Are Clean Dishes Important? Yes Indeed!

Dishes

From the Desk of Clearissa Coward’s Command Center via Divinely Organized

Are Clean Dishes Important? Yes Indeed!

Ask any person who has a kitchen what is the most important rule of thumb for maintaining an organized kitchen and they will tell you, the art of a clean kitchen is clean dishes. If they do not…we have a problem :).  I wrote an article when I first began this sharing my organization expertise, about the mainstay of an organized kitchen and my advice then and my advice today is maintaining organized home is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Wait for it…and allow that to simmer a bit because if you can wrap your brain around that analogy, you are on the downside of this issue.

Clean DishesWith that said, below are my suggestions for keeping your kitchen devoid of dirty dishes, I want to reiterate the importance of an organized kitchen. Of course, I want every room in my home to be organized and perfect but I am realistic and I hope you are as well. And if you are, you know that organization is a process. So in this post, we will explore the importance of clean dishes.

Make It Happen:

  • Never leave a dirty dish in your sink. Make this a habit. I know both the words “never” and “a” sound impossible, but it is not.
  • I am assuming you have a dishwasher; however, this can work even if you do not. I have a dishwasher, but with it being just my husband and me, I rarely use my dishwasher. I make an effort to run it once a month to keep the lines open. But I do understand that if you have a family of, let’s say 4 or more, you are probably using your dishwasher more often.

clean Dishes

  • If someone makes something as simple as a PBJ sandwich, make sure you or they, if they are old enough, wash the knife or whatever they used to spread the PBJ before they sit down to eat their sandwich.
  • If they have a glass of milk and use a real glass, the glass should be washed or rinsed and placed in the dishwasher, before they leave the kitchen.
  • After dinner, either hand-wash or load your dishwasher. Leave clean dishwater in the sink until it’s time for everyone to go to bed. Before turning in for the night, wash all dishes used for snacks during the evening or load them in the dishwasher. The rule…leave no dirty dishes when you turn in for the night. If you are using the dishwasher and have a full load, turn the dishwasher on before bed.
  • I realize you will be rushing in the mornings, especially if you have school-age children and/or work outside the home; however, you must add the 10 minutes it will take to wash breakfast dishes before leaving. Remember the rule…never leave dirty dishes in the sink. If the dishwasher is full of clean dishes, well, sorry but you and/or your helpers will need to hand-wash the few breakfast dishes and empty the dishwasher after work. The rule…never leave dirty dishes in the sink.
  • If you do not have enough dishes for a full load every night, you can schedule your dishwasher every other night and with that, you can load your breakfast dishes into the dishwasher and run it when everyone leaves the house in the morning. The secret is personalizing the rule to fit your family’s schedule.clean dishes
  • When you cook, learn to wash dishes as you go. If you wash dishes as you prepare a meal, when you’re done, you will have only the dishes you use to serve and eat the meal. My mother taught me this trick when I was a child and I have used it all my adult life.
  • As you cook and a pan or bowl is no longer used, wash it. If stirring spoons are no longer required to finish this meal, wash them. This is truly necessary during this time of year when you are baking and cooking all the time. You must learn to clean as you go to avoid becoming overwhelmed with the disarray of your kitchen while baking or preparing a meal.
  • Finally, go through the entire house before bedtime to collect all of the dirty dishes that may be hiding in bedrooms or family rooms. With all of the dirty dishes collected daily, you will avoid leaving dirty dishes in your home at all times. This could become a chore for your child/ren before going to bed.

The takeaway here is to just keep up with the dishes. Do not allow them to stack up and your kitchen will remain manageable and clean. You’ll be surprised what a difference this simple thing will make in your life.

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2 thoughts on “Are Clean Dishes Important? Yes Indeed!

  1. E Gaines says:

    Great tips! I go back and forth between hand washing and the dishwasher. Either way I have made it a habit to wash as I go while cooking and never leave dishes in the sink before going to bed. Its nice to wake up to a clean kitchen. 🙂 Great article!!

  2. Clearissa Coward says:

    Thank you. I have the same habits. I hate to start preparing a meal and having to wash dishes before I begin. And you’re right…waking up to a clean kitchen is the best. Thanks for stopping. I’m happy you enjoyed the article. 🙂

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