10 devious ways to ditch your dishwashing duties + Giveaway

Dishwashing has to be done, but the job is a dirty rotten one and this duty takes a mum like me away from more fun activities. Frankly, the only bubbles I want in my life are either the ones I can soak in – as in a spa bath, or drink – as in Champagne. In my experience any other bubbles are bound to be a chore. There are only several reasons I can think of that have made dishwashing pleasurable. The first is to warm my hands up on a freezing Melbourne day in winter and the second – is while standing washing dishes by hand and looking out the window I’ve had a few life epiphanies. But that’s it. Generally the task is a bore.

Due to the number of rental properties I’ve lived in recent times (you can read that little story here), there have been a number of houses, which did not come with the wonderful and miraculous machine and invention that is the dishwasher. I hate washing dishes that much, that even in those rentals I got my handy hubby to install a dishwasher for me – because again, I have better things to do with my time.

Here are my top 10 tips for using a dishwasher and getting the job done faster

1. Only hand wash dishes if you can do it as fast as this amazing fellow…

2. Even if you are renting install a dishwasher

Dishwashers save stacks of time, energy and money. They are also more hygienic and result in sparkling clean dishes. Also you will have softer skin from not soaking your hands in detergent every day and your kitchen will be clutter free! Note: Of course you will need a good detergent for quick dishwashing purposes, Just make sure you use a quality detergent.

According to finishdishwashing.com here are some interesting stats related to washing dishes.

Washing by hand / Dishwasher

• Water used: 140L / 27L
• Energy: 3.5kWh / 2.0kWh
• Averge time: 71min / 39min

3. Learn how to stack a dishwasher with this song!

Reading stacking dishwasher tips can be as boring at the job itself so I went on the hunt for an entertaining way to learn how to stack your dishwasher. I found this guy on youTube – who delivers the message perfectly in a song! Watch this vid to learn how to stack your dishwasher properly while you enjoy some light entertainment.

4. Learn how to speed clean your kitchen

Check out my article on how to clean your kitchen in five minutes. This practice will rapidly speed up the jobs you have to do.

5. Train people in the house

I’ve trained everyone in my house – hubby and kids to rinse their plate and put it straight in the dishwasher. This way I am never standing at my kitchen bench stacking plates. Yeah – the nagging is really paying off!

6. Keep the knife and fork rack in the sink

After visiting my Aunty’s house recently I picked up this little tip. Keep the cutlery rack on the bench or in your kitchen sink. This way as cutlery comes in – it is easy for everyone to put cutlery straight into it. This means you don’t have to come along later and gather up all the cutlery, sort it and stack it in there. When ready to do a load, place the rack in the dishwasher at this point. Note: Apparently you should always face knives down so you don’t cut yourself accidentally when taking the thing back out again.

7. Wash after hours to save on your electricity bill

Always put your dishwasher on late at night or early in the morning in off-peak electricity times. You will make good savings over the course of a year on electricity. Also only turn the dishwasher on when it is full.

8. Place dishes correctly in the dishwasher for a perfect finish

• Soak heavily stained items or use quality tablets and dishwashing powder (see next tip)
• Load the more soiled items at the bottom
• Load glasses downward or on an angle so the water can drain out of them
• Face the stained side of a dish towards the spraying arm
• Store dishwasher products in a dry environment with lids on and well away from little kids

9. You don’t need to pre-rinse dishes if you use the right stuff

There are plenty of dishwashing tablets and cleaners on the market. Just make sure you use high quality products. Products like Finish are a great investment because they work – and they save you time in pre-rinsing and since time is money – you’ll save a stack of cash too!

10. Delegate dishwashing duties

Unpacking a dishwasher is a great chore for a child. Whether you have one or several children you can put this chore on a roster to help ease your housework burden. If you heed my dishwashing tips above the only chore you will have to do is wash pots and pans and wipe benches!

Bonus tip:

Remember when cooking to clean as you go. Then you won’t even have to do this chore after breakfast or dinner!

Competition

I’m giving away some dishwashing goodies from Finish. To enter my competition send me an email via my contact page and finish this sentence:

I love my dishwasher because….

You can also enter by visiting this post on my Facebook page and posting a comment there. The best answer will receive Finish dishwashing goodies for making your kitchenware sparkle!

Competition Terms and Conditions

• Entries open from 9am Melbourne Time Thursday 4th December to Thursday 18 December 2014 at 5pm.
• Prize is not transferable
• Entrants must be Australian residents and aged 18 or over
• The winner will be notified by email and will need to provide their address to claim the prize.
• The winner will also be announced on Facebook.
• The decision on the winner is final
• These terms and conditions can change without notice.

DISCLOSURE: This post was written in collaboration with Finish and is in accordance with SR’s disclosure policy