitchen Hacks: Efficient Washing Up
Jessica
Interior design and decoration play an important role for Jessica, because only the perfect combination of colour, light and form creates living spaces that make you feel good. Inspired by a love of nature, plenty of green plants have to be present. If Jessica had her way, then every room would be its own “pretty green” oasis, so you can just take a deep breath and relax.
If you don't have a dishwasher, you won't be able to avoid washing dishes regularly and dealing with the washing up after cooking. Many find this daily job annoying because it costs time and money. Dishwashers are now more water-efficient than washing dishes by hand in the sink. Today we'll show you how you can still be as careful as possible about water consumption and which great gadgets will help you wash up.
These tips will help make washing up more fun
Preparation
- First you should make sure that any food leftovers or large pieces of dirt have been removed. Use your organic waste bin to get rid of food leftovers.
- Soak saucepans and frying pans with warm water and a dash of washing up liquid so that dried on food is easy to remove. Very dirty dishes with dried on food that is difficult to get rid of can be soaked with salt water or baking soda.
- Don’t put off doing the dishes for too long, but you should also avoid washing single plates or cups each time you use them. You should have a few plates, mugs and some cutlery to make the most of the water consumption.
- To be a bit more environmentally conscious, use a washing up liquid with minimal packaging and the most natural ingredients possible. You can also do something good for the planet when it comes to sponges and dish cloths. Try to clean them regularly, rather than throwing them away and buying new ones. Most textiles for cleaning can be washed in the washing machine.
- If you are sensitive to cleaning products or your hands get wrinkled quickly in water, it might be a good idea to use a pair of rubber gloves.
Rinse
- Fill your washing up bowl half full with warm to lukewarm water and then add some washing-up liquid (you can find out the exact amount to use on the label). There shouldn’t be too many bubbles, because foam can mean that dirt particles are transferred if the dishes are dried without rinsing.
- Wash your dishes in a particular order, so that very dirty dishes don’t make the water dirty from the start. As a rule, saucepans and frying pans should be left until the end and glasses and mugs should be washed first.
- If you use the right amount of washing-up liquid, you shouldn’t need to rinse your dishes after cleaning them. Generally, most detergents aren’t bad for your health, so you don’t need to worry about rinsing again. You should only rinse beer and champagne glasses because any washing up liquid left on the glasses can affect the bubbles and head on beer. If you do want to rinse your dishes, don’t leave the water running; fill the washing up bowl with some cold water and rinse the dishes in there.
- You can dry your dishes in a practical dish rack from Relaxdays. Lots of washing up liquids are made so that your dishes shine when air-dried. If you have hard water, air drying some dishes may leave marks. If you would prefer to dry your dishes by hand, use a tea towel that you wash regularly.
- Clean the drain sieve regularly after doing the washing up. Small food remnants can block the sieve or the drain. If the water does start draining slowly, you can use a drain snake to clean out anything blocking the drain. Household products such as vinegar and baking soda can also be used to get rid of small blockages in the drain. We would advise against using very aggressive, chemical detergents. If the blockage is in the wall, only a handyman should remedy the situation so as not to cause any damage.
