Give Your Lunch Gear a Bubble Bath After School (or Work)

Katie Morford
Katie Morford
Katie Morford is a freelance food writer, registered dietitian, and cooking teacher. She writes at Mom’s Kitchen Handbook, and she is the author of Rise & Shine (Roost Books). She lives in San Francisco with three daughters and her husband.
updated May 2, 2019
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Part of the chore of packing lunches is managing all those reusable containers. Just keeping those babies clean and organized is half the battle. And if you’re making lunches for more than one, all those lids, thermoses, and water bottles can dominate your dishwasher. Here’s a tip that will save your dishwasher for the dishes and keep a steady supply of waste-free containers at the ready:

(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Set out a big bowl of hot soapy water and ask your kids, your spouse (or yourself!) to empty, rinse and plop those reusables into the bubbly water for a speedy clean up. Rinse and leave them to dry on the counter so they’re ready to go when the lunch packing routine starts up all over again. 

Not only does this cut down on the clutter, it minimizes the wear and tear on containers and may be preferable from a health standpoint. Some experts believe the sustained, high heat of a dishwasher may be more likely to leach unseemly chemicals from plastic containers. 

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(Image: Katie Morford; Jennifer Martiné)