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I am a housewife, and I have discovered that washing dishes by hand is much better than using a loud, smelly dishwasher. Here are the tips that will get your dishes sparkling!

-Always use HOT water. Hot water de-sticks the stuck on food from your dishes better than cold water. I find it is best to fill up my sink with hot, soapy water and fill it with my dishes as soon as I'm done using them. (This also prevents you from putting the job off until later. A sink full of soapy water and ready-to-rinse dishes is a great motivator!)

-If, as sometimes happens, you have a counter top covered in dirty dishes, you will want to put them in some type of washing order. Wash the cleanest dishes first, and save the gunkiest stuff for last. Here's my order: 1)Silverware (soaking at the bottom of the water) 2)Glasses/Cups 3)Anything plastic 4)Least dirty bowls and plates 5)Dirtiest bowls and plates 6)Pots and pans. You can also leave the pots and pans soaking and come back to them after the food has had time to de-stick.

-Use the proper tools when washing by hand. A dish cloth and scrubby brush work wonders. You can use an S.O.S. pad, but be careful not to use it on surfaces that might scratch! And don't disregard your God-given hand washing tool...the fingernail!

-When it comes to rinsing, it is best to rinse your dishes in hot water. Hot water dries quicker than cold water when drying on a rack. Otherwise, you can let your dishes rinse in cool water and then dry them with a clean dish towel. *Remember to dry knives and forks pointy side down if drying on a rack!

-Whether or not you wear gloves is your choice. My personal preference is to go bare handed. You can always replenish moisture by putting some lotion on when you're finished.

-A final tip on safety. Always be careful when handling glassware! Don't thrust your hand into the water when reaching for a glass, and be gentle when washing. The last thing you want is to cut your hand on broken glass!

Follow these tips and hand-wash with pleasure. Once you realize how much easier it is to wash as you go, you will never have to worry about dirty pile-ups again!

Learn more about this author, Miss Amanda.
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