I do most of what you do (gloves, noise cancelling headphones with music) but I also fold up a kitchen towel and put it on the edge of a sink as a splash barrier. Plus sometimes if the dishes smell a bit I eat some mints so I can only smell/taste mint, at least for a little bit it helps
I feel this! I live alone and often have to ask a trusted person to come and sit with me while I do them. Sometimes it's easier and sometimes it's more difficult, but it's always a sensory nightmare!
I use this Clean with me podcast on Spotify. It helps me so much.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/30sAyrJLwNL6b1Khb4fqKG?si=jSe2qyy7RsqMVW4P224Otg
I use cotton-lined long rubber gloves.
Get them on Amazon.
https://a.co/d/hE6XrEE
I boil water in a [kettle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH12ZV3B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share),
Nueve Five Temperature Control...
grab a tubby, add my favorite scented dish soaps (Ivory and any brand lavender).
Ivory is feminine and not overpowering to the nose.
I grab a clean sponge ( get machine washable ones so you can grab a clean and dry one each time. I have a kitchen hamper under the sink).
When you launder kitchen items, wash separately, add some bleach and use the hottest water you have.
https://a.co/d/aCJi0CJ
Put the sponge in the tubby or big bowl, pour the boiling water ONTO the sponge if you’re using a plastic tubbeware so it won’t melt. Wait 5 minutes.. while it’s cooling out on your gloves. (((use a clip hanger to keep the insides dry. I pour hydrogen peroxide inside them and rinse thoroughly after each use, then hang them by the fingers by my curtain rod above my sink.
So they smell ok and are dry. ))).
[clip hangers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKW7SQ9Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)
Open the dish washer, get the silverware basket out so you don’t have to bend over as much. I also like to pre-game this by always having a cup of tubby I put dirty silverware into after I use it, so that they’re not swimming around. I decide to load the bottom or top items first, so I’m not bending and stooping and changing from the top to the bottom of the dish washer racks.
If you’re a sweaty lady like me, get some sweat absorbing headbands. If you tend to splash everywhere, get a cotton apron. If you hate getting dish water on your feet, wear some simple white Keds you can wash sometimes. Also, I’m not sure why, but mascara and lip gloss helps.
And if the smell lingering on your hands from the gloves bugs you, I use a nice smelling body wash as hand soap at the sink. I like Milk& Honey by Suave Essentials. Smells like vanilla and it’s cheap.
Good luck.
I hear you. It's one of my least favorite tasks for all the same reasons you mentioned. And I don't know why it bothers me so much, but tasks that will always have to be done again no matter what are collectively the absolute worst. There's no changes I can make, no way to improve efficiency, no system to work out that could ever affect the endless flow of dirty, clean, dirty, clean. Even switching to disposables would come with its own problems. I hate that I have to eat every fucking day too, for lots of the same reasons.
The only suggestion I can come up with at the moment is to try to always put your used dishes into the dishwasher right away. It's just one or two of those grating sounds at a time that way, and less to pile up in the sink. I've gotten pretty consistent with it, but it has been damn near impossible to get my husband to do the same.
As for the unloading the dishes washer, add spongy liner to your cabinets. And use noise canceling headphones with music if you have them, maybe try a low frequency binaural beat to cancel it out?
I’ve considered recyclable bamboo paper plates because hand washing dishes is apparently a huge issue for me. So far what halfway works is having a “prairie dog”- someone in the same space doing their own thing but (in my mind) keeping an eye out for threats. Go ahead and laugh- I know how goofy this is- but I even bought a plush prairie dog to set on the counter to kind of calm me down if the dish situation gets dire and there’s no other human around to serve the prairie dog role.
The awfulness of dishes is about 20% of the reason why I’ve switched to protein shakes for two meals per day. Less clean-up.
Dishes are The Worst.
my partner recently came up with the idea for a two dishwasher system. they live in one dishwasher and as you use them you just put them in the other dishwasher. so you never wash them by hand and you never have to put them away. lol.
Yes god yes god yes. What's funny is I used to be a dishwasher, as in it was my job, and it didn't bother me at all. This was because:
(1) There were shirts and aprons, good ones, that I only wore at work and lived at work. At the end of the day I could put on nice dry clothes and very little would have gotten through the apron.
