Do you dry your dishes?

[Cloo]

Trying to think if ways to stop our kitchen being such a disaster area, and wondering if we should go for drying our dishes straight away after washing. We tend to just leave them on the rack until they're dry, and then stuff builds up by the sink. Would we be better off aiming to dry things straight away and put them back where they live so we don't get this build up?

 

[Epona]

The non-drying of dishes drives me absolutely insane, they get put on a rack and sometimes even with the best of intentions mould happens under the rack, it is fucking disgusting and dishes should be dried and put away.

There isn't any other response to this, you leave stuff hanging around damp and you get mould, just dry everything as quick as you can. Short time is OK, but it is not a long-term storage option

(Your mileage may vary depending upon how prone your home is to mould)

 

[JimW]

No unless it's needed before it's dripped.

 

[strung out]

No, never. We've got an excellent two tiered rack, which is plenty big enough for one, sometimes two sets of washing up to dry on until we can be bothered to put it away.

 

[neonwilderness]

Most stuff gets left on the rack unless they're needed or I run out of space. The only exception is big pans/trays etc. that take up too much room.

Cutlery gets left in the pot until it's too full to fit anything else in and/or I run out of stuff in the drawer

 

[platinumsage]

The dishwasher dries them.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

 

[Sprocket.]

Air dried on the rack on the drainer then put in dresser. Rack wiped with kitchen towel and stored in cupboard and drainer sprayed with anti-bac spray and wiped with same kitchen towel.

 

[Winot]

The dishwasher dries them.

Our dishwasher works well provided that dishes are rinsed before they are put in and dried after they come out.

 

[dessiato]

The dishwasher washes and dries them. I assume from the residual heat.

 

[krtek a houby]

At home? Occasionally. At work all the time, wash and dry, wash and dry.

 

[dessiato]

Our dishwasher works well provided that dishes are rinsed before they are put in and dried after they come out.

We put ours in, turn on the machine and one hour later we have clean, dry, dishes and pans.

 

[MrCurry]

I assume the thread is referring to hand washed dishes - obviously you don’t take wet stuff out of a dishwasher and dry it by hand unless you’re mental. Just open the door and pull the rack out and let it finish drying if it needs to.

The stuff I hand wash will get left on the drying rack to drain and dry - by far the most hygienic way compared to the alternative of smearing new dirt / bacteria / fluff onto them from a grotty tea towel. No sign of mould on the dishes ever - how long would they have to remain damp to grow mould Epona? I’ve not been checking in detail but believe anything I leave on my dishrack is dry within 2-3 hours. Would have to be some fast growing mould.

 

[ash]

We have a dishwasher but I understand the most hygenic way for hand washing is hot rinse and air dry as tea towels are a harbour for bacteria.

 

[waxoyl]

Dry And Put Away Only Because Of Zero Room On The Draining Board.

 

[cyril_smear]

The non-drying of dishes drives me absolutely insane, they get put on a rack and sometimes even with the best of intentions mould happens under the rack, it is fucking disgusting and dishes should be dried and put away.

There isn't any other response to this, you leave stuff hanging around damp and you get mould, just dry everything as quick as you can. Short time is OK, but it is not a long-term storage option

(Your mileage may vary depending upon how prone your home is to mould)

Clean the rack and wipe all the sides down when youve put the dishes away(when the dishes have drip dried) to avoid the mould build up.

 

[Badgers]

Sometimes I dry them with a tea towel
Sometimes let the half dry then finish with a tea towel
Sometimes let the dry on the rack

 

[Pickman's model]

Sometimes I dry them with a tea towel
Sometimes let the half dry then finish with a tea towel
Sometimes let the dry on the rack

Variety is the spice of life

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Variety is the spice of life

But let's not go too overboard.

 

[MickiQ]

Everything that can go in the dishwasher goes in the dishwasher. The few things that need to be washed by hand get left on the drainer until there is a need to wash another batch and they're dry by then.

 

[UrbaneFox]

View attachment 229675

Quality steamer there.

 

[High Voltage]

Variety is the spice of life

A spice rack can hold a variety of spices in your life

 

[High Voltage]

By the time the cats have finished licking the plates, they're all pretty dry and spotlessly clean, so can be put away immediately

 

[JimW]

I've never used a dishwasher, not sure how it passed me by, not like it's new technology.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Quality steamer there.

It's just a steamer.

 

[StoneRoad]

Another household with a dishwasher. Unload, check dryness with clean towel and put away in the cupboards etc while still warm.

But when washing up by hand, I use very hot soapy water, rinse with hot water, shake off most of the water and dry immediately with clean tea towel, then put away. (Usually whatever it is will still be warm if I'm quick). Cutlery often gets a blast with boiling water straight out of the kettle before drying and putting away - without handling.

Tea towel used for max of 15/20 minutes (ie one session) and then into the wash (left out to dry if the machine is not going on within a few minutes).

I live in a rural area, and especially in the Summer, we frequently have a fly problem. There is no way I'm leaving the dishes out for those dirty fuckers to walk over. I also have one of those blacklight electrical zappers on the wall.

 

[Saffy]

I stack the dishwasher with everything that can go in.
Husband washes the pans which need to be done by hand and lets them drip dry overnight.
Son unloads the dishwasher and puts it all away.

I wash up during the day though. Just to keep on top of it.

 

[5t3IIa]

But when washing up by hand, I use very hot soapy water, rinse with hot water, shake off most of the water and dry immediately with clean tea towel, then put away. (Usually whatever it is will still be warm if I'm quick).

I do this, because it is correct, but covet a dishwasher very badly. No space for one at this house My partner leaves stuff to dry and puts away later but as the sink etc is in front of a window I like it to be clear to freely let in as much of the Yorkshire sunshine as is available.

I like (for different values of 'like') to give the sink and draining surface a clean before (and after) I do the washing up. If I'm going to do it at all, I'm going to do it properly - from dirty to clean 117%

 

[oomfoofoo]

It used to be that we would wash up of an evening after dinner, leave it on the drainer and put everything away the next evening, by the first one home from work first. Now I work from home and in the kitchen, everything gets put away in the morning before I start work (I can't work with an eyeful of stacked up pots and pans), breakfast/lunch things get washed up left on the drainer and put away before we start on the dinner.

StoneRoad I bought one of those wooden beaded fly screens for the back door, which is near the kitchen and haven't had any problems with them since.

 

[quimcunx]

Beaded curtains are for stopping flies? I did not know that.