What do you think about when you wash the dishes?
Asked by
6rant6 (
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February 21st, 2012
There’s something about washing dishes by hand that makes me think about certain things. Like how different people wash dishes and what they think about while they do it. Or how unclean dishes are until they dry. Or how much water do we waste doing something without considering what we’re doing, yet working hard to save it at others. More generally, what do we think we’re doing to conserve while simultaneously wasting greater amounts doing something else. That kind of stuff.
How about you? What do you think about when you wash the dishes?
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37 Answers
I dunno. I never thought about what I think about :-/
I guess I think, “when I come home from work tomorrow, I’ll have clean dishes…”
Generally I am thinking:
“Why the heck do I have to wash the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. After all, isn’t that what the dishwasher is supposed to do?”
@YoBob – I wonder why some people do that, too. I don’t. I put them right in. They still come out clean. If a pot’s particularly dirty, I’ll run that one pot by itself through the dishwasher right away rather than wait for a full load so the crud doesn’t get hard and turn to concrete. But I don’t do a lot of hard-core cooking, so that situation doesn’t come up often for me.
I think: I hate doing the dishes.
Nowt really, maybe hum a song or two.
Well, @HungryGuy, bottom line is that is one of the tiny compromises I make in deference to my spouse. She asks me to rinse the dishes before putting them in, and in the grand scheme of things it’s a pretty darned small request when compared to her general awesomeness.
I just sing when I’m doing the dishes.
I look out the window above my sink and think about the weather outside or the things I see out the window (usually birds on the tree).
@6rant6 : I honestly think about exactly what I’m doing. I try to practice what Buddhists call mindfulness. Basically, it means concentrating exactly on the task at hand and each step involved. I sometimes take it to the next level and say out loud what I’m doing: “I’m picking up the cup. I’m scrubbing the cup. I’m rinsing the cup…” I know this sounds silly, but washing the dishes for me is very therapeutic, and I come away feeling relaxed and centered.
Be here now.
My “reflection” time is when I am lying in bed, waiting to fall asleep. I don’t think rinsing and putting dishes in the dishwasher really counts as washing the dishes, anyway.
As for what I think about when I am lying in bed, waiting to go to sleep – there were times in my life when I would think about what I “should” have said to whatever person I may have had a disagreement with that day. Sometimes I plan a vacation – sometimes I worry about one of my kids. Sometimes I wonder if there really were “ancient aliens” that perpetuated the human race. Sometimes I gloat to myself about a particular victory or accomplishment. Sometimes I just like to remember and relive some fun times I have had.
I usually put the dishes in the dishwasher, but on the rare occasion that I wash them myself, I think about what I need to do to get them clean, in other words, I focus on the task.
I don’t wash dishes. The dishwasher does.
“Maybe tomorrow I will do them right after we have finished dinner.”
“Where is that potato skin peeler again?”
“Ouch, that’s hot.”
“Will I excite my girlfriend wearing just an aprin?”
I think “Damn that water is freaking HOT!” and instead of adding some cold water to it I play a tag game with the water so I can rinse them in that hot hot water without getting burned. And without wearing gloves. :)
Why did you have to ask this question??
Within a minute or two I’ll be thinking “Damn I need to pee!”. I think it’s the running tap that makes me want to do that, every single time.
@downtide Yep! Works on infants and toddlers, too. ;)
I like this question.
I look out the window in front of me, if it’s dark out then I might glance at my reflection in the window.
I think about the day, conversations that I have had. I talk to myself, and think about what is ahead for me.
When I was a kid, I used to do dish washing liquid commercials. I would play with the suds and pretend that I was a glamorous woman with lovely hands showing the suds in my sink cleaning my fabulous dishes.
I sometimes get philosophical and think back over my life. Other times I just think of what I will be doing once the dishes are done.
I’m thinking, man, why can’t these dishes wash themselves? Does anyone wash me? No. Inanimate bastard dishes.
But really, it’s just pretty random…usually my roommate helps, so we just talk while washing the dishes.
I hope I rinsed them well enough. I hate soap in my coffee.
How angry I am that there is such a large pile of dishes. It’s not healthy.
Usually I’m thinking, “Oh dang! I have to wash this plastic/non stick skillet/stockpot-that-is-too-big-to-fit-in-the-dishwasher by hand and waste water.”
A short while back I adopted a friend’s Clean Sink policy. Dishes get put into/removed from the dishwasher immediately, and dishes in the sink get washed immediately, no leaving them there over night. And counters get cleared off and wiped down immediately, no sticky jelly residue or crumbs left laying around. I try to run my kitchen like Robert Irvine runs a kitchen, with regards to cleaning while you go and never letting it get dirty in the first place.
It has made a world of difference to the way the kitchen looks and smells. It always seems clean and ready to use, now. But it does take a certain mind-set to pull it off. I’m the only one who doesn’t mind actually doing it, so I’m the only one that does it. But it gives me peace of mind, since I’m the one who uses the kitchen the most for actual cooking.
I think about the pain my body feels when doing that stuff and angry my great nephew doesnt do it. We have a dishwasher.
Fibro sucks.
I’m not sure I think at all. I’ll have to pay attention and find out.
The window over my kitchen sink overlooks this awesome hillside/field past my back yard with woods at the bottom and a row of cherry trees at the top. My mind kind of wanders all the time, but the combination of this view+ a mindless task means I can focus on peaceful things, like the seasons changing out there or the different times of day. I’ve painted that view a couple different times.
When I wash dishes I feel either really happy and optimistic, or sad and down. Other times I’m in a hurry so I’ll just want to get them done and carry on…
By the way I absolutely hate washing dishes and getting my hands wet…I don’t know..
But when I do wash, I get happy about the future…. I look out to the window and feel sun shine on my face. I think about my future children that are yet-to-be born…. I think about what a great mom and person I’m becoming and will become. I think about making a good future for my babies, children, and family…..
and when I’m feeling sad and just happen to be washing the dishes, I think about how lonely I feel…..
I think about how sad it is to be washing one dish or one meal for myself… I’d like to cook for a lot of people… so when I wash my own dish and put it away I feel really alone…. Deep…. I know…. hehe
Soap suds and me equals tuning into the whimsical aspects of being a person, kind of polyanna but fun to enjoy life and wishing on a star.
I think about what I’m going to do next after I finish the dishes. Not interesting, but it’s the truth.
Lately during dish-washing I’ve been thinking about how some people don’t rinse their dishes before they dry them. Someone I knew of cleaned their dishes then used a towel to dry them and wipe up all the soapiness. No offence if you are someone who does this, but I can’t get my head around the concept.
@Keep_on_running That whole concept is making my eye twitch just thinking about it.
@Symbeline – If you’re over 18, I volunteer to wash you :-0
^And a naughty one to boot!
@Symbeline – LoL. A guy has to be careful, you know :-p
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