If you allow dishes to pile up, you’ll keep putting off washing them as long as you can. At that point, the task becomes overwhelming. So, as soon as you have five to seven things in the sink, take a few minutes to wash them.

Instead of placing dirty dishes in the sink, put them in a plastic container on the countertop. That’ll make it easier to wash them. While this works great for everyone, it’s especially helpful if you only have one sink.

You can find decent sponges at any store for pennies on the dollar. Not only do they work great to soften or remove stuck-on food but they’re also disposable. You don’t want to use the same dishcloth repeatedly…instead, go with a sponge.

Start with your drinking glasses since these are usually the least dirty dishes. Then, wash eating utensils and cutlery. Follow that by bowls and then plates. Now, if the water is dirty after the cutlery, change it.

For any dishes with stuck-on dairy or starches, first rinse or wash them in cold water. That’ll help loosen stubborn food particles. Then, wash them with hot, soapy water.

Pots and pans with stuck-on food are the two most frustrating things to wash. But you can easily remove food simply by sprinkling either baking soda or salt on the bottom of the pot or pan and then gently scrubbing. You’ll be amazed at how well this works.

What we mean by that is rather than put soap on a single dish, washing it, and then rinsing, fill one side of your sink with hot, soapy water. Then place several dishes in the water so they have a few minutes to soak. You’ll do a lot less scrubbing.

If you have super dirty pots and pans, stop wasting time scrubbing them. Instead, fill them with hot water and a degreasing dishwashing soap. Then, while you tackle the other dishes, this will start to dissolve stuck-on food…and you’ll use less water.

A lot of people don’t know this but if you scrape off all the tiny food particles and then run your dishes through the dishwasher, they can wear down prematurely. Yes, you want to scrape off big pieces but don’t get them too clean.

You can wash a cast iron skillet in hot soapy water but after thoroughly drying it, you want to go through the seasoning process. This will ensure the skillet lasts a lifetime and cooks perfectly. This online tutorial will show you how.

After washing dishes, a lot of gunk ends up in the garbage disposal. To keep it clean and smelling fresh, drop a couple of ice cubes with chunks of lemon inside (rind and all) and then run the disposal. For extra cleaning power, add a teaspoon of vinegar to each cube before freezing

If you happen to have a lot of dishes to clean but you don’t have ample space to dry them, you can always stack some inside of your oven (without the heat turned on, of course).

A lot of people use a zippered bag when laundering lingerie and other delicate items. Well, they’re also great for washing dishes. For things like reusable Keurig cups, bottle caps, corn on the cob holders, reusable straws, and so on, they’re ideal. Just toss the bag full of smaller dirty things in the dishwasher.

Today, you can find many different styles of racks for drying dishes. Some even produce heat. If you don’t like to dry dishes by hand or simply don’t have the time, these are abundantly helpful.

You can cut down the time it takes to wash dishes by getting the family involved. One person can scrap, one wash, one dry, and one put everything in the proper place. Not only will the time fly but you also get the chance to talk about the day’s events.

If you have pots and pans with burn marks on the bottom, here’s a quick, easy, and effective solution. Boil one cup of water with about a quarter cup of salt. Those unsightly marks will wipe right off.

Did you know there’s a right and wrong way to load a dishwasher? While all brands are slightly different, each has an arm that spins while pushing out water. If the arm can’t move, the dishes won’t get clean. So, remember to load your dishes the right way.

You’d think that since a dishwasher runs cycles of soap and water it’d always be clean. But in reality, you want to keep it in tip-top shape so it lasts longer and does a better job. After wiping it out with vinegar and baking soda, run the rinse cycle. Also, make sure none of the holes in the sprayer arm are clogged and if your dishwasher has a filter, change it as recommended by the manufacturer.

Often, blenders are difficult to clean, whether washing them by hand or running them through the dishwasher. Here’s a great tip. Before you do either, fill the blender with hot soapy water and let it operate for 30 seconds or so.

Unfortunately, stemware often gets jostled around inside a dishwasher, causing it to break. To prevent this, you can either purchase actual stemware savers or secure them using rubber bands or tiny ties.

The type of dish towel you use can save a lot of time when it comes to drying dishes. Those made of linen are pretty but they don’t dry well at all. Instead, to get your dishes completely dry, choose towels made of cotton, terrycloth, or microfiber.

If you’re handy or know of someone who is, consider installing a drying rack inside of the cabinet above the kitchen sink. When finished using it, simply close the doors and it’s out of sight.

By having everything you need to handwash dishes within reach, you’ll save a lot of time and frustration. While there are many options, a curtain rod and a couple of hooks installed above the sink works incredibly well.

Whether that’s labels or food stuck on your dishes, don’t buy a product at the store…instead, you can make your own goo-gone with this easy-to-follow recipe. You can use it for other sticky things as well.

If you prefer to wash your more expensive glass or crystal stemware, start by lining the sink with a thick and soft dish towel. Then, wash them one at a time. That’ll help prevent breakage.

Here’s another great tip that’ll save you money. Rather than spend your hard-earned cash on commercial dishwashing soap, make your own. You can find an abundance of different recipes online.

That’s right, if you have a bunch of people in the house, instead of them getting a new glass to drink from every time they’re thirsty, assign one to each daily. You can even buy or make a handy holder so they’ll always know where their respective glass is when not in use.

When preparing and cooking meals, select bowls and cookware that matches the recipe. In other words, instead of getting four bowls dirty while prepping food, you might be able to use just two simply by selecting the right sizes.

If you plan to have guest over, don’t dirty several dishes to make appetizers. Rather, cook them in a muffin tin. The same goes when serving condiments at a barbecue. Put everything in a muffin tin and you’ll have fewer things to wash.

Often, people prefer to wash their sharp knives by hand. But if you stick yours in the dishwasher, always place them in the utensil holder with the pointed side down. That way, there’s less risk of sustaining a cut.

Have you ever accidentally run dishes in the dishwasher twice because you thought you hadn’t started it? Or perhaps you allowed dirty dishes to sit for days, forgetting to start a cycle? You’re not alone. A clean versus dirty magnet will solve that problem.

By keeping spoons, knives, and forks sorted in the dishwasher, unloading will be much faster and easier. All it takes is a second to put them together in the utensil holder.

Along with washing your dishes, you should wear gloves to protect your skin. They’re super cheap and you won’t end up with red, cracked hands. This is particularly beneficial when doing your dishes the old-fashioned way.

When using a dishwasher, you don’t have to worry about the temperature of the water. But when washing dishes by hand, you want to select the hottest temperature you can stand.

The last thing you want to be doing is scraping burnt food off of pots, pans, and bakeware. Here’s a great way to make the job easier. Use a plastic paint scraper. That’ll cut down the amount of time you spend doing this boring yet necessary job.