Parenting Pointers: Dealing with Dirty Dishes

If you've ever hosted a party and are anything like me, you know that the worst part of hosting is cleaning the dishes afterwards - especially if there's lots of stuck-on or greasy food. Dawn dish soap and Cascade have solutions for you. The websites contain great tips on things like washing dishes, handling collectibles, saving water and energy, glassware and water spots, dishwasher maintenance, and much more. Some of the most helpful tips (I think) include this way to wash dishes by hand:

You can help by saving more water and energy when you wash your dishes. To help you reduce waste, we have developed a proven method to wash dishes while saving up to 70% of water and 60% of energy:

1. Set up the sink. Fill one side with hot water for soaking and washing. Fill the other basin with cold water for rinsing.

2. Add dish liquid. Mix dish liquid into the hot water only. Avoid creating too many suds, as the suds can retain grease and food soils instead of letting them settle to the bottom of the sink.

3. Follow a pattern. Wash your dishes using this method. First, dispose of leftovers in a wastebasket or compost bin. Next, soak the dishes in the hot water. While the toughest dishes are soaking, start cleaning the easiest dishes. Then rinse each dish by dunking it into the cold water. Finish by placing each dish on a rack to dry.

Or these, about saving energy with the dishwasher:

• Set the dishwasher on the low temperature or eco mode. Our products work effectively in the eco-mode if you have an older model machine; make sure to choose a machine that’s rated high for energy and water efficiency if you ever need to replace it.

• Fully load the dishwasher before running it. This makes the most of the energy, water and detergents used each time. Once loaded, try using Cascade Complete® Pacs since they combine the best of powder and gel in one pac to power away 24-hour, stuck-on food.

Visit the website for many more helpful tips, plus coupons, recipes, and much more!

Dawn Ultra contains double the everyday grease cleaning ingredients in every drop versus the leading non-concentrated dish soap. Dawn cleans 2X more greasy dishes while suds last making clean-up quick and easy.

For those messy items headed to the dishwasher, turn to Cascade Complete Pacs. Cascade combines the best of powder and gel in one pac to power away 24-hour, stuck-on food. The Cascade Complete gel and powder eliminate the needs to pre-wash since each formula can dissolve tough food particles.


Disclosure: I received complimentary products from Dawn and Cascade as a thank-you for this post. All opinions are my own.