Now that I’m hand-washing my dishes rather than using the dishwasher, I have to be fairly diligent about cleaning them — otherwise, fruit flies start visiting unannounced, the kitchen starts to smell funky and, well, no one likes looking at the crusty remnants of last night’s dinner.
But sometimes certain foods can get really stuck to things (brown rice and scrambled eggs, I’m looking at you), especially if I’ve been distracted while cooking by a phone call or my cat whining or whatever and let the stuff sit on the stove for too long. In this case, if I try to clean it right away, it requires not only a lot of elbow grease but a lot more soap and water.
So despite my desire to keep things spic and span, and do the dishes right after dinner, I’m going to make sure that if anything has hardened onto a pot, pan or other surface, I soak it overnight. That way, it’ll come off much easier the next morning and I’ll need less soap and water to get it clean.
October 14, 2007 at 12:39 pm |
I suppose I’ve been green in this aspect for years, although instead of doing it for environmental reasons, it’s been out of sheer laziness. When I look at a pot that had chili in it that I forgot to clean right away – I just don’t want to deal with it.
October 14, 2007 at 5:48 pm |
my grandmother taught me this trick: if the oven is still warm after the meal (are you still using your oven? i can’t remember) then fill said crusty/baked-on dish or pot with soapy water and let it soak over night in the oven. the heat still in the oven will keep the water warmer longer and aid in the degreasing/soaking process. this works especially well if you have a gas oven because the pilot light always keeps the oven sort of warm.
October 14, 2007 at 8:11 pm |
Hi i saw your blog mentioned in a magazine the other day and thought I’d pop across and take a look. so glad I did! its a great read very inspiring keep up the good work, i’ll definitely be back to check out what you’re up to and will post a link on my blog so others can find you too.
October 14, 2007 at 9:42 pm |
Ah, the joys of hand-washing dishes. I actually don’t have a dishwasher so I have to do this as a matter of course, but at least it’s a consolation knowing that not using a dishwasher is good for the environment. I never even thought about it that way. I mostly just felt annoyed that I didn’t have one in the first place. So thanks for the new point of view on that.
Also, I love Emily’s Gram’s tip about the warm oven. I’ll definitely have to keep that one in mind.
October 14, 2007 at 9:50 pm |
I’m with blah on this one, but I love when laziness is, in fact, a certifiable green activity.
However, I do use my dishwasher every single day….as a giant dish rack for drying hand-washed dishes. I can’t seem to cook even one meal without getting half my pots and pans dirty.
October 14, 2007 at 11:51 pm |
BTW, the look on this womans face is priceless. I want to pour her a drink just looking at her.
October 15, 2007 at 2:13 pm |
This is why this info exchange is so valuable. Here I had a sooper-dooper dish drying rack right in my kitchen and I didn’t even notice. Where is my brain?! Thanks Chile!!
I am also thunderstruck at how you don’t have to focus only on big changes. Little ones add up, even if you don’t remember them every day, as you turn them into habits.
Thanks, Vanessa!!
October 15, 2007 at 3:32 pm |
Also, for badly stuck on stuff that seems cemented to pots and pans, remember that wonderful stuff – BAKING SODA!!
A paste of it can reduce the need for elbow grease for scrubbing and gets everything nice and shiny, while making your hands softer!!
Keep up the good work Vanessa!!
(p.s. how about giving up using electronic doors? I don’t know if you’ve done that yet, but it is a fun challenge)
October 15, 2007 at 5:38 pm |
Cheers to Mary on the Baking Soda idea. I keep a stainless steal shaker of it near my kitchen sink and use it to scrub pans and even the sink itself!
Also, if you are too impatient to soak overnight, or like me you must wash when the mood strikes, you can also put water in the grungy pan (enough to cover the bottom and then some) and turn the burner on. Heat it on high for a minute or so and that gets all the bits warmed up, cooked off and ready to be wiped away!
October 16, 2007 at 7:43 pm |
From what I understand, running a full dishwasher actually uses less water than washing the dishes by hand. I suppose this depends on how diligent you are about water use, but as long as you don’t pre-rinse, I thinks a dishwasher only uses about 10 gallons
October 16, 2007 at 7:44 pm |
whoops, nevermind, I just saw the link to your dishwasher switch post!