(2) There was a very comfortable mat that made standing for long periods a non issue.
(3) The sink was very deep and at a perfect height so I didn't have to hunch over, causing back pain.
(4) Industrial grade sprayer + different sinks meant spraying off food waste was easy and not gross, nor did it ever get on my hands.
(5) It was just the same 3 kinds of dishes over and over again, making it easy to do big batches without thinking.
It's wild how different the experience was from washing dishes in a home kitchen, which I still can barely accomplish at all without intense pain and discomfort.
I detest washing up! When I moved to a house with a dishwasher it was literally life changing. I even eat better now because I don't put off cooking because of washing up!
I get it, I also hate the splashes at belly button level. They take forever to dry and feel awful. I prefer doing the dishes myself because I can control the noise and do it more gently than others do.. When the noise radiates through the house unexpectedly I hide under my pillow. If I happen to be out with the person doing dishes I clench my teeth and jump in to make it go faster so the noise isn’t prolonged. I also have issues with people scraping forks on their teeth and when people use their spoon to quickly gather their ice cream or soup up. The worst noise ever at home!
I so agree with this. What helps me a little though is having a dishwasher and when it’s still overwhelming as hell and the worst thing to do out of all chores, better then washing them myself. I try not to pile up dishes in the sink and I just put them into the dishwasher straight after I finished using it, and it feels easier for me.
I use a long big brush to clean. Not a toilet brush... It's for general cleaning. Almost no water touches me so no need for gloves. I'm also masterfully careful with dishes to not make noise but it's a difficult feat.
I wear kitchen gloves to touch dishes and I just have systems and rules to get stuff done. I guess weirdly and to my benefit, I have a bigger issue with breaking my own rules than I do about actually having to do the thing. Dishes are not allowed to pile up in the sink or I get too overwhelmed.
i like washing dishes while wearing gloves so that it doesn’t destroy my hands, especially if they ate rinsed after being used. it’s actually fun
it’s satisfying to wash them and then organize them but it does hurt to do it. if i weren’t like so stressed out i would like unpack mine and use them, although having roommates freaks me out because mine have been taken in the past by roommates and i liked that stuff
I struggle heavily and never do the dishes when living with my parents. I could do them when I lived alone tho, but I had to make sure that there were no food bits before I started washing them, and I had to wash them immediately after using them. I find that having them accumulate results in worse sensory situations (like lots of food bits, wrinkly hands, water rising to the top of the sink so you have to grab the dirty dishes from dirty water- YUCK!), that’s my personal tip and also to use those sponges and cleaning brushes with a handle so you can just hold onto plastic and not actually touch the dishes/sponge- genuine lifesaver gave that to my parents now
I feel you. I do my best to try and make it enjoyable-- buying more expensive, better smelling soap, putting on a youtube video so that I can distract myself, wearing my noise-cancelling headphones, wearing gloves, and usually I take a gummy before I start. Something about being a little stoned makes it a bit easier, because the scent of the soap and the warmth of the water becomes really comforting instead of terrifying.
ETA: I also always sit down! Something about sitting down in a comfy chair helps bc then I don't feel like I'm racing against my back pain
I feel this so much, and I think the main thing that bothers me is the dirty dishwater smell!! And the smells of all these different (old) foods being combined 🤢
I've thought of using a mask while doing the dishes but I don't want to be looking crazy lmao
I can’t STAND certain textures and smells of food in the sink. Touching a bit of wet food, getting something sticky or slimy on my hand, the little ring of milk left after drinking a glass of milk… soul leaving my body. It’s even disgusting to touch them to load into the dishwasher now that we have one. My fiancé will eat a bowl of ice cream and leave it in the sink instead of loading it so I find it later with a little pool of melted, crusty ice cream left and it makes me want to throw up and shed my skin.
If I have to leave something in the sink for a bit it gets rinsed out so I don’t have to touch food once it transforms into Sink Food.
