Quick Tip: Use Less Soap For Cleaner Hand Washed Dishes

Hand washing dishes might sound archaic to those that can’t imagine living without their dishwasher, but for others, it’s just a way of life. There’s all sorts of different schools of thought on how to complete the task, but no matter if you fill the sink or what temperature water you use, what makes the biggest difference is your soap, or rather how much you use!

Talking about hand washing dishes is a tricky topic. Those who own a dishwasher think the rest of us are crazy, but for those without, we all think we know the best way to get the job done. There are many different schools of thought on the subject but today we’d like to take a minute to talk about soap. Not what kind (we’ll leave that up to you), but how much.

Some might be filling a sink with soapy water while others might be soaping as you go, but what if we told you that you’ll use even less soap with a small bowl of water? It’s true! Start with a small bowl with 1 cup (give or take) of water. Add 1 tablespoon of soap and swirl it around. There’s no need to make it foamy, you’re basically just diluting the soap.

Now, as you wash dishes, simply dip your dish rag or sponge into the bowl as you go. This one small amount of soap will wash one if not two full sink fulls of dishes. It’s a great way to save on soap (allowing you to rationalize buying the more expensive eco-friendly brand if you want) and since things rinse clean easier with less soap on them, then it saves you in rinse water too!

Do you have a hand washing tip or trick? Let us know below!

More Hand Washing Tips From The Kitchn
• What Is the Best Way To: Wash Dishes?
• How To Hand Wash Dishes To Conserve Water
• Cleaning Up: What Do You NOT Put in the Dishwasher?

(Image: Sarah Rae Trover)