Yes, you read that right. I think dishwashers are overrated. Stick with me here…
I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but even when I lived as a single person in my own apartment somehow the dishes would pile up in the dishwasher because I hadn’t taken the time to unload it and then the sink piled up too. There I’d be…standing in front of my sink with a full dishwasher, a full sink, annoyed…again.
When I met my now husband and learned that he didn’t use a dishwasher, I was very confused. Then as he explained that it only took a few seconds to wash a dish or two and then put them away once they dried, suddenly it made sense. It’s true. If there are just a couple plates to put away, I certainly don’t procrastinate putting them back in the cabinet like I do when it’s a whole dishwasher full of dishes. I can’t justify the excuse of “I don’t have time to put them away” when it’s just two plates and a couple forks.
So here we are, a few years later and we still don’t use a dishwasher. I hate a messy kitchen and I loathe a pile of gross dishes waiting for me (especially on a day when my kids are needing my assistance every three seconds).
After each meal we simply hand wash the dishes that were used and lay them to dry. It takes no longer than about 5 minutes on average. Then at another point in the day as I’m passing through the kitchen, I simply put those few dishes away. It’s a two minute task. It’s so quick that I don’t even have time to talk myself out of it.
Five minutes of washing here and there and two minutes of putting them away keeps me from getting frustrated by a mountain of dishes. And as an added bonus, we never run out of clean forks. Sometimes it’s the simple things that bring such peace and rhythm to our home.
If dishes seem to be a constant pain point in your home, give it a try. You may be surprised.
Until next time,
Hope
As with most things I learn from you, implementing a similar schedule this week has been hugely helpful in staying on top of my dishes! Who would have thought…