To leave the washing up to drain?

[Idontlikecheesecake]

So last night me and DP ended in a heated debate about whether the washing up can be left on the draining board, or if it should be dried straight away.

He thinks leaving it to drain leaves water marks on them and these are dirty. He gave an example of finding water marks on cutlery in a restaurant and you’d complain they were dirty. I said that it’s different at home when it’s just us, to which he said there isn’t a ‘restaurant dirty’ and ‘home dirty’, it’s either dirty or it’s not.

I do dry up when we wash up together. But if I’m home on my own with my 3 year old, I sometimes wash up after lunch and leave it to drain. I hate drying (not allowed to wash up when DP is around because it makes my eczema worse), and the last thing I want to do is spend half an hour (exaggeration) at the end of the day drying up, so i do some half way through the day.

The particular event that caused this debate, was I’d come home from a 12 hour shift, and I was back in the next day for another 12 hour shift. So i came home, cooked myself something for lunch for the next day, washed up and went in the shower while it drained. He had already done most of the washing up, it was just my washing from cooking that was there. Then, when I was ready for bed, I quickly finished drying it and put it all away. He said this makes them dirty again because they get water marks on them. I said ‘is there anything wrong with trying to take off a few minutes from my jobs between shifts, so I can have an early night?’ He said yes! I get up at 4:45 when I’m working so try to go to bed early.

So please mners, give me your thoughts on whether I was BU or not?

It's actually cleaner to let it drip dry. Tea towels are full of bacteria. You can probably find studies proving this. Drying dishes is also just a waste of your energy and time. Draining boards are there for a reason.

It’s healthier to let it dry and drain.

I would always leave it to dry, tea towels are fluffy or damp!

i leave to drain as i think its better (plus im lazy) i will only dry somethng straight away if im going to reuse it

Air drying is actually more hygienic for dishes than rubbing them down with a tea towel. Unless you use a fresh clean tea towel every time, then it’s almost as hygienic as air drying. Your DH is wrong.

I let it drain.
Life's too short

Leave it to drain....but more importantly why on earth isnt DH cooking for you so you dont have to between 12 hour shifts? The most I can cook between shifts is a poached egg.

If your DH wants things dried up immediately then he’ll have to be there drying it up. Otherwise, you can take the perfectly reasonable decision to leave it to dry on the side.

He would be unreasonable to try to force you to dry it up when there is an acceptable alternative.

One of the questions on my Food Hygiene Certificate was about this: it’s unhygienic to use a teatowel, you’re supposed to let them drip dry.

I've always got dishes on the draining board! Can't imagine drying and putting away every time... can't be assed to be honest I have better things to do! You arnt being unreasonable at all

What does he think the draining board is for? Clue is in the name. I mean they're so commonplace that no one has had a kitchen without one for god knows how many decades but no, everyone else is wrong and he is right. Obviously. Men...

Leave to drain but I do buff off any water marks off glasses and cutlery before putting them away.

Life's too short, leave it to drain. Been doing to 30-odd years, I'm still alive

Doesn't compute. Get a dishwasher.

Draining dry is more hygienic. If you rinse them they don't get marks (from detergent not water usually)

After spending 4+ hours every weekend for two years, polishing cutlery post wash at a very large hotel I say life is far too fucking short to worry about it.

I only dry stuff if I've ran out of room or if I need something desperately.

Hes a twunt

Air drying is much more hygienic, however having a very clean soft cloth to polish off water marks helps. Eg with wine glasses and cutlery.

I LOATHE drying up; I always leave it to drain then put it away later. Though now we have a dishwasher I try and avoid both

Leave it to drain, but don't put it to drain with soap suds still on it. That's usually where the marks come from on cutlery etc.

As others have said, it's more hygeinic to let them air dry.

Food hygiene courses are about £3 for the online basics, buy him that for Xmas

Water marks aren't dirt! But yes, if he has a problem with them, it's up to him to towel dry. Make sure you insist he keeps a ready stock of clean tea towels available, so you aren't having to use items tainted by dirty tea towels

We live from the draining rack in my house, the kids forget sometimes and open the cutlery drawer muahahahaha!

I do have a huge over sink drying rack however.

Jesus he sounds like fucking hard work. Is he this controlling about other stuff? We have a dishwasher so only do bits by hand and always leave it to dry. I've never felt that tea towels make a very good job of drying tbh.

Also why spend time and effort doing something the air can do for you?

Yanbu. It's literally a job that does itself.

I let my washing up drain, but I do rinse it under hot water to avoid water marks.

Very important topic. There is a pandemic going on. FGS just do what you feel is right, and if OH objects, then tell him to dry the dishes EVERY TIME. Sorry for shouting.