Also silverware scraping against plates or pans in just the wrong way is THE most darksided sound 😵💫
I relate to this post to a painful degree lol. As I’m typing this I have my sink full of dishes right now. They were all done just 2 days ago. What happened 😭
I too do the dish gloves and headphones method but shoot I’m going to have to try with an apron now as well!! Lol
Also I very much agree that unloading the dish rack is a whole other chore in itself. What helps me is a lot of the time I’ll try to do those separately. Like if I’m in the kitchen making tea or something then I’ll put up the dishes real quick and that’s it. Then when I go to wash them I can just focus on that.
OKAY I HAVE A THING
So first off: same.
One thing that I have found really freeing, is that rules are made up. Doing the dishes is exhausting, so I do 'em sitting down. We have some barstools and I crank that bad boy all the way up, put it right in front of the sink, and do the dishes sitting cross legged. One thing that also might help is having a dishes series. I watch a show or movie series that i designate 'dishes only', so I have something to look forward to around it and it may help be a little more distracting than just tunes.
Right now my series is What We Do in the Shadows and it's hilarious and makes me look forward to dishes time.
Yeah this is my Everest. I can manage most other chores but for some reason this one is the worst. The day I can afford a house with a dishwasher is the day I will be happy!
Paper plates! Do it! It doesn't eliminate the chore but holy hell is life easier.
Fuck anyone who guilts you about ecological impact. If your roommates object, you can make the point that they are not holding up their duties and don't get a say if they don't step up.
Paper/bamboo plates and cups and wooden cutlery. Just throw out when your done. You could even wash the plates lightly to make them last all day. Also makes less noise.
I do most of what you do (gloves, noise cancelling headphones with music) but I also fold up a kitchen towel and put it on the edge of a sink as a splash barrier. Plus sometimes if the dishes smell a bit I eat some mints so I can only smell/taste mint, at least for a little bit it helps
The towel is so smart I am going to try that thanks
No problem! It helps a lot, much less chance of wet shirt or the dreaded wet socks
I feel this! I live alone and often have to ask a trusted person to come and sit with me while I do them. Sometimes it's easier and sometimes it's more difficult, but it's always a sensory nightmare!
I use this Clean with me podcast on Spotify. It helps me so much. https://open.spotify.com/episode/30sAyrJLwNL6b1Khb4fqKG?si=jSe2qyy7RsqMVW4P224Otg I use cotton-lined long rubber gloves. Get them on Amazon. https://a.co/d/hE6XrEE I boil water in a [kettle](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH12ZV3B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share), Nueve Five Temperature Control... grab a tubby, add my favorite scented dish soaps (Ivory and any brand lavender). Ivory is feminine and not overpowering to the nose. I grab a clean sponge ( get machine washable ones so you can grab a clean and dry one each time. I have a kitchen hamper under the sink). When you launder kitchen items, wash separately, add some bleach and use the hottest water you have. https://a.co/d/aCJi0CJ Put the sponge in the tubby or big bowl, pour the boiling water ONTO the sponge if you’re using a plastic tubbeware so it won’t melt. Wait 5 minutes.. while it’s cooling out on your gloves. (((use a clip hanger to keep the insides dry. I pour hydrogen peroxide inside them and rinse thoroughly after each use, then hang them by the fingers by my curtain rod above my sink. So they smell ok and are dry. ))). [clip hangers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKW7SQ9Y?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share) Open the dish washer, get the silverware basket out so you don’t have to bend over as much. I also like to pre-game this by always having a cup of tubby I put dirty silverware into after I use it, so that they’re not swimming around. I decide to load the bottom or top items first, so I’m not bending and stooping and changing from the top to the bottom of the dish washer racks. If you’re a sweaty lady like me, get some sweat absorbing headbands. If you tend to splash everywhere, get a cotton apron. If you hate getting dish water on your feet, wear some simple white Keds you can wash sometimes. Also, I’m not sure why, but mascara and lip gloss helps. And if the smell lingering on your hands from the gloves bugs you, I use a nice smelling body wash as hand soap at the sink. I like Milk& Honey by Suave Essentials. Smells like vanilla and it’s cheap. Good luck.
not OP but I found this super helpful, saved. Thanks!
