Experts clear up 13 of the most common mistakes when washing dishes

Washing up the dishes after eating is not generally considered a pleasurable activity; the idea of ​​getting our hands dirty with leftover food and spending more than an hour polishing each of the pans is far from tempting. However, it ends up being more important than we imagine and even some chefs professionals assure that there are some secrets to it. They also guarantee that there are many incorrect habits in dishwashing.

O awesome.club decided to gather the best advice from experts to identify the most common mistakes we make when washing dishes. The idea is that we can calmly deal with this detested task by many.

When we wash the dishes, in general, we use a specific soap for dishes and cutlery, but we are not careful to take into account the health of our skin. Dermatologists warn that detergents are considered irritants and that they can cause contact dermatitis, that is, lesions on the hands and dryness. To avoid them, you can choose the option of using latex gloves and using moisturizing cream after washing dishes. It is also recommended to wash your hands (with an appropriate soap) before and after using the gloves, in order to avoid the spread of bacteria and germs.

Experts advise washing the utensils in groups, since if we leave all kinds of dishes and dirt in the sink, we will have difficulties cleaning it, precisely because the tub will be full. For example, if we have pans of grease along with salad bowls and glassware, they will all end up full of grease and oil; so we will have to wash much more than we should. It is important to wash the dishes according to the type of dirt they have, choosing first what is small and less dirty and then proceeding with the most difficult residues. As an advice, you can leave the utensils you used for raw food last; thus, you will avoid cross-contamination with other dishes.

This error goes along the same lines as the previous one, since, most of the time, we wash the dishes without a defined order. The American Cleaning Institute, which specializes in sustainable cleaning products, recommends starting with the glasses and cutlery, then moving on to the heatproof plates and serving bowls, which can remain under water while you wash the first utensils, so they stay clean. to soak. And finally, wash pots, pans and any object with residue, not forgetting, as we said, the last cutting boards — where, in general, we cut raw foods. It is also important to order knives and sharp objects with the edge down, to avoid any kind of accident. Chef Thomas Keller assures that having a good organization when washing dishes will help our efficiency.

More detergent is not synonymous with more cleaning. On the contrary: if you exaggerate the amount of detergent, you can leave residues that are difficult to notice at first glance, but which are impregnated in the food. Misusing a detergent will require a greater investment of effort and time. “Choose brands with cleaning power, rather than those that show details such as aromas or certain lotions”, suggest experts. A “grandmother’s trick” is to add drops of lemon or vinegar to the detergent to eliminate the odor of the utensils and help them to be completely disinfected.

A good detergent will still work despite being diluted with a little water; it is advisable to look for specific products for washing dishes, which contain sodium dodecyl sulfate, a component that helps to generate more foam, requiring a few drops of the product to wash a pot or a glass. It will affect your hands less and it will also pollute the environment much less.

The recognized chef Argentine Francisco Almeida shared one of the most recurrent experiences he has had during his culinary trips through Canada, Mexico and Australia: washing the dishes. Yes, wash the dishes! He advises strongly to use kitchen utensils more than once before washing; that is, if you fried meat, you can use the frying pan to cook vegetables as well. In addition to saving water, the culinary specialist assures that, in this way, “flavors are exchanged”. But you need to pay attention to the contamination of utensils before deciding to reuse them.

In addition to going against Chef Keller’s ideal of order and efficiency in the kitchen, making the mistake of leaving all the dishes to wash later will also make the job of removing grease and organic waste even more difficult. Paco Almeida assure that leaving dishes for the next day makes them 50% more difficult to wash thanks to dehydration and hardening of grease and dirt. Therefore, he recommends that, if it is not possible to wash immediately, it is better to soak the dishes in warm water with a little detergent or degreaser.

Perhaps this is the most serious error and the one that requires the most attention. Not having a good washing routine causes a huge waste of clean water. The key to saving money is to follow each of the previous tips: Do not mix, organize and choose a good detergent.

You can create a routine of soaping everything in the sink while the faucet is turned off, and then quickly rinsing all the utensils in one go. Thomas Keller emphasizes that “practice makes perfect”: creating a routine or ritual will make us “professional” in the subject and do things automatically. Using hot water will also help the stuck fat to come off easier and faster.

It is not possible to leave dishes clean and disinfected if the sponge with which we wash them is not changed regularly. A dish sponge can contain more bacteria than a toilet bowl due to moisture. It is important not to let it soak, but to hang it in the sun until it is completely dry, as endless bacteria can accumulate in each fold and end up infecting all kitchen utensils and even food. . It is important to get into the habit of disinfecting the sponge and changing it regularly (weekly or monthly, depending on how much you use it).

Leanne Stapf, vice president of operations for The Cleaning Authority, a company dedicated to home cleaning, suggests disinfecting the sponge regularly. “You can fill a cup with vinegar and let the sponge soak for about 5 minutes, or fill a cup with diluted bleach (half a cup of bleach for every 1 liter of water) and let the sponge soak for 5 minutes”.

Many people try to finish everything quickly and, as a result, pay little attention to washing and rinsing the dishes. Food and detergent residues often stick to the small holes in cutlery and pans, which is why we must be sure that there are no traces of food or detergent on any object, especially on cutting boards and knives.

You can use a brush to clean the most difficult corners. Keep in mind that if you want to completely disinfect your dishes, it’s not enough just to wash them. The public health organization Stop Foodborne Illness recommends using one of these methods:

Soak dishes for at least one minute in a solution consisting of one tablespoon of chlorine bleach for every gallon of cold water.

Soak the dishes (completely submerged) in hot water at a temperature of 76.7°C for at least 30 seconds. Use a thermometer to make sure it’s the correct temperature. Then air dry.

The kitchen sink can harbor up to 100,000 times more germs than the bathroom sink. So, imagine what it would be like to wash meat and vegetables in this mess! Experts recommend cleaning the kitchen daily due to the amount of dirt that accumulates. You can wash the sink with vinegar and baking soda to eliminate all bacteria; it is also important to point out that, as soon as you finish washing the dishes, remove all the foam and water residues that are spilled.

The key to saving water and time is to pre-soak each dish in hot water. Meanwhile, remove the organic remains so that they do not fall into the drain and obstruct the pipe, causing odors. Furthermore, the aforementioned chef Almeida recommends soak up the grease with paper towels before soaking the dishes. This will prevent other utensils from being contaminated and we will waste detergent, making washing easier. Lily Cameron, supervisor at Fantastic Services, a company dedicated to home cleaning, advises soaking dishes in hot water with detergent or baking soda for 15 to 30 minutes.

Experts from the American Cleaning Institute stress the importance of thoroughly drying every plate, glass, pan or cutlery. They recommend using a clean, dry cloth to prevent fungus from forming and odors arising from each object. Even if the ideal is to let it dry at room temperature, make sure that there are no traces of any drop of water before storing the dishes, to avoid moisture that harbors bacteria. For Teflon pans and pans, absorbent paper towels can help, preventing scratches.

Even though this mistake might seem like another opportunity to save water, it’s actually a really bad idea when it comes to cleanliness. For Cristina Cusí, a specialist in hospitality, “it is not very hygienic for leftover food to remain in the same place”. If we have already soaped each object for cleaning, it is not an option to get it dirty again with accumulated water. It’s best to rinse them together according to the type of utensil, or the amount of dirt they had.

What is your favorite technique for washing dishes? Do you agree with this expert advice? Do you have any other tips based on your experience to share? Comment!