Doing Dishes

[TraditionalFrog]

I am interested in how dishes were washed back in the day (1930 - ca 1945). By this I am assuming that dishes were done using bar soap rather than liquid detergent.

I am interested in the history behind the soap, the various brands, and how it was done. I am considering doing this, so am also wanting to know what brands are good to use that are still sold today.

 

[casechopper]

Have you washed dishes by hand before? I've lived for a few years in a house without a dishwasher and when my wife (who normally takes care of the dishwashing) had to be on bed rest for a few days I only lasted a couple of days before installing a dishwasher. Doing things traditionally can be fun for a few minutes but dish washing is a very time consuming and boring task IMO.

In South America, where my wife is from bar and tub soap is used. If you look in the ethnic section of a supermarket in this area they have it there. You just rinse the dishes clean, scrubbing off anything that's stuck on, get some soap rubbed into the sponge and then pass that over the dishes and finally rinse off the soap.

Another method that my mother uses is to fill one side of the sink (you need a 2 bowl sink to do this) with hot soapy water. You scrub off the stuck on food in the open left hand sink bowl and then put it in the soapy water for a couple of minutes. Once the soapy water is full of dishes start pulling them out and rinsing them under the faucet to remove the soap and then put them in a drying rack (or dry by hand if you're in a hurry).

 

[LizzieMaine]

I am interested in how dishes were washed back in the day (1930 - ca 1945). By this I am assuming that dishes were done using bar soap rather than liquid detergent.

I am interested in the history behind the soap, the various brands, and how it was done. I am considering doing this, so am also wanting to know what brands are good to use that are still sold today.

You put a dishpan in the sink, drop in a bar of hard general-purpose soap -- NOT a moisturizing soap, or a deodorant soap, or a "body bar," -- and run some hot water on it to work up some suds. Run the dishes thru the dishpan and rinse them off.

The most common soap used for washing dishes in the Era was Colgate's Octagon, a large greenish-grey block with a faint lemongrass scent. It came in a wrapper printed with coupons, which could be saved and redeemed for merchandise out of a catalog issued by the company. You can still get Octagon -- I still use it, it costs about a dollar a bar and a bar lasts a month or so -- but the coupon promotion is long gone.

Some people used powder soaps like Rinso or Super Suds, but bar soap is cheaper.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Ted Weems and his Orchestra -- Washing Dishes With My Sweetie (1930)
vocal by Parker Gibbs

Washing dishes with my Sweetie
At the kitchen sink
Oh gosh, I get so excited
I can hardly think

I get a mouthful of soap suds
But they taste good to me
As long as my Sweetie is by my side
Doing the dishes with me

Now there's no moonlight
Or a June night but I'm tellin' you
I get lovin' near the oven
When there's dishes to do

We do things that we hadn't ought to
We hold hands underneath the water
Washing dishes with my Sweetie
At the kitchen sink

I'm ambitious, I hate dishes
Still I'm never blue
I'm not frettin', I get pettin'
When there's dishes to do

Knives and forks and spoons never hinder
Pots and pans go out of the window
Washing dishes with my Sweetie
At the kitchen sink

 

[lolly_loisides]

Don't foret the soap saver. Grandma always had one hanging over the tap at the sink.

 

[vitanola]

If you have hard water, a little Wasing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) added to the dish-water is a great soap-saver and grease-cutter, though it does tend to dry the hands.

 

[Shangas]

Soap flakes, soap-jelly or bar-soap were generally used, along with hot water. Washing-soda was used as well (on dishes as well as clothes, I believe), but it did horrible stuff to your hands.

I never find washing dishes to take very long. It's the pots and pans that are the real time-eaters.

 

[Hercule]

Washing dishes is very therapeutic, or so I keep telling myself that. There are times I think that when I die I'm going straight to hell where I'll wash dishes and do laundry for all eternity.

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's never taken me more than ten minutes to do a load of dishes. The trick is not to let them accumulate long enough for the residues to dry onto them. My grandmother used to say that if you had a chance to burp after the meal before the dishes were done, you were waiting too long.

