Sunday, July 1, 2012

Hand wash or dishwasher?


To some people doing dishes is a job that they would rather not have to do! I guess I am one of the rare people that don't mind doing dishes (yes, you read it right) ....

There is quite a bit of an age difference between my siblings and I and so when I was pretty young I had to do them as one of my chores. My mother was sick  most of my life and so I had more chores than other kids my age did to help out. My brothers and sisters had all moved out and were married by the time I was 12 and at that point my mother was getting worse. I pretty much started doing dishes when I was a lil kid on a step stool. I remember helping out by drying the dishes at that point but as my mother got worse and I was getting older, obviously I ended up doing them. I remember my mother winning a dishwasher when I was about 10 years old and we hated it! It was one of those that you had to bring to the sink and hook it up, not to mention rinse everything first. I didn't see the point of wasting my time doing such a thing so we used it a couple times but it wasn't something that we made a habit of using. For that matter, we put it in it's place and used it for storage of canned goods! Yep, it did serve a purpose!

So all  of my life I have hand washed and dried dishes. I have a lot of fond memories in the kitchen washing dishes, especially when my aunts and uncles would come and visit and one of my aunt's would always help do the dishes...usually they would wash and I would dry and put them away. It was a great time and it was a bonding moment as well. Even though I was a kid and didn't really realize it at the time, those moments are times that I now treasure and smile when I think of them. 

I am now married and still we hand wash and it is something that both of us would rather do than use a dishwasher. I have never had a dishwasher other than that one that my mother won way back when.

Over the years, I remember using all sorts of different brands of dish soap but it has been in the past year that I have discovered one that I truly adore...it is one that I make! I never would have imagined making my own dish soap but now, along with my other cleaners, I can't think of why I would ever go back to store bought.

It is a simple recipe that I will share with you. Keep in mind that the first time I made it, it was a bit too thick but it worked great. Now I make it by the gallon and save so much money doing so.

The Recipe Is:

1/2 cup of grated soap (I use aloe but you can use any really)

3 cups of boiling water

5 -10 drops of essential oils (whatever you want) 

Directions: Boil the water and put in a bowl, put the grated soap in and stir til it is melted. Let set for about 20 minutes and pour in a squeeze container. Once completely cooled add the essential oils.

I get 3 cakes of aloe soap at the dollar store so for one batch of this size it costs about 25 cents.





For those of you that do use a dishwasher here is an easy recipe:

1 cup of borax

1 cup of baking soda

Mix together and use.

Either way, it is so much cheaper to make your own no matter if you hate doing dishes or not!

Do you hand wash or use a dishwasher?

13 comments:

  1. Definitely hand wash! I've never lived with a dishwasher. I have great memories when I was a teen of helping my mom. I think that is why we were so close during that time and why I had good teen years. My mom and I always spent the time talking about things - friends, the future etc. I so hope I can have that with my daughter one day. I don't mind doing them at all - really. But I'm glad I share dish duty with my husband.

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    1. I totally agree with you. It is like sitting together eating your meals..that bonding time is special and what memories are made of!

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  2. We do use the dishwasher most of the time and normally my kiddos do the nightly kp duty but my sweet husband came out to the kitchen last night(maybe my big sigh alerted him to the fact that I was overwhelmed by dishes?)and washed the dishes while I dried....oh, be still my heart! Moments like those are sweet indeed.....will give this one a try also...thanks Lori!

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  3. I'm definately a dishwasher girl! I work in the restaurant industry and sanitation is number 1 on the list. I want guaranteed sanitization with a temperature of rinse water I could never stand on my hands. It's just my time spent in dirty kitchens that make me go a bit overboard. People have been handwashing dishes for thousands of years, and we're still here to talk about it, but I'll use my dishwasher until I can't.

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    1. My Grandmas hand washed. Sanitizing was important to them also. One used a bit of bleach in her rinse water. The other grandma made the rinse water sooooo hot. Helping her wash dishes you came out with lobster hands. "just dip your hands in real quick" she would say, and she was quick. I have fond memories of helping them with the dishes.

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  4. I use the dishwasher, but several times a week I slow down and get the kids to help with the dishes. There is real value in handwashing dishes with the kids. I started the tradition about 5 years ago when my son was just 18 months. he could stand on a chair and slosh in the rinse water and "help" mom. It made him feel so big. The kids are 7,4 and 3. They all get a turn to help with the dishes each week. It gives us a chance to connect with each other and it teaches them the value of work. It is worth my efforts. As an added bonus we usually get to mop the floor when we are done with the dishes. (the floor is usually wet)

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    1. It is so true and I love that you do that with your children! For sure a bonus that the floor is clean after too! LOL

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  5. Although I don't have a dishwasher, if I had one I'd definitely use it. I think it not only washes, it thoroughly sanitizes, something you can't do when you wash dishes by hand and keep handling clean dishes, then dirty dishes, then clean dishes, back and forth. Uh uh. I think the dishwasher is a wonderful invention!

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  6. I had a dishwasher for 30 years, then 3 years ago I was given the "greatest sink ever"!!! It was out of a farm house, that my cousin moved in. The old gentleman who owns it put in a new cabinet and sink. He had purchased the sink that came out in 1962 for his mom. Its white porcelain with a chip or two for character on a metal base. I love it!!! My husband thought I was crazy for taking out my cabinet, sink and dishwasher for this old piece but I wouldnt trade it for the world! It has drain boards on each side and so much character. I enjoy doing dishes everyday just because I love the look of this sink, makes me feel like I am back at my Mommaw's doing dishes with her. She had me doing dishes on a stool at 4 or 5 and I would never give up those memories, or the ones I am making with my grandaughter when she helps me do dishes!

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    1. I am jealous! Sounds like the perfect sink and such great memories are happening there!

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  7. We all live an overly sanitized life what with dishwashers, antibacterial soaps, bleach, vacuums, no farm animals around, etc. So much so, that research shows that allergies and asthma is on the rise in children. Research has also shown that being around farm animals and good old fashioned "dirt" reduces the chances of allergies and asthma. My own son had asthma, until I found a source of milk directly from a farm. I never found a dishwasher that got the dishes as clean as handwashing, dishwashers always leave a film of chemicals or dirty dishwater that is used to rinse. I'll stick with old fashioned hand washing every day.

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    1. I agree with that 100%! We were six kids...we hand washed all the time and none of us have ever been sick because of it.

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