Do you wash your dishes before you wash your dishes?

[Pburgh]

Miss Mary, I'm with you!!

[O Town]

I am one of those who uses paper plates almost always. But believe me there is still a ton of dishes to do with 3 kids and a hubby. I wash all mine by hand in the sink. Nope no dishwasher. I will turn that wonderful privledge of dish wahing over to my daughters here in the next few years.

[Miss Mary]

Karan - what bugs me is this is another time, my hubby was right. And he never lets me forget it! Jokes he's usually right, when will I ever listen to him.... We've had company over and they want to dump everything in the sink, I shout out a whoa, scraping food from plates into the garbage. Then I look to Jim for some help, as to why we own a garbage disposal but we don't use it!!! LOL

My mom moved to a new apt., a few years ago, in a brand new 2 BR, 1 BA 12 unit building. All modern, open floor plan, open kitchen with a breakfast bar. First thing she noticed in the kitchen was her sink didn't have a disposal. Owner said they're nothing but trouble so he didn't even have them put in!

Mary

[Skywatch_NC]

I remember one time a saying from childhood that I heard at least once:
"Let's go to Frische's where your Mama does the dishes!"

Eric

[CajunMama]

What's a garbage disposal for then if you can't scrape your plates into it?

[HurryKane]

Miss Mary....I thought that was what a garbage disposal was for.

One more suggestion - at the end of every meal, when you're about to run the DW, run hot-hot tap water, full force for about 2 or 3 minutes. This will send any just displaced food particles from the disposal along their way, out to the curb, where they should go! This is the part my hubby hates - all that waste, all that hot water, down the drain. I beg to differ - ya wanna hire a Roto Rooter guy?

Long story short - our disposal gets used but hardly any food goes in it. And uh no neighborhood kids get put in it either (knew you were kidding HurryKane).

Mary

I'd always heard that you were only supposed to put cold water down the disposal, never hot.

http://www.hometips.com/content/disposal_intro.html

Garbage disposals work best if you:
* Use cold water when grinding food (hot water can melt fats and clog the mechanism and the pipes)

Me, I love to throw some ice in there after using it and let it chew that up for a while. Keeps it clean and sharp and sounds kinda satisfyingly crunchy, too.

[Miss Mary]

What's a garbage disposal for then if you can't scrape your plates into it?

To keep the Roto Rooter guys employed! Seriously, I could tell that repairman didn't want to agree with what my husband heard.

He did say to run hot water down your drain but we don't turn on the disposal at the same time. The hot water is to push any food particles left in your pipes and move it along. Sorry didn't mean to imply to run the disposal at the same time you turn on hot water.

We also use ice to keep the disposal blades sharp. But sharp for what purpose, I don't know...since we don't uh use it!

Mary

[coriolis]

1. If your house is on a septic system, you should minimize what goes down the drain and maximize what goes into the trash. It will lighten the load on your septic system and make it last longer.

2. we have a dishwasher in this house - ME. I add a step to the procedure: Some things go to the dog! Not real greasy or fatty stuff, but bits of meat, veggies, even pasta. She gets the dishes real clean.

[alicia-w]

I rinse my dishes and then put them in the dishwasher. I never put my sterling silver flatware or good crystal in there. We wash our good kitchen knives and pots and pans by hand.

[Kim_in_MN]

Here's my order:

Scrape off any food into the garbage can (not disposal).
Rinse off any residue such as fried eggs or spaghetti sauce.
Then put the dishes into the DW.

I learned the hard way not to put food scraps in the disposal. Major clog, over a holiday weekend, at holiday rates. I was doing dishes in the laundry room sink and drying dishes on top of the washer, until we could get Roto Rooter here, at regular rates. I joked my husband said you should never put food scraps into a disposal, hoping the repairman would say my husband was nuts. He sighed and said and I quote - "your husband is correct, maam." So as to avoid a future repair bill, all food goes into the garbage can!

Mary

That is why, when I redid my kitchen, I did NOT have a garbage disposal put in! My kids would be putting everything down it instead of in the garbage and it would create a problem sooner or later!

Kim

[Stephanie]

I would have to do it before I put them in my $#$%%@#! dishwasher anyway. It's a piece of crap. There's only the two of us anyway so we pretty much hand wash our dishes everyday.

