I LOVE cooking…. but I hate doing dishes. 

Since you can’t really do one without the other I’ve resigned myself to the fact that one must, at least once in a while, do dishes.  And by “do dishes” I mean fill the dishwasher.  And by “fill the dishwasher” I mean unless it has an electrical component its going in!

Organized Chaos

There’s a method to the madness though.  If I’m going to spend 1/2 hour filling the darn thing I sure as heck don’t want to spend any more time than necessary emptying it.

Top Rack: mugs, glasses, Ikea-ware platic plates, pasta bowls, big knives, serving utensils.

Bottom Rack: Cutting boards long, baking sheet, cutting board short and large plates.  Also any pots & pans that will actually fit, including mixing bowls.

And the magic….

Cutlery tray:  1 slot for knives, 1 for forks, 1 for big spoons, 1 for small spoons; odds & ends in the other ones.

Why bother?

When the cycle is done and everything is dry, emptying the dishwasher is a snap.  Grab all Ikea-ware in a stack and put away; same for pasta bowls.  All knives and serving utensils in the drawer, all mugs and glasses in the cupboard above the sink.

Baking sheet in oven drawer; grap all the cutting boards, put away.  Stack all the plates together and same for pots and pans – put in respective cupboards.

Utensils?  Grab a handful of knives and throw them in their top-drawer slot.  Same for forks, big spoons, small spoons.

Tadaa!

Emptying the dishwasher is a breeze; I no longer have to spend 1/2 hour running around the kitchen, 1 plate or 1 glass in hand, putting things away one at a time.  Do you have any idea how much time one can spend sorting through the cutlery???

Because it’s obvious…. right?

Hubby doesn’t do this.  Neither does my mom, my mother-in-law, or any of my sisters.  They all seem to think I’m a little OCD about it.  In fact, it has nothing to do with wanting things to be ‘just so’ and everything to do with spending 3 minutes maximum emptying the dishwasher.

What are your #lifehacks when it comes to dishes?  Dish it out! (haha!  See what I did there?  You’re welcome!)