Mountains of dirty dishes at home – no one wants that. It's better to grab a dishwashing brush straight away.
Very few people like to wash the dishes by hand. If you pay attention to a few basic things, things will be a little easier - and you will ensure that the necessary hygiene exists in the kitchen. So much for now: You should not allow leftover food to dry on your plate, knife or fork. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) recommends cleaning dirty dishes and cutlery immediately. This keeps the kitchen more hygienic and you don't need an unnecessary amount of warm water to get rid of the stuck-on residue. If the dishes and cutlery are very dirty, the experts recommend that you “pre-wash” them. What else should you keep in mind when washing dishes by hand?
Hygiene in the kitchen: What should you pay attention to when washing dishes?
The sink, dishcloth and dishwashing brush should be kept clean – and “if possible, use hot water with sufficient detergent,” says the BfR.
If you have larger quantities of dishes, you should also change the washing water from time to time, says the advice. “Rinsing the washed dishes under running water can further reduce the number of germs on the surfaces,” says the BfR.
After washing the dishes by hand, you can then drain them using appropriate precautions and let them air dry. Or rub it dry with a clean and dry tea towel. You should not use a kitchen towel to dry off, as this could cause germs to get onto the cleaned dishes.
Experts agree that you should change the dishcloths and tea towels for drying more often, after a week at the latest, and wash the towels at at least 60 degrees.
Hand or kitchen towels should be washed in the washing machine with a universal or heavy-duty detergent containing bleach (e.g. as powder, granules or tablets) in a program that would actually reach 60 degrees, advises the
Washing Forum
on its website - You should pay close attention to the washing machine's instructions for use.
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Wash dishes by hand: Start with glasses and cups
You should also think about the environment. You can often save water and energy simply by cleaning the dishes immediately and not leaving them out for a long time. But that's often not enough. When it comes to the order of washing by hand,
Oekotest.de
recommends , among other things, starting with the dishes that are the least dirty, such as glasses or cups. And, for example, washing dirty plates until the end. The advice is that you can then briefly immerse the dishes in a second basin of cold, clear water, which will remove any remaining detergent and other small residues.
Ökotest
also gives another sustainable dishwashing tip
: You should add a dash of household vinegar to the water because it works “like rinse aid”.