About washing up?

[TheDuchessOfKidderminster]

DP and I cannot agree on what is 'the best' approach to doing the washing up.

(I am definitely right but I'll take it on the chin if you all take his side, promise!)

When I do it, I like it done properly - I rinse everything in really hot water (I even add vinegar to it so that glasses come out nice and shiny), I scrub every last bit of tea out of the mugs and all the bits of dried out porridge and whatnot from the pans, I clean the sink, washing up bowl and draining board when I'm done, the full works. But, it takes fucking ages, I hate doing it and can only really do it after the sprogs are in bed so I like to let it all build up through the day and then do it all in one go. I sometimes leave it more than a day because I'm too knackered to do it in the evening.

DP on the other hand likes everything to be washed up immediately. He will gather everything up two or three times a day and give it a quick wash. He doesn't do nearly as much of a thorough job as me (cups always have tea residue in, pots have the odd dried on bits still there and he hardly ever cleans the fucking sink) but there's never anything sitting around on worktops when he's at home.

We can neither of us seem to combine the best of both approaches - washing up things promptly AND thoroughly - but which is the next best? Thorough but infrequent washing up, or frequent washing up that's lacking in thoroughness?

(And yes I know a dishwasher would solve these issues but space is limited in our kitchen and I chose a tumble dryer instead!)

[IpDipCatnip]

I'm with your DH on this one? You are making life difficult leaving it all and are creating a massive job. Your DH should be a little more thorough tho!

[BigBadgers]

If you have limited space in your kitchen I think leaving it over a day to wash up with it all sitting on the side seems rather annoying. We have a tiny kitchen and wash up once a day during the week and two to three times on a weekend. I wouldn't want to leave it over night. I certainly don't wash up to your standards, maybe a quick rinse, wash and then wipe round the sink after.

Hmm...I guess I am saying what you already know. Something in the middle would be best. Maybe not so helpful there :o

[bakingaddict]

Get a dishwasher that way you can put cups in as they are used and dishes aren't sitting around all day and they get a proper clean

[FoxesSitOnBoxes]

Sorry, I'm with your DH. All that mess would annoy me during the day. Although thank you for the vinegar tip!

[ButteredToastAndStrawberryJam]

I like things done a certain way too, but the price you pay for this is having to do it yourself.
On the odd occasion my son washes up. I do not enter the kitchen as it would drive me mad seeing how he does it.

I haven't as of yet found stuck on food but the glasses held up to the light have finger prints on and he doesn't wipe down the worktop and bin etc like I do but I've decided to suck it up and let it go.

[Ellieboolou27]

Your way of washing up would drive me insane! Leaving it all for the end of the day is bad enough, but maybe 2 days! Yuk, I hate washing up but I wash up almost as soon as it's been used, hot running water as I hate a bowl of waging up with bits of food swishing around, dh rinses everything then does it in hot water in the bowl, either way works as long as it's not left hanging around.

[LostMyDotBrain]

Your way is right, his is manky.

DM does the pots like your DH. I discovered the other day that DM has failed to clean DD's lidded cup (that stays at her house) properly so many times that there was a layer of something at the bottom that smelled vile. She then had the nerve to tell me she thought it needed replacing. No mother, it needed fucking cleaning

(So I'm definitely on your side.)

[ButteredToastAndStrawberryJam]

OP, I leave the washing up as long as you, sometimes longer, so you aren't on your own. Although I've started doing the pans after I've used them though.

[IndigoSister]

I'm with your DH, hate having piles of dirty dishes left lying on the counter tops.

[Ricksheadtilt]

I'm slap bang in the middle. His regularity and your thoroughness. What's the point in washing up if it's not actually clean...BUT... the quicker it's done and things aren't dried on the easier it is to clean it properly

[ButteredToastAndStrawberryJam]

What about having a drainer on the sink so at least you won't have to dry them, cuts the work by half.

[BlurryFace]

I wash up after every meal, not always straight away, but before the next meal. I run a bowl of hot water and a tiny amount of washing up liquid, wash everything from - glassware, then cups, then cutlery, then plates, then cooking utensils - leave it to drain while I have a cuppa or a ciggy and then dry it all. No rinsing, can't be fucked.

[TheDuchessOfKidderminster]

Ah well, I appear to be on the minority. I'll bear that in mind next time I start an argument about the shitness of his washing up.

I did once try the Flylady approach to housework but all that achieved was a very shiny sink, with an even more enormous washing up pile to get through!

(When we move house I'm getting both a dishwasher AND a cleaner!)

[TheDuchessOfKidderminster]

• in the minority
  
  (I'm also a spelling pedant!)

[ineedwine99]

I wash up 3 times a day (on maternity) I don't like things building up. I run the tap hot, rinse under tap, put pots in hot soapy water, glasses first then dirtier stuff. Everything is washed properly. Quick wipe down of draining board and sink. Takes 10 mins ish, 15 maybe for dinner pots depending what we've used for the meal.
I guess we have less pots than you having a 5 month old who's only on bottles

[SundaeLieIn]

We do have a dishwasher but I still end of doing a lot of washing up.

I wash up under running hot water, scrub it and make sure it's rinsed throughly. If not all that dirty dishwater is going to dry onto the pots. I am pretty tea towel phobic so no drying up and everything gets left to dry. Sometimes it won't all fit on the draining rack to I lay out clean tea towels on the work surface for additional space. As it's all been rinsed in hot water it doesn't take long to dry. We clean up after each meal. DH cooked tonight so I'm just off to face the kitchen now...

[Doilooklikeatourist]

I'm a bit of both . I hate leaving dirty stuff hanging round ,
But
I want it all done properly
We have a dishwasher dishwashing machine but DH still leaves stuff in the sink
Grrrrr
I cook , he washes up , and I finish off , my way

[bloodyteenagers]

Before I had a dish washer I would wash as I went. Things that would stick like mash I would leave to soak whilst eating. Pan of hot water on the hob and by the time meal finished everything gone. Still do that same though even with the dishwasher.
Always a quick wipe round the sink. The drainer before the next wash as nothing got dried.
Oh and depending on the age of the D.C.'s rope them in.

[PinkSwimGoggles]

yanbu
he's a dirty bugger

however yabu to wash up by hand. the Great Dishwasher was invented for a reason.

[MiniEggAddiction]

I'm a lazy ass and my DH is like you so it works out well in that I do the washing up most of the time and just get it done. Occasionally it'll start to bother him that there's a bit of tea stain age in the bottom of the cups and he'll do a really through job of getting rid of it. Repeat ad infinitum.

[uglyswan]

What -I- you want, OP, is a dish-draining closet. I saw them everywhere in Finland. You wash everything up and put everything away - without ever having to dry anything up. Sheer brilliance!

[ButteredToastAndStrawberryJam]

Is the bottom of the closet an open mesh or something, they'll be rancid water collect in the bottom else.

[TheSpottedZebra]

I'm with you.
Is your house open plan? If not, could you just shut the door on the kitchen so the plates aren't in his eye line?

[TheSpottedZebra]

That cupboard has open racking on the base, doesn't it? So the water just falls to the worktop.
But won't it just wreck the joint of the worktop / wall? Hmmmm....

[AnnieAnoniMouse]

I rinse anything obviously messy
Bowl of volcanically hot soapy water
Good thourough scrub
Rinse under volcanically hot water & onto the drainer
Rinse our profile washing up bowl & sink

Go tidy something else

Put dishes away
Wash down & dry sink/draining area & benches

It's thorough & doesn't take ages, certainly doesn't require children to be in bed.

You're making mountains out of molehills, he needs to put more effort in..