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

Single parent too.
I just wash up when I feel like it. I let it dry naturally, put it away then do the next lot waiting by the sink.
I don't actually feel I need a dishwasher.
But I don't see washing up as a big deal really

@Bananarice

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

Do you work from home? Do you have to sacrifice your breaks to washing up?

I wfh, dh wfh sometimes. But what with all the other stuff that needs done in our little breaks, I can't see how to fit in keeping up with the washing up!

Sorry! I haven't been clear. Any family that has to do washing up outside of working hours along with everything else.

Cookology do a table top dishwasher. Size of a large microwave. Sits on the draining board. 4 place settings. Plug in, use the jug provided to fill with hot water. The drain hose goes in the sink.

I use the 30 minute cycle the most.
Absolute game changer. I fill while the kettle boils in the morning. Dd empties later on.
I bought it through Quidco cashback site. Kerching!

Family of 4 here with 2 working adults, never owned a dishwasher.

Breakfast dishes are done whilst making dinner and then clean as we go and finish up afterwards. Dishes dry on dish rack and put away in the morning whilst making breakfast. Wipe down the cooker top, table and worktops every evening once dishes are done.

@naughty40me

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

This when I am not at work. I now try to only wash up once a day at night and batch cook whenever possible

I always do it, usually twice a day.
I wash up, dry and put away.
I realised that when I stopped seeing it as a chore and started seeing it as pottering about to make the kitchen look how I enjoy seeing it, it's not so bad. Or time consuming really.

We are a family of 5, 4 adults and one child I do the majority of washing up as I work at home however DH and 1 of our sons will randomly do the washing up like it's a treat for me I actually don't mind doing it though and they will do other jobs around the house regularly.

I felt like this after I had DD. I actually removed a kitchen cupboard from my very small kitchen and put a slimline dishwasher in its place. Cost under £200 to buy the machine and have it plumbed in. Best decision I ever made!

Working parents here who often both wfh.

Breakfast pots are washed and left to drain or dried and put away if I have an extra 5 mins before the school run.

When wfh we generally use a side plate and a knife each for a sandwich. Maybe a teaspoon for a coffee. Nothing crazy and these are washed and put away. We also use the same coffee mug all day (but we do this at work too where there is a dishwasher).

Tea: whoever cooked does the bath routine with DS while the other washes, dries and puts away.

I removed a dishwasher in my house to install a tumble dryer and was told by many that I'd regret it. I never have, especially having lived in a damp house. Spending 5 or 10 mins washing, drying and putting things back in cupboards isn't a big deal for me.

Other thing I have started doing is, once DD is in bed, I put a podcast on my phone and do any clearing of the kitchen and hanging laundry out while listening to that. It makes me feel like it's 'me time' (sorry - I actually hate that expression but it's useful here) rather than just drudgery.

Single parent, 1 Dd.

Breakfast, leave cereal bowls soaking in sink. In the evening wash up breakfast things and pack lunch boxes, make overnight oats, lunch and dinner, wash all dirty things up, store breakfast and lunch things in fridge, dinner things washed up and put away.

I spent so long doing dishes (single parent) that I felt I did nothing else. I bought a dishwasher, have never looked back.

@purpleme12

Single parent too. I just wash up when I feel like it. I let it dry naturally, put it away then do the next lot waiting by the sink. I don't actually feel I need a dishwasher. But I don't see washing up as a big deal really

I’m the same. Quite like listening to the news or a book on the alexa, or I do it while tea is cooking. I do limit the amount of dishes we own, and that forces me into doing it often rather than piling up.

But as a single parent that works full time my standards are pretty low because then I maintain my sanity.

I wash up as I go as I’m making meals. Then it’s just a few plates, cutlery and glasses after. It’s not a big deal.

4 DC single parent with a kitchen the size of a postage stamp so no room for a DW 😭

When they were little I did it straight away after we had eaten otherwise it piled up and made me cry.
Now they are older I cook they take it in turns to wash up.

Single parent; work full-time. I wash up once a day, as soon as I get in from work and before I cook dinner. I bloody hate washing up but there's no space in the kitchen for a dishwasher! I tend to put an audiobook or podcast on whilst I do it to make the time pass a bit quicker. To be honest, now we're out of the house all day and DS1 has gone to uni, there's not much to do (unless DD1 clears her room of cups ).

2 small kids here, 1 who cannot be left for long without trashing the place, so washing up is always mounting up. I dream of a dishwasher!

Generally
Wash up while I’m preparing meals
During nap time
Or DH does it while I do other things when he gets in from work

I hate bloody washing up

Wash up after breakfast which can include a few glasses and side plates from the night before. Wash after lunch if at home, and again after tea in the evening. It's not a big hardship really but then I don't mind the odd dish on the side until they accumulate so I guess it depends on your tidiness standards. If it's a meal that uses tons of pans then one of us might just do a mini wash while the other is cooking. I'm thinking of roast dinners here which I refuse to cook so will do a little wash up while checking how long it will be before it's ready

I've heard people complain about emptying their dishwasher enough times to realise that it wouldn't be a big timesaver for us.

We are a 4 family of 4 both work out of the house. Breakfast dishes and for some reason 100's of kids bottles/cups are rinsed but left in the sink. Fill up sink as doing tea and wash breakfast dishes and then I wash as I use things while cooking tea, dry and put these away. Refill sink then eat tea, plates etc are put straight in sink and washed sometimes they get dried and put away more often than not I put them away in morning while making a cuppa. It's generally me who does it as DH would leave it to mount up and it drives me insane if it's left.