Friday, February 12, 2010

Oh Those Dirty Dishes!

We were talking at work the other day about....dishwashers. Are you sitting down? I've never owned one!!!

When I had three kids at home, I might have liked one, but it really was never in the budget. Then when I could afford one...it was just the two of us and we really didn't dirty all that many dishes.

I asked my co-workers if they had to rinse their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and everyone said they didn't have to, but they did. I really don't see the point in that. If I'm going to rinse them, I might as well add a bit of soap and wash them....and save some water.

Then someone said that she liked it because it washes at such a high temperature that it kills germs. When I wash and rinse my dishes by hand....do they still have germs lurking on them? I don't think so. I will add that our manual dish washing family gets sick less than most of the families I know. (Knock on wood....I don't want to jinx us)

I remember when we use to eat over at Irv's parent's house years and years ago...if someone in the house was sick, his mom would throw a big pot of water on the stove and bring it to a nice boil. Then she would wash the glasses and silverware, hold each piece with tongs and give it a nice dip into the boiling water to kill the germs!

I tried that a couple of times when the kids were little and decided I would take my chances with the mean old germs.

The only time I kind of wish we had a dishwasher is on holidays, but that's really it. We've been offered used ones when our kids have upgraded and have always declined....besides, Irv does a darn good job on those dishes. Right Honey?

Am I the only woman out there without a dishwasher?

21 comments:

The Reader said...

No dishwasher here, and I don't miss it at all. We had one in the early years, but have been without for about 6 yrs now.

The trick (for me) to make it manageable is not to own so many dishes that they are allowed to pile up, or not to keep the extras in the daily rotation. We've enough plates/cups/etc in the daily rotation to go 2 meals, no more. This way, they never get backed up.

Kat said...

I will not live without my dishwasher even when I am ninety (that is if I can still load one!) I did not get one until we were together for over 10 years and had five small children and I have washed my fair share of dishes. One of my first memories is standing on a chair over the kitchen sink, washing dishes. I cam from a family of nine and I was the main dishwasher for many years. I DO NOT rinse my dishes, I am with you on that, what is the point? Enjoyed your post.

Pat said...

We've never had a dishwasher. I guess if I had ever had one I would miss it. The only time I wish for one is when we have big family gatherings here...but I can usually bully the menfolk into cleaning up the kitchen.

Bagman and Butler said...

We have had dishwashers for a long time but for some reason we don't trust them. So we always wash our dishes -- or half-wash them, rinse of the the big stuff -- before putting them in the dishwasher. And to save electricity, we usually turn off the dishswasher before the dry cycle and dry the dishes by hand. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the dishwasher actually is.

aliceinparis said...

Guess what! I don't have one either:)
I have a sink with a view and I stand at it often:)

LDWatkins said...

No dishwasher here. It gives my husband something to do!! How could I deprive him of that?

Cathy Winsby said...

We have a dishwasher...and we don't use it!! The dishwasher stores canning jars. All the dishwashers we've ever owned were fairly standard models and I've found they do a sub-standard job of the dishes....so...we do them by hand.

jdavissquared said...

I don't think I'd make it very far without mine! But we do alot of cooking and go through alot of dirty dishes for two people, i think.

Ms Sparrow said...

I wouldn't be without my dishwasher if only to hide the dishes til I get around to washing them!

I should point out that if your husband does the dishes, you DO have a dishwasher!

Cathryn said...

Oh Kathy--Great Post! We have the C&D model of dishwasher. That's what I told my MIL when she asked me.

No we don't have a dishwasher. I had one once but found it to be more work than just washing by hand. I don't worry about germs either. I wash and rinse in hot enough water to kill most germs/bacteria. In our neck of the woods, we have to conserve water and a dishwasher consumes water.

Lanyardlady said...

My dishwasher is my most favorite appliance. It gets really, really hot and does a great job of cleaning and sanitizing. What we got rid of was an electric ice-maker. They were such a pain and always needed service. What's so bad about emptying some ice trays?

Anonymous said...

We have a dishwasher, but you still end up doing some stuff by hand anyway. I never rinse first--I scrape, that's it!

Oklahoma Granny said...

I must confess to loving my dishwasher. On the occasion that I do some things by hand I do believe the water is hot enough to take care of any germs. My husband can't believe how hot the water is that I use. Years ago when we actually had to mix our babies' formula and use glass baby bottles I did wash them by hand, then dip them, the rings and the nipples in boiling water. What can I say - that's how we were taught to do it.

Mary Richmond said...

i thought i was the last person without a dishwasher...like you, i just don't see the point at this point...if we've been sick a lot, which happens rarely, i just pour boiling water all over the clean dishes and boil the silverware in boiling water for 10 minutes--a trick my grandmother used if there was strep in the house or something else passing around.

dishwashers use tons of water and eclectricity, too....

now on holidays.....but then again, we gather in the kitchen and do the dishes and laugh and tell stories so it's all good!

Angela said...

I don't have one! The last one I had was in an apartment we lived in for a few months after we were married. So I have gone my whole married life without one.

I must say, I miss a dishwasher. Just load it one dirty at a time, turn it on when its full, and its over... I really want one but we do not have a place for one in our kitchen...

So as a person who has lived with and without one- I am all for a dishwasher!

Nancy/BLissed-Out Grandma said...

We don't use ours. My husband actually likes to wash dishes. And I let him.

Matty said...

We just bought a replacement dishwasher a few months ago, and it broke down already. Got it fixed under warranty.

But I do agree with you. I never saw the point in having to rinse the stuff before putting them in the dishwasher.

As for me, I would rather just hand wash them and be done with it. Takes less time too, but the wife likes using the machine.

Beth Anderson said...

yes, we do and I love it....I do run it on the econo cycle so I'm not using a ton of hot water and with just the 2 of us most of the time I only run it once a week.

Unknown said...

Wow.. I can't imagine my life without my dishwasher!!!
Although, sometimes I must admit it is rather peaceful to stand and wash the pots and stuff.

Very cool. ;)
What a great post, and a great blog. Look forward to following along ;)

DUTA said...

No dishwasher; it takes space, consumes a lot of water and electricity, not sure it kills germs.

gayle said...

Love mine!

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