Doing (or NOT Doing) the Dishes

“If you have to dry the dishes
(Such an awful boring chore)
If you have to dry the dishes
('Stead of going to the store)
If you have to dry the dishes
And you drop one on the floor
Maybe they won't let you
Dry the dishes anymore” 

~Shel Silverstein

I was thinking the other day about how I never really have to "do the dishes". Sure, I do wash and dry my dishes, but I never leave them on the counter to "do" later.

We all know someone who always has piles and mounds of dishes stacked on the counter that have to be done eventually. Maybe that person is you.

I've always enjoyed the dishwashing process. Here's a picture of me with my Grandma in 1981. Some of my most vivid memories include standing in front of this sink and doing the dishes with my Grandma. She was so good at washing, drying and putting them all away after each meal. She never had a dishwasher, nor did she have much counter space, so it was routine for her to be so thorough.

In college I met this guy (or gal)....

My mom introduced me to this beauty and it's become a kitchen necessity in our home. I tried going without it for a while, in an effort to reduce waste, but none of us were very happy.

I think the dish wand is part of my secret to staying on top of my dishes. I don't have to wait until I have enough dishes to fill the sink, I can wash as I go.

And that leads me to my second secret. I do wash as I go, even (especially) when cooking. Whenever possible I wash an item directly after using it. This helps keep the post meal washing and clean-up to a minimum.

And I use my dishwasher. I know some minimalists prefer to go without using theirs, but for us and this time of life it's a time saver.

So there you have it....my two secrets to doing dishes.