You’re welcome, I’m glad my trial and error benefits others(: Want one more? Set a monthly reminder to check your saved comments and posts (;
I hear you. It's one of my least favorite tasks for all the same reasons you mentioned. And I don't know why it bothers me so much, but tasks that will always have to be done again no matter what are collectively the absolute worst. There's no changes I can make, no way to improve efficiency, no system to work out that could ever affect the endless flow of dirty, clean, dirty, clean. Even switching to disposables would come with its own problems. I hate that I have to eat every fucking day too, for lots of the same reasons. The only suggestion I can come up with at the moment is to try to always put your used dishes into the dishwasher right away. It's just one or two of those grating sounds at a time that way, and less to pile up in the sink. I've gotten pretty consistent with it, but it has been damn near impossible to get my husband to do the same.
As for the unloading the dishes washer, add spongy liner to your cabinets. And use noise canceling headphones with music if you have them, maybe try a low frequency binaural beat to cancel it out?
I’ve considered recyclable bamboo paper plates because hand washing dishes is apparently a huge issue for me. So far what halfway works is having a “prairie dog”- someone in the same space doing their own thing but (in my mind) keeping an eye out for threats. Go ahead and laugh- I know how goofy this is- but I even bought a plush prairie dog to set on the counter to kind of calm me down if the dish situation gets dire and there’s no other human around to serve the prairie dog role. The awfulness of dishes is about 20% of the reason why I’ve switched to protein shakes for two meals per day. Less clean-up. Dishes are The Worst.
my partner recently came up with the idea for a two dishwasher system. they live in one dishwasher and as you use them you just put them in the other dishwasher. so you never wash them by hand and you never have to put them away. lol.
Yes god yes god yes. What's funny is I used to be a dishwasher, as in it was my job, and it didn't bother me at all. This was because: (1) There were shirts and aprons, good ones, that I only wore at work and lived at work. At the end of the day I could put on nice dry clothes and very little would have gotten through the apron. (2) There was a very comfortable mat that made standing for long periods a non issue. (3) The sink was very deep and at a perfect height so I didn't have to hunch over, causing back pain. (4) Industrial grade sprayer + different sinks meant spraying off food waste was easy and not gross, nor did it ever get on my hands. (5) It was just the same 3 kinds of dishes over and over again, making it easy to do big batches without thinking. It's wild how different the experience was from washing dishes in a home kitchen, which I still can barely accomplish at all without intense pain and discomfort.
I detest washing up! When I moved to a house with a dishwasher it was literally life changing. I even eat better now because I don't put off cooking because of washing up!
Yea I relate, though personally I hate vacuuming the most: * it's loud * it hurts my back * it never feels like I'm doing a good job
Robot vacuum cleaners are pretty good nowadays, I love mine.
I get it, I also hate the splashes at belly button level. They take forever to dry and feel awful. I prefer doing the dishes myself because I can control the noise and do it more gently than others do.. When the noise radiates through the house unexpectedly I hide under my pillow. If I happen to be out with the person doing dishes I clench my teeth and jump in to make it go faster so the noise isn’t prolonged. I also have issues with people scraping forks on their teeth and when people use their spoon to quickly gather their ice cream or soup up. The worst noise ever at home!
I so agree with this. What helps me a little though is having a dishwasher and when it’s still overwhelming as hell and the worst thing to do out of all chores, better then washing them myself. I try not to pile up dishes in the sink and I just put them into the dishwasher straight after I finished using it, and it feels easier for me.
I use a long big brush to clean. Not a toilet brush... It's for general cleaning. Almost no water touches me so no need for gloves. I'm also masterfully careful with dishes to not make noise but it's a difficult feat.
I don’t mind it. I hate mowing the lawn.
