Do you wash your dishes every single day?

@dragon54u (31634)
United States
January 20, 2009 9:11am CST
I live alone and some days I dirty just a couple of saucers, a coffee cup and a fork. On those days I usually just leave them stacked beside the sink. When I cook I always wash those dishes because I hate the sight of a dirty countertop, it makes the whole kitchen look dirty to me. Sometimes I'll let the dishes pile up for a few days and then my dish drainer is full. My house is 85 years old and there's no room for a dish washer, otherwise I would put them in there and do dishes once a week! How about you? I know those with families will probably do dishes once or more per day.
18 people like this
84 responses
@deejean06 (1952)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Our house is also very old and there is no room for a dishwasher. The kitchen is very small. I would let dishes pile up and then wash every other day but it was getting too overwhelming. So now every night before I go to bed I empty the sink. I don't wake up to dishes everywhere and it's a lot better.
4 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Yes, I hate waking up to a kitchen full of dishes! I'm thinking of getting a counter top dishwasher.
3 people like this
@deejean06 (1952)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I have a countertop dishwasher which has never been used. The problem is that it needs a certain height and my cabinets are too low to the countertop for it to fit between the two. I think before you make a purchase - mine was a gift - check out the height requirements. Also I've heard that you can put it on a cart so it will be out of the way and that frees up counter space. Then all you have to do is wheel it over to the sink to hook it up to a water supply and you'll have clean dishes!
3 people like this
@Jellen (1852)
• United States
20 Jan 09
It really depends. I probably wash my dishes daily, but I do have an automatic dishwasher. Generally, I wait until I have a full load, and then I start it. Usually that's once a day, but sometimes, especially if my family has eaten out, the load isn't full in one day's time.
4 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I really miss having a dishwasher! With just me and my two boys, I only ran it every other day but it was so nice to have one. Now that I'm alone I don't have many dishes.
3 people like this
@Jellen (1852)
• United States
20 Jan 09
If I were alone, I wouldn't need one either, because I not into cooking. And when I do cook, I have a way of doing it without getting every dish in the kitchen dirty.
2 people like this
@sunita64 (6469)
• India
20 Jan 09
Yes I wash dishes twice a day as I do not like full sink and clean utensils give a nice and neat look to the kitchen which is really a good feeling to have. Second this makes kitchen hygeinic and you feel good to eat things become in neat and tidy kitchen.
3 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I'll let a couple of dishes sit but that's about it. If my kitchen isn't clean and my bed not made, I feel like the whole house is filthy!
3 people like this
@nengs10 (3180)
• Philippines
21 Jan 09
I do. I actually wash my dishes every after eating the meal. I just don't want to see a messy sink in the kitchen as it's not so good to look at with all those dishes there. Also, we are used to that kind of routine at home. Happy posting.
3 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
I save money on water by doing them only every other day or so. Our water bills are not outrageous but I'm saving wherever I can these days!
2 people like this
• Philippines
21 Jan 09
i don't like seeing used saucers, plates and any kitchen utensils on the kitchen sink for hours..it always make me feel angry as i'm an obsessive compulsive person..i like everything in order..also dirty utensils will invite small cockroach to roam around the kitchen all night..if somebody feels lazy washing the dishes..do it right after you eat so that you will not notice that it's already done..
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
I don't have insects. I rinse my dishes before I stack them and the rest of my house is very clean. I avoid paper bags because roaches lay their eggs in them and those bags bring in those horrible bugs. I like things in order, too, and sometimes they are!
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Jan 09
we are a household of 4, so I have to do the dishes everyday....sometimes twice a day...once in the mornings, run the dishwasher...then after dinner, do the dishes and run the dishwasher....these are days when no one has school or work and we are all home...LOL but yes, i do the dishes everyday.... not a fun job, but if I want untensils the next day to use....they have to be done....LOL
3 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I remember how that was! When I was married and the kids were at home, it seemed that all I ever did was load and empty the dishwasher.
3 people like this
• United States
21 Jan 09
I too live alone and I do wash my dishes every day. I cannot bear to look at dirty dishes in the sink. I never, ever use my dishwasher for one person that is just a waste of money for energy and uses way too much water.
2 people like this
• United States
21 Jan 09
You still have to look at a messy kitchen...YUK!
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
Well, it takes 5-6 gallons to wash dishes and if I let them stack up I only do dishes every couple of days. If I did them every day that would double my water use and I pay for my water. If there is more than one neat stack, I wash them!
2 people like this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
20 Jan 09
well, actually my daughters do our dishes every day. their father cooks the meals and they do the dishes. we dont have a dishwasher either, so they have to hand wash them. i know my oldest (15) already says, as soon as she moves out she is buying a dishwasher! lol
3 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I remember doing dishes with my older sister, it was a few minutes of laughter and talking and I miss those days.
3 people like this
@suruchi86 (1873)
• India
21 Jan 09
I am having a family of two kids and have to wash my utensils at least once everyday, otherwise my sink gets full and all my utensils become used.
@suruchi86 (1873)
• India
24 Jan 09
Yes, children can't live with parents forever. However, every parent long for the stay of their children with them.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
Children dirty up a lot of dishes, don't they! I remember thinking that there was no end to the dishes when my boys were growing up. Now, I'd gladly deal with the dishes if my children lived closer.
2 people like this
@angemac23 (2003)
• Canada
21 Jan 09
I just put my dishes in the dishwasher when I am done with them and when the dishwasher is full, I turn it on!
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
It was nice when I had a dishwasher. I hope to get a portable one if the prices come down some more.
