I definitely don't use soap on everything--knives used to cut raw veggies and the cutting board for them, measuring cups and spoons, etc. Obviously, there's a need for soap on dishes and pots and pans, typically. But I'm not really a germaphobe and don't see the point in using soap on stuff like that.

I do that a lot with measuring cups. If I'm measuring something dry (like my daily oatmeal), I kind of don't even rinse it, maybe just tap it on the jar and toss it back in the drawer. Or if I, say, microwave a bowl of frozen peas, I just rinse it and put it back. But I'm also one of those horrible uncouth people who only changes their sheets once a month, so take that for what it's worth.

I find that as long as I scrub off food residue, my stainless steel and glass dishes (pots and pans, mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc) get literally squeaky clean without any soap at all, just a once-(or twice-)over with the sponge.

Plastic, however, seems to need soap most of the time--it really holds on to any oil and/or pungent smells.

Agree with above. Oils, fats and such especially on plastic items seem to retain to oils and need some soap. With mixed items I usually drip some soap in the plastic item rub it around and throw it in the water so the the soap comes off and leaves a low concentration of soap for the other, easier to clean, items.

I frequently wash things without soap if I feel it's unnecessary. For example, when I drain pasta in a colander I generally will just rinse it off.

I tend to use soap for just about everything except the occasional measuring cup or spoon. Soap isn't just about getting rid of visible stains - doesn't it help with bacteria? I know some bacteria is beneficial, but haven't a lot of e coli outbreaks occured in veggies? I'd rather be safe than sorry.

even with a dish washer i will often just rinse off some of the stuff and put it back away. Especially if you do mise en place you can end up with a lot of not very dirty dishes and measuring devices. I just rinse these, dry them, and put them away.

Obviously anything that touches raw meat, eggs, oils, etc needs a bit of soap and usually ends up in the dishwasher for a thorough cleaning.

I do tend to use soap all the time, but then I also use one of these:
http://www.dishmatic.com/dishmatic.html

As a result, the actual amount of soap I use to wash up has dropped DRAMATICALLY - a normal (about 500ml) sized bottle of washing up liquid lasts me 6-8 months. I bought 6 bottles back in early 2010, I'm still only on the second one!

I find with one of these, using the white (safe for non-stick) heads, most hand washing up is done quickly and easily, I rarely even have to fill the sink since most tasks can be accomplished with rinsing now.

I only wash what is needed in soap.

uh, shouldn't you rinse after you swipe with the wash rag? Those things carry a lot of bacteria

and to save soap, I scrub all stuck on food off with just water, then I don't need as much soap to finnish cleaning them

I'm always a little embarrassed when someone is watching me cook because they see exactly how many things I put away without washing them. My measuring cups usually get a tap-tap in the side of the bowl or a quick wipe with a towel.

What ohwoah said. Both the part where I don't wash everything I use to cook and the bed sheets reference. *G*

I'm with ohwoah and Christine. Lots of tap 'n toss, and "sleepy" sheets.

Two reasons for soap: (1) it is a surfactant, which allows hydrophobic molecules (such as oil) to 'dissolve' in water and be washed away and (2) to kill food borne bacteria and prevent cross contamination of raw & cooked food. Consequently, if the utensil has only touched cooked and entirely water soluble food, I don't wash it with detergent unless I happen to already have soapy hands. =D

Not washing dishes and sleeping in sheets for a month? No thank you. I have to wash everything by hand in one sink and somehow I manage. I guess this is why they always say home kitchens are filthier than restaurants.

If I have just stirred tea with a spoon I just rinse it. Also a knife for chopping vegetables just gets a rinse. If something has been eaten off of, I wash with soap or it goes in the dishwasher.
There is nothing filthy about a spoon that never went into a mouth and just stirred some hot tea.

I never use soap on pans. I rinse them off as soon as I finish cooking with them. They may have a bit of residue grease on them but I store them with the lid on. And any germs or bacteria are killed when I pre-heat the pan too.
You wouldn't wash cast iron with soap, so why use it on any other pot or pan?

I just brush crumbs off the bread knife, too. I don't see any reason to waste time, energy, water, etc. on washing things that really aren't dirty. To me, it's common sense and washing every single thing you touch or use with soap is overkill.

If it's dry stuff, I may only use a (clean dry) cloth to wipe it out. I use water only for most everything else. Only time I do soap is when there is raw food (meats, eggs) or oils that came in contact with the item.

Hot water is the key. I use soap on things that are oily or have residue. But it's really the hot water that kills the bacteria.

MFK Fisher didn't use soap, if I recall. I don't wash measuring spoons if I only used them for baking powder or something like that.

Dishes aside, I'd love to give the sink in that picture a good scouring. It's truly filthy.

I'm not someone obsessed with germs and being super clean (unlike a lot of AT readers it would seem) but yes, I do think you need to actually WASH your dishes to get them clean.