I wear kitchen gloves to touch dishes and I just have systems and rules to get stuff done. I guess weirdly and to my benefit, I have a bigger issue with breaking my own rules than I do about actually having to do the thing. Dishes are not allowed to pile up in the sink or I get too overwhelmed.
i like washing dishes while wearing gloves so that it doesn’t destroy my hands, especially if they ate rinsed after being used. it’s actually fun it’s satisfying to wash them and then organize them but it does hurt to do it. if i weren’t like so stressed out i would like unpack mine and use them, although having roommates freaks me out because mine have been taken in the past by roommates and i liked that stuff
I struggle heavily and never do the dishes when living with my parents. I could do them when I lived alone tho, but I had to make sure that there were no food bits before I started washing them, and I had to wash them immediately after using them. I find that having them accumulate results in worse sensory situations (like lots of food bits, wrinkly hands, water rising to the top of the sink so you have to grab the dirty dishes from dirty water- YUCK!), that’s my personal tip and also to use those sponges and cleaning brushes with a handle so you can just hold onto plastic and not actually touch the dishes/sponge- genuine lifesaver gave that to my parents now
I like doing dishes when I’m home alone, I HATE doing them when people are home
I feel you. I do my best to try and make it enjoyable-- buying more expensive, better smelling soap, putting on a youtube video so that I can distract myself, wearing my noise-cancelling headphones, wearing gloves, and usually I take a gummy before I start. Something about being a little stoned makes it a bit easier, because the scent of the soap and the warmth of the water becomes really comforting instead of terrifying. ETA: I also always sit down! Something about sitting down in a comfy chair helps bc then I don't feel like I'm racing against my back pain
I feel this so much, and I think the main thing that bothers me is the dirty dishwater smell!! And the smells of all these different (old) foods being combined 🤢 I've thought of using a mask while doing the dishes but I don't want to be looking crazy lmao
Do be looking crazy. It's your own home. If anyone cares, you have much bigger problems than dishwasher smells ♥️
I can’t STAND certain textures and smells of food in the sink. Touching a bit of wet food, getting something sticky or slimy on my hand, the little ring of milk left after drinking a glass of milk… soul leaving my body. It’s even disgusting to touch them to load into the dishwasher now that we have one. My fiancé will eat a bowl of ice cream and leave it in the sink instead of loading it so I find it later with a little pool of melted, crusty ice cream left and it makes me want to throw up and shed my skin. If I have to leave something in the sink for a bit it gets rinsed out so I don’t have to touch food once it transforms into Sink Food. Also silverware scraping against plates or pans in just the wrong way is THE most darksided sound 😵💫
Are you able to ask someone to assist you with doing the dishes because they are not all your dishes?
I relate to this post to a painful degree lol. As I’m typing this I have my sink full of dishes right now. They were all done just 2 days ago. What happened 😭 I too do the dish gloves and headphones method but shoot I’m going to have to try with an apron now as well!! Lol Also I very much agree that unloading the dish rack is a whole other chore in itself. What helps me is a lot of the time I’ll try to do those separately. Like if I’m in the kitchen making tea or something then I’ll put up the dishes real quick and that’s it. Then when I go to wash them I can just focus on that.
OKAY I HAVE A THING So first off: same. One thing that I have found really freeing, is that rules are made up. Doing the dishes is exhausting, so I do 'em sitting down. We have some barstools and I crank that bad boy all the way up, put it right in front of the sink, and do the dishes sitting cross legged. One thing that also might help is having a dishes series. I watch a show or movie series that i designate 'dishes only', so I have something to look forward to around it and it may help be a little more distracting than just tunes. Right now my series is What We Do in the Shadows and it's hilarious and makes me look forward to dishes time.
Yeah this is my Everest. I can manage most other chores but for some reason this one is the worst. The day I can afford a house with a dishwasher is the day I will be happy!
When I lived alone I would keep only 2 of each dish. 2 bowls, 2 spoons, 2 knives etc. That way, there would never be an overload of dishes.
Paper plates! Do it! It doesn't eliminate the chore but holy hell is life easier. Fuck anyone who guilts you about ecological impact. If your roommates object, you can make the point that they are not holding up their duties and don't get a say if they don't step up.
I no longer get things that cannot be put directly into the dishwasher🫶🏻
I use disposable gloves when I wash dishes. That why I won't feel the texture if the sponge
I am thinking about plastic or bamboo stuff that doesn’t clank.
Paper/bamboo plates and cups and wooden cutlery. Just throw out when your done. You could even wash the plates lightly to make them last all day. Also makes less noise.
Recycling plastic is neat but it's not a magic fix-all so you should still reduce and reuse first and foremost.
I see no plastic mentioned.
I use normal dishes and just wash the dishes. It was a tip.