Cleaning dishes with ease!

Washing dishes and cleaning up is a chore no one wants to do. With Eid festivities coming up and food being a mandatory part of the celebrations, dishes and cookware are bound to get greasy and dirty. For this, washing dishes need more planning and thought to make the entire process less time consuming and exhausting.

For daily use and specific celebrations, cleaning dishes properly is imperative for household health and hygiene. More than anything, using a proper soap or liquid detergent like Lemon Bright Liquid Dish Wash, which has the benefits of lemon, should be used for cleaner and brighter dishes. Doing so will take hosting a party or daily meals to the next level.

Here are some tips to clean dishes more effectively—

Don't let the dishes sit!

Although this has become a modern habit in most households, dishes should not be saved for the end of the day. Leaving unwashed dishes not only adds to unhygienic conditions and uncleanliness, but also cleaning the dishes becomes more tedious. Leftover food particles and grease dry up, making it all the more difficult to remove.

Detergent

Detergent is always necessary to properly clean plates and glasses, especially when the dishes are oily. For hand washing dishes, detergent can either be diluted in a sink or dishpan filled with water or by directly squirting the detergent liquid onto a sponge or the dish itself. Whichever method one opts for, it is a wise move to read the label and follow the directions if there are any in terms of the amount of detergent to use. Some concentrated detergent entails that only a little amount be used at a time, saving both money and the composition of the dishes.

Liquid detergents with lemon are more effective in removing grease and also to sanitise dishes. So, opting for a detergent which has lemon or the properties of lemon would provide for a smoother and easier cleaning.

Don't use bare hands

It is important to keep in mind that using detergent and working with water for a long period of time can cause damage to the palm. So, to protect one's hand from harsh substances, rubber gloves should be worn.

Scrape and soak

Before the actual washing of dishes, the plates need to be prepped. The dishes should be scraped to remove any leftover food with a rubber spatula or a paper towel. For food which sticks to the dishes or cookware, it can be soaked before washing. In this case, adding detergent or baking soda to the sink or dishpan and filling it with hot water to soak the dirty dish for 15 to 30 minutes ought to make the process easier.

However, some cookware and dishes, for instance knives, cast iron and wood, are not meant to be soaked. So, keep an eye out for that!

Hot water

Cleaning the dishes is not only about getting rid of the food stains but also about making sure the dishes are oil-free and sanitised. For this, using hot water is the best option. While using rubber gloves, hot water will not burn one's hands either.

Air dry

It might seem convenient to wipe down dishes with a towel after washing them. However, a dish towel can harbour all kinds of bacteria. As the dish towel might come in contact with other surfaces, it is not as clean as it seems and might contaminate the dishes. So, while doing the dishes at home, it is best to air dry on a dish rack.

Putting the dishes away

The dishes should not be kept in cabinets while it is still wet. Doing so would allow moisture in the cabinets which can warp the material and foster the growth of mildew.

Photo: Lemon Bright Liquid Dish Wash