Stain guide
It is often said that you can assess how clean and hygienic a home is by looking at the status of the kitchen and bathrooms. For us, one of the big tasks in keeping a kitchen clean is washing those dirty dishes that seem to magically pile up after every meal! While we may want to put off the mundane task of washing soiled utensils, we also understand that their timely washing is indeed necessary to maintain kitchen hygiene. But it isn’t just about timely washing, you need to use an effective dishwash detergent to get rid of those tough stains and grease on your kitchen vessels. We say this after trying home remedies like baking soda and vinegar, which have rather failed to give us clean and sparkling utensils after use. Also, the odour of food in the dishes continues to linger on even after washing them using DIY solutions. But don’t worry, as we’ve got some tried and tested tips that will help you deal with all those dirty dishes quickly and efficiently!
1. Tackle the Dishes as Soon You Can
We’ve realized that the process of washing dishes becomes faster and easier if it is done immediately. Not only is it easier to scrape off leftovers so that you don’t have to spend too much time scrubbing later, it also saves time and money as you don’t need to use excess dishwashing liquid or extra water to get those tough stains out.
2. Remove Leftover Food and Grease From the Dishes
In our experience, a tip that works well every time is scraping off the remains of food from your utensils immediately. This also helps to keep the drains free from any accumulation of gunk, leading to cleaner pipes. Additionally, we also recommend using a sink strainer to catch the food waste and avoid clogging.
3. Stack The Dishes by Size
We feel that organization works well everywhere- even when you have to clean dirty dishes. Stacking and grouping similarly-sized items will help you get through the load faster by reducing time spent to sort out mixed-up utensils. Start from the top of the pyramid i.e. small bowls and plates and work your way down to the big platters and large plates - think of it like a game of Tetris! For glassware or delicate items, you can keep them separately in a safe place next to the sink on the counter and deal with them at the end.
4. Pre-Soak Bigger Utensils in Hot Water
We’ve experimented and found that hot water works really well in loosening up the dirt and grease stuck to our dishes. The vessels we use to cook and serve food take a longer time to clean, as they usually have more stubborn food particles stuck to them. An effective way to fast-forward the cleaning process is to pre-soak the dishes. Fill them with hot water, add just one drop of dishwashing liquid like Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel, that is tough on all kinds of stains, to free up the residues, grease and masalas - let them sit for 15-30 minutes before scrubbing. The liquid dishwash gel is ideal for deep cleaning of utensils, and leaves behind no white residue after washing. Also, if you’re worried about cleaning your expensive crockery, don’t be, as we’ve tried Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel and it does not cause any scratches to appear on your glassware or other expensive crockery!
5. Start Scrubbing
We’ve found that order matters a lot when doing dishes. Start by washing the cleanest items first and then move on to the messiest ones. This helps prevent the inter-transfer of grease, food particles and germs among utensils.
Since you’re going to be washing all of these with your hand, it is imperative to choose a dishwash liquid such as Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel which has a pH neutral formula. Our hands are left feeling absolutely soft and nice even after washing a sinkful of dishes with the liquid! Don’t worry about the load of dirty dishes, just one spoon of Vim Dishwash Liquid Gel is enough to take care of it all! So, you’ll be saving a lot of time, water and money by using this liquid dishwash.
6. Use Running Water to Rinse
Once we have scrubbed the vessels well, we need to rinse them off with water from a running tap as it is more effective and faster than just dunking them in a tub of water. The dishwash liquid needs to be washed off thoroughly and hence it is important to use a product such as Vim Liquid Dishwash Gel that doesn’t leave behind any residue. We highly recommend it for everyday washing of your utensils.
7. Dry the Utensils
We often underestimate the importance of this step – but did you know that how our dishes are dried actually contributes to their cleanliness? Air-drying is the best option, so it would be wonderful if you could invest in a proper drying rack to place the wet dishes in and allow them to air dry. This also saves time, as we don’t have to wipe each vessel individually. However, if you are in a rush, use a clean, lint-free towel to wipe clean glasses, bowls, etc.
8. Replace Scrub Pads Regularly
We’ve found that the more our scrub pads wear out, the more time we actually spend scrubbing our dishes to get them clean! So, don’t forget that regular replacement of sponges is equally important to save time while doing dishes and also to maintain cleaner, shinier vessels for longer.
Different types of scrubbers will be required for different vessels for their longer life. We’ve worked out that a regular scrub pad is effective for stainless steel utensils, sponge or foam based scrub pads work best for ceramics and glass and a steel scrub pad can be used for aluminium cookware.
These tips will definitely help you tackle those towers of plates, cups and bowls quickly and efficiently.
Top Tip: Turn the tap off between the scrubbing and rinsing stages. Otherwise, it can lead to a lot of water wastage.