Traditional Gal Pals: The Dish on Dirty Dishes

Good Saturday Morning Everyone!

Time for some more Cinderella Saturday cleaning tips! There's nothing like waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes in the morning. It's enough to put in anyone in a lousy mood. That's why I want to review some great little gizmos & gadgets that can not only make washing dishes easier, but perhaps even enjoyable. I'm sick, I know. Lol!

Here's my top 5 favorite must haves when I prepare to tackle the dirty dishes.

#1 Radio - Perhaps a little surprising, but it is an absolute must have for me while doing dishes. It's really great to listen to a talk show program or music. It transports you to a different place mentally and before you know it you are practically doing dishes on auto-pilot. The point is, a radio is a great distraction from the ugly task that lies in front of you.

#2 Decent Dish Soap - Okay, so I cannot emphasize enough the importance of decent dish soap. I know many of you would rather save a buck and purchase your dish soap at the dollar store, but let me tell you, you get what you pay for. Don't go cheap. Dish soap really isn't that expensive to begin with. Not only will cheap soap strip the moisture right out of your hands leaving them red and sore, but it also doesn't suds up very well. In my experience you will use about two to three times as much of the cheap stuff, so are you really saving money?

#3 Decent Scrub Brush/Sponge- This is a must! I honestly don't know how people manage without one, especially with hard to scrub dirty dishes like dried-on oatmeal. A good tip for sanitizing your sponge before use is to zap it in the microwave (when it is damp) for about 30 seconds. This really works.

#4 Decent Dish Rack - This is another one of my must haves, especially before I had a dishwasher. Be sure to get one that will last you a while. They have some really nice large metal racks these days at places like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond ($12-$40). A nice big one is a great investment being that it will hold more dishes, hence saving you drying time in between loads. Most also fold up, making it convenient when you need to store it under the sink.

#5 Portable Dishwasher- Now, I realize that budget-wise this might be out of the question for some people & others may already own a built-in model, but I myself have always done the apartment living thing and haven't had a dishwasher until the past couple of years. Finally tired after years of hand washing everything, I decided it was time to buy one & I've never regretted the investment. I have to admit, a little pricey, but shoot - after that many years of doing most of the cooking and dishes, I deserved it. This one is a really nice model (see below). The portable ones are much more pricey than the built-in models often times, but this was one of the least expensive and received good reviews. I have been very pleased with it.