If you a family with working parents or single parent but don't have a dishwasher ...

[A580Hojas]

Can you walk me through how you cope with the washing up. Who does, when, how often, do you dry up and put away?

Etc.

Many thanks

One of us does it whilst the other does bedtimes or baths. If we're both tired then one does it at 6am the next day.

Dinner, whoever cooked, doesn't wash up. Breakfast do a bit each, lunchtime both at work. Rarely dry up, left on the drainer til the next mealtime, then put away

No one in my family has ever owned a dishwasher😂 wash dishes max 2 times a day. Never dry dishes, just drain them on the rack until the next the next person needs to use the rack so they put the dishes away

Single parent. I wash the morning things before we leave the house. Dinner - I wash up as I'm cooking, try to leave as little as possible for afterwards. I rarely dry up, just leave things to drain on the rack.

I'm a single parent and before having a dishwasher I was constantly washing up and putting away. I always washed up after each meal. I like just having a couple cups left to deal with in the morning.

Single parent. Feel like I spend half my life at the bloody kitchen sink.

We never dry the dishes as well. I use a two tier sink drainer and it fits everything on from a meal, plus extra. The one I have been using for a year and a half now is from Argos for about £15. It has made washing up a lot easier as I don’t run out of room and have to dry things!

I only do it once a day in the week so kitchen is always a mess. I usually do it before dinner and leave it to dry on its own. I put away in the evening. It's not ideal but you have to let some things slip

I wash as I go and then when it's dried, I out it away. So if what's the the draining board and its dry, I put it away while I cook.

If I am working at the office I wash up once a day. If at home twice

Single mum, never owned a dishwasher

I wash up once a day, after tea, though on Thursdays I sometimes just leave it till Friday morning as it's my day off and when I do the cleaning.
There are other things I dislike more than washing up.

We have a dishwasher but don't use it, because we find washing up faster and less annoying than having things you need stuck in the dishwasher.

After breakfast (includes any late evening things)
Lunch gets done when washing up the tea prep
After tea

It is not a big time eater in our house. I think though there is constant cooking in our house, and so washing up often gets done whilst already in the kitchen, it doesn't feel like a separate job.

I mostly do myself and DD(mostly only cook for us too) and OH does him own during the week.

At the weekend he probably does it more .

I'm in the habit to wash as I go which helps.

We rarely clear the draining board before the next wash though, as we just use everything on a permanent cycle.

I wash up in the morning whilst doing the packed lunches. Then again when I get home from work cos teenagers seem to have an uncanny ability to cook and eat, but no ability to wash up!

Tend not to wash up after dinner because I don't usually get to finish eating till around 10pm and can't be bothered to do it then.
I never dry anything, just wait for it to dry and put it away.

I do a bit whenever I'm waiting for the kettle to boil for tea. I drink a lot of tea.

Working family.
One of us does bath time, the other washes up. DP hates washing up so I usually do it.
This will all change soon as I’ve taken a job working 6pm-11pm so will all be down to DP soon. I don’t care how he gets it done, just as long as it is done.

Solo parent too. My dishwasher broke in July, and I’ve been trying life without it. Cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes eats my life.

Wash up straight after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Put away when dry. Usually me. DH if he’s not working. I used to have a dishwasher but hated looking for something I need then realising it was dirty in the dishwasher, because we only set it off when full. I forget to just get it done straight away.

I prefer, not forget

Wash as I go, so don't leave dirty dishes lying around. Don't dry much, leave to drain, put dishes away in morning but always leave 3 plates, bowls and mugs on draining board. Doesn't take much time. Got a new kitchen this year and didn't consider getting a dishwasher

Never had a dishwasher, but no routine so to speak.

DH likes to wash as he goes if he is cooking, ie all pans done before eating, but then he often leaves the plates after eating.

I leave everything until after we've eaten and as long as I get up straightaway I get everything washed, if I sit about it can get left until the next day

After a big dinner or family get together I get it all done as soon as the people gone and then sit down.

Whoever cooks doesn't wash up. We wash up after each meal, leave to dry, put away last thing at night.

I wash up throughout the day and put things away in the morning. Only if space is required would I dry the dishes manually.

I'm a single parent and washing up is a pain especially when I have late shifts. Kitchen can get messy quickly.

Single parent. No dishwasher. Washing up is 10000% my worst job. Careen between washing everything obsessively and stacking it by the sink for 2 days - usually depending on how kick bollock scramble things are at work.

Tell you what helps though?

Limiting how much crockery and cutlery you have. I only have 4x each cutlery item, 6 mugs, 6 glasses etc in the kitchen (spares and naice stuff in the cellar for christmas/big dinners etc) - and only keep 2 sauce pans plus a wok, a frying pan and a bamboo steamer in there too.

that way I cant let it get TOO desperate.