Wash them.
Yes, this topic is peak HN.
Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
71–80 of 101 posts
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
Washing machines are relatively cheap when considered over the time used - I’m seriously considering getting an additional pair for convenience. Some of the newer ones have a tiny wash machine stuck to the larger one but I’m not quite convinced yet.
Oh I use a washing machine for laundry. But my clothes are forever in baskets because of all the folding and putting away. Takes me an hour. Also my sweaty gym clothes just hang in/stink up the bathroom lately. Used to let them dry then throw in with otther dirty laundry, but now half my clothes have an irreversible light-but-nasty odor. Only solution seems to be washing my gym clothes right after I've used them, whi…
A rinse may be good enough - but if your gym clothes are used at a gym that’s gonna be a problem either way (unless you find a gym with washing machines)
A slightly weird substitute might be showering in the gym clothes and then putting them in a non airtight bag for the ride home
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#73Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#74You're going to get hundreds of tips on how to do dishes. I'm going to pull back one philosophical layer and tell you one thing you didn't ask. Always wake up with a clean and empty sink and counter. You will start your day with minimal clutter in your view, you don't have to put anything away, things are ready for your use or you can immediately leave the house, it'll still be pristine when you get back. Doesn't matter how you do it, that's your very simple goal. Your question is like "what is your optimal vim setup", it's different for everyone and there isn't an optimal way.
Parenthetically, I rinse and load the dirty dishes as soon as they are used. You'll read a lot stuff about no rinsing. Some people have taken it to religious zeal. You will ignore that nonsense and do at least one rinse. You'll use less detergent, extend the life of your dishwasher and your drain pipes. Use the powdered detergent and use less than the recommended amount. Don't use the heat-dry cycle, crack your dish washer door with a wooden spoon after the wash is done, the residual heat will dry the dishes without using additional energy.
Make your bed every morning also.
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#75You're going to get hundreds of tips on how to do dishes. I'm going to pull back one philosophical layer and tell you one thing you didn't ask. Always wake up with a clean and empty sink and counter. You will start your day with minimal clutter in your view, you don't have to put anything away, things are ready for your use or you can immediately leave the house, it'll still be pristine when you get back. Doesn't mat…
We have 3 kids, 3 and under, and I maintain this rule in our household, as well. Once the kids are asleep, I clear the counter, clean it, and make sure the sink is clean and any dishes that need to be washed by hand are cleaned, dried, and put away. It's made a big difference in my personal quality of life to come downstairs first thing in the morning and have a clean kitchen. I have the opinion that if I didn't stay on top of this that it would quickly cascade into messes elsewhere in our lives/home. The countertop around our sink/island is the default dumping ground, I believe, because it's convenient and the space is clear, so it acts as a containment zone.
I also quickly rinse and load dishes as soon as they are able to go in. When I cook, I go through the cookware in parallel to the cooking process. I also skip the heat-dry. We run the dishwasher after dinner every night and things are almost always fully dry by morning when I come down and unload it.
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh I use a washing machine for laundry. But my clothes are forever in baskets because of all the folding and putting away. Takes me an hour. Also my sweaty gym clothes just hang in/stink up the bathroom lately. Used to let them dry then throw in with otther dirty laundry, but now half my clothes have an irreversible light-but-nasty odor. Only solution seems to be washing my gym clothes right after I've used them, whi…
A rinse may be good enough - but if your gym clothes are used at a gym that’s gonna be a problem either way (unless you find a gym with washing machines) A slightly weird substitute might be showering in the gym clothes and then putting them in a non airtight bag for the ride home
I workout at home lately and tried the immediately-after rinse once. Just made 'em stink worse. Apparently I just straight-up sweat ammonia.
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#77I handwash all dishes and can go through maybe 50+ in about 5 minutes. My approach is very efficient. * First, get every dish wet (so that the food will rinse off easier), just a quick splash of water the surface of every dish. * Then, soap your sponge and begin cleaning. Stack all dishes off to the side sensibly (plates on bottom, bowls on top, silverware atop that). Don't put your sponge down to rinse off anything.…
i do this same method and i don't know how you could get through 50(!) dishes in anything less than 15 minutes, unless they're not thoroughly cleaned. 5 minutes is the time it usually takes to do ~1 set of dishes (7-10 items), though that's partially because it lacks the compounding effects you mention.
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#78I handwash all dishes and can go through maybe 50+ in about 5 minutes. My approach is very efficient. * First, get every dish wet (so that the food will rinse off easier), just a quick splash of water the surface of every dish. * Then, soap your sponge and begin cleaning. Stack all dishes off to the side sensibly (plates on bottom, bowls on top, silverware atop that). Don't put your sponge down to rinse off anything.…
I know that hand washing is water-inefficient, compared to modern machines, but I find it a very satisfying activity. When I was working from home I found it a great activity to use as a break from work.
there are other considerations as well. a dishwasher has a breakeven point of about 2 people eating ~2 meals a day (e.g., 4 place settings a day), because that's the least amount of dishes you need to run it once a day. anything less, and it becomes an additional cognitive load rather than being a mindless convenience. moreover, stuck-on food becomes extra dry overnight and that generally leads to less clean dishes. if you're a single person looking for an apartment (or even a couple who eat out all the time), you should consider a built-in dishwasher negative value because it's priced in to the cost but you likely won't use it (a washing machine is always nice to have though).
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really do not understand dish washers: you have to clean the dish 80% before going into the washer, so why not spend the 10 seconds to actually wash the thing? I've timing both and hand washing beats dishwashers by an significant amount every time.
This is an understanding based on a very incorrect usage of dish washers. Dishes are supposed to go into the dishwasher dirty, without rinsing. Any food garbage is supposed to be scraped off roughly (ie scrape off actual pieces of food but dont worry if a few rice stick to the plate). Dishwashers save on water and energy. They are convenient for bulk washing of dishes. Dishwashers need to be used correctly to be opti…
> Any food garbage is supposed to be scraped off roughly (ie scrape off actual pieces of food but dont worry if a few rice stick to the plate).
This is the part that takes 80% of the time, because you have to bring every dish to the garbage can that might not necessarily be next to a dishwasher.
> Dishwashers save on water and energy.
Both of which are negligible compared to the amount of water used for, say, heating and showering (not to mention the water that goes into agriculture for food you eat).
> Anyone who is sceptical of dishwashers and their merits needs to watch the Technology Connections video on dishwashers.
Or they just use very few dishes and figured out a method that works for them.
Re: Ask HN: What is your system for dirty dishes?
#80This is not what my actual system is but its the best one i've heard of, its very much a super lazy, throw money at the problem kind of solution. Have 2 dishwashers. Make sure all the dishes and cutlery you own fits in them. Fill one dishwasher with the dirty dishes, turn it on and onces its done, just leave the clean dishes in there, thats where they live now, thats the storage solution for them. As you use the clea…
Do you have a room in your palace devoted only to dishwashers? Now I'm wondering how many washing machines you have.