 

[Feraud]

I agree with Lizzie, it never takes more than 10 minutes to do a sink full of dishes. If you dirty a dish, wash that dish! If you cannot wash them immediately (late for work, with houseguests) run water in bowls and plates to keep anything from drying on them. Elbow grease and dishwashing soap get the job done.
I never the saw the point in a dishwasher.

 

[MPicciotto]

Another here who doesn't own a dishwasher. We just wash the dishes by hand. It's helpful to wash dishes as you cook too, like the bowl the chicken was marinating in, while the chicken is on the grill wash that bowl...

Matt

 

[Feraud]

Yes, washing dishes and bowls while cooking is essential to cutting down on kitchen sink clutter.
On the holidays we host dinner our kitchen sink is revolving door of activity!
Our 19 year old does dishes too so it doesn't fall on any one person to keep the place clean. To be honest I'd rather do dishes all day than fold laundry.. I have little patience for folding.

 

[casechopper]

For us it takes more than 10 mins/meal as we have a larger family but using that number for the sake of calculation:

10 mins/meal = 30 mins/day = 7.6 days (24 hours each)/year = ~23 working days (8 hour days) per year spent washing dishes. The dishwasher takes about 10 minutes/day so it cuts 1/3 of the time off. Also, the dishes are cleaner (you can't hand wash with water as hot as a dishwasher produces), less water is used and my wife is happier (this is the most important). I'd rather spend my time on other things.

 

[Hercule]

I agree with Lizzie, it never takes more than 10 minutes to do a sink full of dishes.

Yes it's quite surprising how quickly one can get through a mound of dishes in the sink. Unless of course you're in a hurry. Once I tried to quickly do up a few dishes before leaving for a rehearsal but I ended missing the rehearsal because I went to the emergency room instead. Lesson learned: NEVER stick your hand in a glass to clean it; use a brush instead, and, washing dishes CAN ALWAYS WAIT!

 

[Stray Cat]

What is that "dishwasher" thing you speak of?
(I've got two of them: my left hand, and my right hand.. they do wonders) eace:

(I should get me one of those) lol

 

[LizzieMaine]

For us it takes more than 10 mins/meal as we have a larger family but using that number for the sake of calculation:

10 mins/meal = 30 mins/day = 7.6 days (24 hours each)/year = ~23 working days (8 hour days) per year spent washing dishes. The dishwasher takes about 10 minutes/day so it cuts 1/3 of the time off. Also, the dishes are cleaner (you can't hand wash with water as hot as a dishwasher produces), less water is used and my wife is happier (this is the most important). I'd rather spend my time on other things.

A lot of the "dishwashers use less water than hand washing" data has been promoted by dishwasher manufacturers, and assumes that the hand dishwasher is filling the sink with water and leaving the faucet running during the rinse. If you're using a dishpan and only have the faucet on when you've actually got an item under it, you're using a whole lot less water than these studies would indicate. I use less than two gallons of water per load of dishes, which is a lot less than a dishwasher would use.

As for temperature, I don't worry too much about that. I have a kitchen sink, not an autoclave, and a few germs here and there build up your resistance.

 

[Feraud]

A large families means more hands to help out with the dishes! Everyone takes a turn and the burden is not on any one person. Considering most parents work full time there is nothing better to occupy the free time and more than abundant energy of children like housework.

 

[casechopper]

A large family with most of the kids under 4 means no free hands to do the work most of the time.

 

[Stray Cat]

With the proper usage of water/detergent.. I'd say: nope, there's no way the machine wash saves you water.
And I'm definitely NOT writing about the "hip"-new way of washing dishes: hold the plate with two fingers under the strongest flow of hot water and pray it'll go away without you having to put your hands into it.
([size=-2]Yes, my dear brother, I'm talking to you![/size])

 

[LizzieMaine]

Of course, the ultimate time and water saver is just to eat the beans right out of the can.