Washing up - is DH filthy or am I overreacting?

[Washingupfury]

I have name changed for this. Dh and I have a disagreement about washing up water. He feels that you fill the sink, start with cleanest stuff eg glasses work your way through to the dirty stuff and no need to change the water unless the bubbles disappear, even if the water looks dirty.

I fill the sink, wash, rinse under running water, and if the water gets cloudy I change it.

I just caught him washing a cereal bowl in this:

I think it's disgusting. He thinks it is fine 'as it was the last thing to be washed'. We have agreed to abide by the MN poll for future washing up.

So, YABU DH is sensible and timesaving, of course the last few things will be washed in cloudy water.

YANBU DH is filthy and clean water and rinsing are the way to go.

It's fine if you rinse. Not fine if you don't rinse.

If I have, I’ve obviously been too busy chatting (and probably drinking wine) to pay any attention to their washing up method!

Fair enough! 🍷

The number of people who believe that the water is filthy is extraordinary! The water in the photo looks fine apart from having too much detergent in it.
What disease-inducing “bug” do people think is living on a plate that has just had food on it? Food that someone has eaten? The lack of scientific understanding is baffling. The important thing is the rinse-off after washing.

Changing my vote - he needs to rinse with hot running water after washing.

I was taught very specifically by my Home Economic teacher. Wash in this order: Glass, cutlery, crockery. I still do this but not much as have a dishwasher. I always rinse if water cloudy but it rarely is because I rinse any very mucky items first.

This BBC sounds program will answer lots if questions for all of you . It covers hand washing v dishwasher Thewhole series covers alsorts of things its a bit like a audio version of the Which magazine.
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001xdbx?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

@Maelil01 maybe people put bleach on their food before eating it - joking!

If you are a poster who pre and post rinses and possibly washes with running water, what do you do if you go on holiday to a country that asks you to conserve water and you go self catering. Do you think you are more important than the locals who ration their water?

I am with you on this. I will fill the sink for say the plates, then rinse the plates and put clean water for cups etc and rinse. That water looks rank and would turn my stomach.

Last week I read about outraged tourists who didn’t know water would be turned off between midnight and 6am or something..

I'm not sure what exact method you are referring to but as a person who pre rinses where appropriate, washes with a soapy sponge, then rinses into a plugged sink, my method uses no more water than the bath method without rinsing (and everything is cleaner). This is how I washed on tank water in droughts.

I don't have a dishwasher so always wash by hand. All cutlery,glasses, cups and plates get rinsed first under the tap. There is no food residue left on anything.
Then add boiling water to the sink with liquid and wash the dishes. Never had to change the water mid wash as the water isn't greasy and there are still bubbles.
I loathe washing up, I really should invest in a dishwasher!

wash glasses with a soapy sponge
rinse them on top of plates, lids and cutlery - which clears most of the remaining bits from them
rinse plates and cutlery on top of pots and pans
wash pots and pans
rinse

that way you don’t have this dirty water problem or waste water washing things under running water - the latter doesn’t work either because you’re washing the soap off the sponge so you’re just running a wet sponge on stuff and not actually washing them. DP does that and I have to wash stuff again (the non dishwasher stuff)

Why not rinse things after washing instead of before, tho?

the rinsing BEFORE washing is baffling me

This isn't the first thread on MN on the British habit of not rinsing, and there are others on Reddit etc. It's not hygienic to not rinse, especially if your sponge is a few days old, and a perfect breeding ground for bacteria. You're just coating your crockery in a foamy bacterial film. And then 'drying' it with a (no doubt) not v clean cloth... I get that the whole country was taught this in the 70s/80s and believes it's the correct way, but it's not, you're really meant to rinse, whether or not you use a washing up bowl or running water (I do the latter but realise it's bad for the environment, so considering buying a dishwasher atm).

Just don't look when he's washing up.

If the food has dried on then it's then easier to soap up wet.

Sorry but this is disgusting! I would get a dishwasher!

You get the main dirt off, so the washing water stays cleaner.

We often rinse off in the previous used washing up water (often wash up just before evening meal, and then evening meal stuff 30mins later) so that saves water.

We don't have a washing up bowl.

I put the biggest item under the tap and wash a few things under the tap as it runs. The biggest thing (usually the slow cooker pot) soaks a bit and collects the off run water which can be used to wash the last few bigger items, and itself.

What would I be rinsing afterwards for? I rinse first because there will be food/tea/coffee residue on the dishes. I've washed them in clean water.

Soap?

For those who do post rinse, do you have a shower after a bath, and maybe a shower before a bath too?

I put everything on the dish rack to dry so there is no soap 🤷🏻‍♀️ I feel like I'm in the twilight zone here 😆