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?

I’d hang your DH out to dry OP

What everyone else said! Leave to drain in this house. More hygienic.

Only exception to this being if we need to make extra room on the rack (so loads of washing up all in one go), but this doesn't happen often, perhaps a couple of times a month.

YANBU, drying up is pretty much the only chore that literally will do itself.

I used to work shifts, I'd often be out of the house some mornings at 6am, other days I'd arrive home at 9pm. I often missed breakfast or tea, sometimes both, because I was too tired to bother eating. If my DH had tried to dictate how I cleaned the dishes after I ate (if I ate), I'd have told him he was welcome to do the lot.

And yes, leaving them to drip dry is more hygienic, unless you're using a clean tea towel every time. (wasteful!)

If you wash up in very hot water then it dries very quickly.

We always let it drain, somehow there’s always bits of fluff on the tea towels no matter what ones we buy and we keep them in the cupboards away from all potential bits, you’re lucky in our house if the dry washing up even makes it back into the cupboards🤣

Drip dry. More hygienic. Just rinse with hot water and it’s fine.

Let it drain, boil water and pour over the draining dishes - hygienic and rarely any watermarks. Sorted!
Regarding your other half, if he’s that bothered tell him to dry up!

I always leave my washing up to drain - and I've yet to see a water mark!

I’m afraid I have too now with plates but cutlery is still dried and pans.

You only get water marks if you haven't stacked the stuff on the draining board properly and have left things with watery puddles in them, instead of turning them so all the suds drain out.

I always dry up because I cannot stand the dishes out. Also we've got a wood surround so I doubt anything drains. I thought I was like this because of open plan living but no, it's just me!

I agree with your husband. Its how my parents used to do it when we were younger. I hate water marks

Yanbu

If you rinsed them properly and have them tilted just right in the draining rack, there shouldn’t be any marks.

I notice marks when my husband doesn’t rinse them at all or does a millisecond rinse through as well as food bits. If he had rinsed them properly he would have seen the dishes weren’t completely clean. Drying them with a towel doesn’t seem that hygienic either if you’re using that towel for other things besides that.

Drainer every time.

Your DH would hate me, I still haven't washed up from last night!

Drying dishes feels like such a waste of time. They will just try themselves with time. Your husband is being deeply unreasonable. Tell him to dry them himself if he’s that bothered - it’s good enough for your standards.

I leave it to dry as I prefer it. It's easier and tea towels can leave fluff.

I think it depends how it was done in your parents' house. My DM always let things drain. DH's mum uses a tea towel. This is impacted our views.

Similarly I like to wash up in running water or at least rinse it whereas DH washes in a bowl and then leaves things covered in soap to dry...

Drip dry, definitely. Agree with previous posters that if dishes are stacked or arranged well, there shouldn't be many water marks on most things, but in any case, if it bothers him so much, he can do it himself.

If you are drip drying washing up that hasn’t been rinsed then I agree that the “water marks” can look disgusting. Because they are suds. Dishes should be rinsed! Other that that I can only agree that drip drying is perfectly normal.

I rinse with hot water and let it drain.
No one dries up in my house.

I leave dishes to dry. As long as there is space, why not?

I let things drain, life is too short. Sometimes they never make it back into the cupboard before I use them again.

We air dry but use kitchen paper (recycled!) if we need to dry something straightaway or remove water marks.

He’s a dick. But I suspect you know that’s already.