I grew up in a home without a dishwasher for the first 10 years. We briefly had a mobile dishwasher that served as a kitchen island when not in use. We'd wheel it across the kitchen and connected to the faucet to make it work. Mom didn't think the dishes were getting clean enough so we got rid of it. Personally, I think she got tired of listening to us argue about who's turn it was to load it or unload it.
I have 3 older siblings with whom I had to share housekeeping chores. And dishes were just one step up from cleaning the bathroom. Early on, we took turns; one would set and "readup" the table, another would wash and the last would dry. My oldest sibling was a full fledged teenager when I was brought into the game so she had out grown this chaos.
I loved setting the table (and still do). I didn't mind washing most of the time. But drying! That was a crap job. My older brothers would wash so quickly that I couldn't keep up so the dishes would pile up and suddenly I was left alone in the kitchen with a tower of (mostly clean) dishes precariously stacked in a small dish drainer and nothing but a sopping wet dish towel to help me through. I hated being left alone while they were watching the Brady Bunch on the other side of the house.
Eventually, the boys had broken enough dishes that mom preferred they not help with this chore anymore. It was less a punishment for their clumsiness in my mind. But I became accustomed to the task by then and honestly, it was more enjoyable to work at my own pace. I had learned the most effective method of hand washing in Home Economics class.
I placed the silverware in the bottom of the first sink while I ran soapy hot water over them. I organized the glasses then the plates then the serving dishes and finally the pots and pans to the left of the washing sink. I filled the second sink with clean hot water as I began washing, first the utensils since they go directly into our mouths. Next the glasses because they touch our lips, then the plates because we move the utensils from our mouths to our plates. Finally, the pots and pans. Let me tell you, a good dish soap will take you from silverware to lasagna pan and still give you that satisfying squeak so don't skimp on cheap dish soap. And I do not, I repeat, do not use a dish sponge! You need a sturdy dish cloth, not too thin, not to thick.
With the right soap and dish cloth and a well organized method, the process became repetitive and helpful in clearing my mind of a lot of teenage angst. The practice of taking a somewhat chaotic situation and tidying it up felt satisfying and accomplished. I was Snow White simply waiting for my prince to come.
Some times I had to hurry though. I'd explain to mom that the baking dish needed to soak and it was just more sanitary to let the dishes air dry, as I draped a clean towel over the somewhat smaller tower of clean dishes. I would promise to put everything away when the Bionic Woman was over.
We have a dishwasher now and it does a much better job than the first model we had in the 70's. I still don't like loading it or emptying it though. I primarily use it to clean the plates, glasses and utensils. It has a handy sanitizing setting that is espically useful. However, I'm convinced that the "platinum" and "platinum plus" detergent is corrosive. I prefer the original formula, it doesn't etch the glasses or oxidize aluminum. Anyway...
I still begin every cooking or baking session by filling the sink with hot soapy water to wash as I go. When the countertops become chaotic I can't think straight, I resort to the meditation of organizing, tidying and accomplishing peace again. Sometimes I still need to hurry, so I load the dishwasher and promise myself to put the dishes away as soon as I finish the next episode of Jeopardy.
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