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Ah, the lost art of washing dishes by hand. So much more sanitary to throw those unwanted dishes into a dishwasher than let them pile up in a sink. But sometimes, some stuff just doesn't get clean in that handy appliance that can go on the fritz. And then what do you do? Ah well, back to those trusty hands and a magic bottle of dish soap.

Some things to consider to save time and precious skin when washing dishes by hand. Don't throw any sharp objects into that soapy water! You like swimming with sharks, too? You also don't want to pile heavy stuff on top of fragile dinnerware or glasses that can break. Safety first.

If you are washing dishes by hand, scrape off as much food as possible. Pre-soak those pots and pans in hot water and do the rest of your dishes first. If you've got one big enough, wash your dishes inside of that.

Add Palmolive or Dawn dish detergent with water as hot as you can stand. It helps to use rubber gloves to keep skin soft. You can use bottle brushes to get glasses clean effectively. Otherwise, spin up a wash rag and push it around inside that glass. Washing glassware before plates helps them become spot free.

After rinsing off those plates, the pots and pans should clean up nicely. If you have a dishwasher, it can be used as a drying rack. There may even be a heat setting to dry faster.

If using a dish towel,' make sure it is clean and not used by an unsanitary chef who doesn't take time to use soap and water during the preparation of that next culinary delight. It's better to air dry those dishes and to be sure they go back into places like the cupboards once they have had time to dry.

Learn more about this author, Brian Keith Compton.
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