2 people like this
21 Jan 09
You can get table top diswashers. They don't hold a lot but enough I would think to last a person on their own for several days. we have full size one and with two of us we usually run it twice a week. Over Christmas with 12 in the house it was twice a day
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
I've seen those, someone gave me a great link to one and I'm thinking about it. I just can't tell enough about the picture to know if my dishes would fit in. I'm thinking of getting a portable washer that could also wash pans and pots. I could wheel it over to the sink and run it every week! The price would have to come down a lot, though!
2 people like this
21 Jan 09
I have used one at my friends house and I think they seem to take a dinner plate and hold about a quarter of the amount a normal dishwasher holds. Even if you have to use it every other day it would still be more economical and better for the environment than hand washing and the dirty dishes would be out of sight
2 people like this
@vicky30 (4766)
• India
21 Jan 09
I wash my dishes in the afternoon and nights.I try to clean the dishes as clean clean as possible.I also help my mom in washing the glasses.I try to keep the kitchen very clean.I don't wash with a dish washer.It might make my electricity bills high.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
You are so good to your mother! I love to see families working together and helping each other. I do all I can to save electricity, like you.
2 people like this
• United States
20 Jan 09
Yuck! I hate dirty dishes just sitting in the sick yelling my name. Like you, everytime some cooks I wash those dishes about 30 minutes after we eat coz I have to let my tommy settle down coz I tend to get lazy when I eat, but they get washed coz if we don't wash them right away, roaches will show up from nowhere. We don't have any bugs running around here and I want to keep it that way. But if we eat sandwiches or something really small that doesn't required cooking, we just mess up a cup and maybe a spoon when I stir up my tea with it. On some days we use paper plates anyway, which helps me a lot coz I be tired from doing everything else, and it's a blessing not to have to wash the dishes. YUCK! I hate washing dishes, but somebody's gotta do it right?
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
OMG, I HATE roaches!!! I love everything on earth but I hate them so much I can't even step on them to kill them, they are so disgusting! You're right, food will attract them so it's best to keep the kitchen clean. Too bad we don't have a throwing up icon, I'd use it!
3 people like this
@conbill (369)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I usually do my dishes everyday. Like you I live alone and sometimes there are only a few and I will leave them to the next day. I have found when I do this though, I have to do them as soon as I wake up because I don't want company to stop and there are dishes in my sink. So I usually wash them before I go to bed.
3 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I rarely have company so I don't have that pressure but I do like a clean kitchen!
3 people like this
• United States
20 Jan 09
I usually have to do the dishes every day, even if there are ony just a few. It drives hubby nuts to have dirty dishes in the sink. If I don't have very many I use the dish drainer. We have a portable dishwasher (one that pulls out and hooks up to the faucet). It can be a pain, so a lot of times it is just easier to do them by hand. I wash them all before I put them into the dishwasher anyway, lol.
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
How big is your portable dishwasher? I'm thinking of getting one. Do you wheel it over to the sink, or what? Does it get them really clean and how much does one of those cost? Hey, if the dishes bother your husband, let HIM wash them!
2 people like this
• China
21 Jan 09
I wash dish everyday!I enjoy neat room...
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, that's what they say!
2 people like this
@violeta_va (4831)
• Australia
21 Jan 09
I wish I could say I do but I dont. With the pregnancy going the way its going I cant always do much around the house but I try to do it as often as I can. As it is just me my husband and little son we dont have too many so its not like the sink its overflowing. I wash at least 4 times a week and my husband does as much as he can so the most they go unwashed is 1 day.
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
Well, you have a valid excuse to slack a little on the dishes! I hope you have a healthy baby. My grandma always said that a family with a perfectly clean house surely has unhappy children!
2 people like this
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I wash dishes several times a day. I am always in the kitchen making toffee and I have to wash everything between batches. It is 11:30 am here and I have already washed the same pot 3 times.
1 person likes this
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
20 Jan 09
For profit! Some months are better than others. Last month was around $1000. This month is a little slower. I think I will be busy again the closer to Valentine's Day it gets.
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Jan 09
That's wonderful! I hope your business thrives!
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Wow, you're busy! Do you make the toffee for fun, for gifts or for profit?
1 person likes this
@jdyrj777 (6528)
• United States
24 Jan 09
I live alone too and dont have many dishes in one day. My dishwashing system is really complicated to understand. First of all i dont really have a kitchen. I rent a basement from my sons friend. There is no kitchen. I took two matching bookshelves. laid a folding closet door (folded) acroos the top of them and wala counter top. I have rotisery oven, toaster oven, micro wave, and other appliances. My stove top is a hot plate. I also use electric pots, etc. Washing dishes i have to tote the water to the kitchen and wash in a dishpan, rinse in a bucket. Sounds like a hassle but its been working for me. Some friends i have didnt even realize it wasnt actually a kitchen. Lol! So i must have it fixed good. I usually wash everycouple of days. Living alone i often eat right from the pan. Saves on washing a dish.
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
24 Jan 09
You are so very resourceful! I remember using a hotplate when I was a student and later when I was a very poor young single person. I used concrete blocks-which were cheap at that time-and old boards for bookcases. I added a pillow and had a chair! I often eat frozen dinners when I can get them for less than a dollar because I couldn't cook from scratch for that little amount. That saves on dishes, too!
@jdyrj777 (6528)
• United States
24 Jan 09
I was actually forced to live beyond the norm. I when camping for 3 1/2yrs. I remember one year i heated my dish water by the sun. Lol!
@jdyrj777 (6528)
• United States
24 Jan 09
A camp stove and a folding picnic table was my kitchen once.
• India
31 Jan 09
hei!! i dnt do so.....lol..,.,.,bt my mom washes daily.,.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
31 Jan 09
You should do them for her sometimes, just to show you love her and give her a rest. You're fortunate to have a mom that takes good care of her family!
• India
31 Jan 09
i do bt most of the time she only does that.