[Miss Mary]

Just subbed at our school district's 6 year old Middle School, in the cafeteria that is. I was on dish duty half the time. When it was my turn to wash, I asked where their disposal is. We don't have one! They have a removable grate with holes, in the large sink you wash dishes/pans in. You remove this sink insert and dump food scraps in the garbage can.

Just thought I'd share that since we had a debate going as to why we have disposals if you can't really use them.

At one of the other schools I worked at, on spaghetti day they had to dump uneaten pasta in the garbage can. The head cook was emphatic, do not put it in the disposal! I was about to agree but got busy. But they dump everything else in it.

Mary

[JenBayles]

I would have to do it before I put them in my $#$%%@#! dishwasher anyway. It's a piece of crap. There's only the two of us anyway so we pretty much hand wash our dishes everyday.

Hey! How'd you get hold of my dishwasher? I've been kvetching about my piece-o'-crap machine for 10 years now, and somehow upgrades on the Harley always come first....

[j]

my husband said you should never put food scraps into a disposal
Mary

Don't you just hate it when we are right? My wife was also one that figured ANYTHING could go down that drain. Roto Rooter loved us. Now its only the bare minimum.

Along the same lines....any parent out there with teenage girls....impress upon them the importance of not viewing the family toilet as a landfill. It simply cannot handle what they all seem so inclined to flush down.

In all fairness, its not just teenagers that think anything can go down whatever drain your house possesses. I once pulled a toilet up only to find a mass of chicken from disposed chicken stew lodged in the porcelan inners.

All I was told was, "I've done it before"

[arkess7]

I love my dishwasher! It's the first one I've ever had! Ive had it for 2 years now......It makes ya spoiled.............I do wash some pots and pans by hand sometimes cause there either to big or too many to put in the dishwasher....

So dishwashers rule in my book!!!!!!

I have a garbage disposal too and its never given me any problems........but I dont use it a whole lot either...........you do have to watch what you put in there...

Wow i didnt know that you should put ice down them to keep the blades sharp.........so i just went and threw some ice down there!

[j]

Wow i didnt know that you should put ice down them to keep the blades sharp.........so i just went and threw some ice down there!

Lemon or lime peels are good too

[Miss Mary]

my husband said you should never put food scraps into a disposal
Mary

Don't you just hate it when we are right? My wife was also one that figured ANYTHING could go down that drain. Roto Rooter loved us. Now its only the bare minimum.

Along the same lines....any parent out there with teenage girls....impress upon them the importance of not viewing the family toilet as a landfill. It simply cannot handle what they all seem so inclined to flush down.

In all fairness, its not just teenagers that think anything can go down whatever drain your house possesses. I once pulled a toilet up only to find a mass of chicken from disposed chicken stew lodged in the porcelan inners.

All I was told was, "I've done it before"

I will say he's been wrong a handful of times and I let him know it too. For years he's been looking for a pregnant wall plug, whatever the heck that is. We all heard it, for years. I was the one that lost it, ME! A year ago he cleaned out half of his closet side and there it was. To his credit he owned up to his mistake. I swear I wanted to run to the calendar and mark it down!

Ditto on the toilet not being used a landfill. Already covered that one, years ago! If in public, I'm don't need to know what they do (sorry Wal-Mart!) but here at home, I'd like to avoid paying for a plumber, thank you for very much. So yeah, I already had this little speech a long time ago!

Oh yeah, to my credit, I didn't put much in the disposal, certainly not pork chop bones as my SIL does, never potato or carrot peels, just usually leftovers. That was before our one and only Roto Rooter bill!

I actually use our colander a lot - I put outdated leftovers in it, rinse the liquids away and then dump the solids in the garbage. Just a tip from me to anyone who wants to figure out how to dump chili in the garbage and not disposal.

Mary

[arkess7]

Wow i didnt know that you should put ice down them to keep the blades sharp.........so i just went and threw some ice down there!

Lemon or lime peels are good too

cool thanks and i bet it makes it smell better too!........cause sometimes i get a funky smell coming up from there...... and i will squirt some dishsoap in it and turn it on and the water to get rid of the smell........ill try the lemon peels next time!

[Miss Mary]

I don't know if this is good for a disposal or not but I like to squirt a small amount of dishsoap in it, when running, it foams up but rinses down the drain. I prefer Ajax dish detergent (sink top type), so it's already lemon scented. You could try that also. I imagine baking soda deluted in water would work too.

Mary

[j]

another good one...white distilled vineger and baking soda