Following on from the "softly softly" thread, a question for you.

I was trained to use a dishwasher in the 70s when au pairing (in three different households in 3 different countries).

I enjoy washing up by hand if I have the time and it's always the glasses first. Sink and washing up bowl must be thoroughly cleaned before I start, several times a week I use a fresh dishcloth. Water hotter than I can bear and wear rubber gloves.

My mother's kitchen is a long way from the immersion heater and she doesn't have a dishwasher. The dishes, saucepans, and everything are rinsed off in the last lot of washing up water, which is then tipped away. While the water is running hot, I sponge or scour everything with lots of suds and little water, and stack it in the washing up bowl or on the side. When the water runs hot, I rinse everything under the tap, and stand it in the rack. Which leaves a bowl of soapy but clean water to start the next session with.

Agree whole heartedly, Phoenix. It's pedantic AND logical AND right ?

I always do glasses first while water is cleanest...hahaha. Cutlery last...plates second then saucepans...

hubby does all the dishes in this house cos apparently I don't stack them right in the bowl or wash them right. He washes dishes at breakfast time, before breakfast so you are washing all yesterdays dishes. todays breakfast dishes then stack along with lunch and tea at the side of the sink until the next morning. Easier to leave him to his ocd than have the arguments every day.
He bungs in the cutlery to the rhs and then the smaller plates and bowls to the lhs and washes them. he then does the cups.
he washes them and then bungs in bigger plates, waits till the water goes cold and the grease sets before pouring away said water and adding more hot, he then washes bigger plates and adds the pans.....wait till the water goes cold etc
and then adds more hot water and washes them.
He then leaves that water to go cold before pouring it away.
I then need to rewash half the dishes as they are still greasy. I need to clean the sink and bowl as they are greasy.
Much easier to do it myself as then they are a) washed properly and b) all done at one time even if I need to change the water as there are too many at one time to wash.
No room for a dishwasher.

I don't do washing up much any more. I have to hand wash certain pots, but the rest goes in the dishwasher.

If I ever have to wash up by hand (and in the olden days!) I do it exactly as you do Phoenix. I think it was taught in domestic science and reinforced by by mother. It's 'love' in this northern household too.

If I am not using a dishwasher, I do it exactly that way. If using the dishwasher, I put everything in together and hope for the best!

Sounds like you got your Brownie badge Phoenix

That's how I was taught it at school, maybe we had to soak the cutlery first. Now I use a dishwasher but hand wash the odd thing,

I haven't read all the thread, but I think that method stems from the days before we had decent washing up liquids (when I was a child I remember we had to use soda crystals to cut the grease!) You washed the least messy and greasy items first, which made sense I suppose.

I don't have a dishwasher but with a sink of very hot sudsey liquid I put in a pile of plates and next to that a pile of bowls, with the mugs to the front; cutlery if there's a lot, soaks in a deep container of same sudsey water... rinse under the hot tap and drain on a special mat, then I do the glasses, any lids, and plastic stuff, followed by pots and pans. Then the cutlery. I live on my own so don't usually have a vast quantity to wash up unless I've left it all to mount up! It's a method that suits me.

I was fascinated when watching a very old film called The Wind (think Lilian Gish was the 'heroine'), to see our heroine while having a conversation with somebody, very matter of factly doing the washing up by giving everything a good rub over with sand... it was set in a desert location, however!

That's certainly how I do it ?? Unless I am using a dishwasher of course.

Gulligran, I was replying to Merlot's post! Our dog had a rather ordinary doggie name, I'm afraid!

That's the way I was taught to do it Phoenix. You wash the glasses first so they don't get smeary with oil from the other things (although washing liquid is probably better these days) and you rinse them in hot water so they dry quickly which means you don't leave bits from the tea towel. Pots are last because they are the dirtiest so you can soak them whilst you do the other stuff. Thank goodness for dishwasher so you don't even have to think about it these days.

I am another who does it your way Phoenix. I fill a bowl with soapy water before I dish up to soak pans and baking dishes while I eat. I then rinse them off and proceed as per your list with fresh water, adding pet bowls last.

When with my ExH, one of his few jobs was to see to the dishwasher. However, it was always full of clean stuff as he was too lazy to empty it and I was determined not to do it myself. I therefore washed my own by hand and left his by the sink. Unfortunately he chose not to notice. Being single is bliss and washing up takes only moments by hand.

Yet another old school here - taught in Home Economics class along with how to do hospital corners on beds We do have a dishwasher but I have periods when I just wash up by hand and in the same order as Phoenix says. As I generally have to fill a bowl with water to wash something that won't go in the dishwasher and wipe the tops down occasionally I'll just do the whole lot. My husband has no idea how to stack the dishwasher or how to even turn it on so if I'm ever away I have to make sure it's empty before I go otherwise the pots would be solid on my return! My son's ex gf was Italian and washed everything under running hot water directly into the sink - I've no idea if this was a cultural habit or just a quirk she had but their water bills must have been huge!

Totally agree I was taught the order in home economics and its one of the few facts from school I've remembered

It is the same principle as when we kids were washed in the Tin Bath in front of the fireplace.
Cleanest first.?

Yes that's exactly the same order that I do it in OP.

The dishwasher does most of it, but I handwash plastics and any crystal.Yes, cleanest first, I agree.
We call each other darling too.

Hi everybody,

This is my first post since 'joining'. Nice to be part of it , I've loved reading all your mails.
My question is ,what do you think of Dr's receptionists asking why you want to see the doctor ?? (With a surgery full of waiting patients ).

First year we got a DW- oh the bliss!! Christmas came & a friend was staying who was overjoyed at the thought of no washing up to do after the big dinner. Sod's law- the damn thing broke down & it is SO much worse having to take everything out again & then wash it by hand.

She never came again although it (& all the subsequent ones) have been fine ever since.

BTW we call each other Darling & I call all the GC that too- except when they are little sods- like yesterday!

I was in the Girls' Life Brigade as a child and have a badge for washing up. This was to be done in the order you suggest so that the cleanest things were washed first and the dirtiest last. Makes sense to me.
Now I use a dishwasher (no, not my other half) so rinse off the worst and soak as necessary then bung it in and forget about it - till the next day when I realise I forgot to switch it on.

Exactly the same for me Phoenix. This is how I was taught to wash up in my domestic science lesson at secondary school. Old habits die hard!

I do it in the same way as phoenix though like others I usually use a dishwasher for everything except non-stick, aluminium, knives and more delicate hand painted or gilded china.

However I have a terrible Ebay habit and am gaining more and more old crockery which should hand washed.

I would so love a dishwasher! The way I do washing up is a bit pernickety, but I can't help myself:
Rinse all plates with hot water and dishbrush, and stack
Place all cutlery in large jug and fill with hot soapy water to soak.
Rinse, then fill all cooking pans with hot soapy water.
Fill bowl with hot soapy water and wash glasses and cups
wash plates in same water, empty water and rinse all that has been washed.
Refill hot bowl, wash cutlery then saucepans. Rinse all with clean water.
Leave to dry, then finish with freshly boiled and ironed tea towel every time.
Empy bowl, rinse sink and clean.
Curse violently 'cos I just found another cup and two plates lurking in the sitting room.