Thanks to my parents, I’ve known how to wash dishes by hand since childhood. It has helped me as a homemaker as well.
If you are new to washing your dishes by hand, this post will give you the step by step instructions. It’s not that hard to do, and actually I enjoy washing the dishes.
It’s my quiet time each night after dinner. I listen to a favorite podcast and I like to see the big accomplishment of a clean kitchen when I’m done!
Sometimes I will use my dishwasher, but sometimes it leaves a white film on the dishes. I’ve found that my dishes get a lot cleaner when I wash them by hand.
So let’s jump in.
Supplies for Washing Dishes by Hand
- liquid dish soap
- wash rag
- scrub sponge
- crocheted scrub sponges
- dish drying rack (affiliate link)
- dish drying mat
How to Wash Dishes by Hand
1. Scrape off food from dishes.
Before you wash any dishes, there is some prep work to do. Scrape off any food left on plates or bowls from meal time.
If you have pans or pots that you cooked in, scrape off any fat or crumbs that were left behind. Some containers may even need to be lightly rinsed.
Add water to pans that have cooked on food that may be hard to wash off. You’ll want to wash those dishes last. That way the water will soften the food while you wash he rest of the dishes.
2. Stack dishes by type.
Once you have scraped the dishes, you can now separate them based on what type of dishes they are.
This will help you wash the dishes more efficiently, and you’ll be able to dry them faster too.
Put all of the silverware together. Stack the plates and bowls. Put all the drink glasses and mugs together. Stack storage container and lids.
Finally, stack pots and pans together.
3. Add soap and fill sink with hot water.
Before you fill your sink with water, add your drain stopper and some liquid dish soap. You don’t need a lot. Start off with about a teaspoon and add more if needed.
Don’t add too much soap, or it will be hard to rinse off all the dish soap from the clean dishes.
Also, I like to add my dish soap right under my faucet. That way the water will help the soap bubble up.
Now it’s time to start the water. Add as hot of water as you can stand. The hotter the water, the better it will wash the dishes and disintegrate fat from pans.
If you have a double sink, fill the second sink with plain hot water to rinse the dishes.
4. Wash the dishes.
Start with the dishes that are least dirty, so that your water doesn’t get yucky as quickly. Most likely this is your drink glasses or silverware and utensils.
Then move on to plates and bowls. Finish with the most dirty dishes such as food containers and pots and pans.
Use a dish rag for dishes that don’t need a lot of scrubbing. For the dishes that have a lot of caked on food, use a scrub sponge. I love Scotch Brite heavy duty sponges (affiliate link).
Also, I always use my crotched dish scrubby to get between the prongs on forks.
5. Rinse the dishes.
For those who don’t have a double sink, you can simply run hot water over the dishes after they are washed.
However if you have a double sink, place the clean dishes in the plain water sink. As you rinse the dishes, your goal is to remove soap suds. You will also be able to see if there is any food left behind.
6. Stack dishes to dry.
Once your dishes are rinsed, place them in your dish drying rack. Silver ware should be placed in the sliver ware trays.
Plates, bowls, and lids can be stacked vertically between the wire racks. It helps to keep similar dishes together. That way you can put the dishes away more efficiently.
7. Dry dishes and put them away.
Once your dishes are all washed, they need to dry. I like to allow my dishes to air dry.
However sometimes the pots and pans don’t fit in the dish drying rack, so I go ahead and hand dry them with a dish towel. I don’t like to keep clean dishes in my sink.
Extra Tips for Hand Washing Dishes
- Be careful when washing sharp knives. I separate the knives from the rest of the silver ware. Then wash them one at a time.
- Change out the water and dish soap when it becomes cold or very dirty.
- Rinse your sink clean after you drain the water.
- Catch as many food particles as you can in your drain stopper and dump leftover food in the trash. This keeps your pipes cleaner.
- Wear plastic gloves if your skin is prone to drying out and to protect nails.
How to Keep Up with the Dishes
My best advice is to wash your dishes after every meal. If you do them after every meal, you’ll never end up with a giant pile of dirty dishes.
At least make it your goal to do the dishes every night before you go to bed. That way you wake up to a clean kitchen and empty sink!
Doing the dishes every night is part of my evening cleaning routine.
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. But I hope this post has been helpful as you wash your dishes by hand.