Shining sink 365 day 4)

Tips from someone who has been there has helped me.  I have talked to lots of people about cleaning house and how to keep it clean.  You could even say that I have become obsessed with trying to find the right way.  So when I decided that what Flylady was telling me was not so crazy and I wanted to keep the sink clean and shiny I started ask question about dishes and how people in my life keep there dishes done and put away.  I have always had a problem doing the dishes and putting them away.  I would do them and they would sit in the dish strainer or the dish washer (at my old house).  I made a deal with my husband when he bought me this house I was not going to let the dishes pile up and that would me not only washing them but putting them away as well.  In my new house I do not have a dish washer and do not wish to ever get one.  A dish washer for me is just a place to hide the dishes and not me taking care of them and getting them into the cabinets where they belong.  I had to come up with a method that would make this easier on me because when it is a breeze you can fly as Flylady says.  I found that the way to do this was to not have a lot of dishes to do.  I am not one for paper plates and plastic forks, so I had to find another way to not have a lot of dishes.  What I found was that I had to trick myself into thinking that I did not have a lot of dishes.  The way that I did this was to do them as they got dirty and to clean as I went.  While I am cooking I make a lot of dishes so I found that if as soon as I get a pan empty I take it and wash it then I can dry it and put it away right then it does not seem like I have a lot dishes.  This has been working very well for me.  I also do not let dishes sit in the sink all day.  If I dirty a cup I wash it right then and there.  I don't want to dirty up and sink with a cup.  I also don't want to waste soap by filling a sink for just a cup or two so I have a wand that holds soap and has a scrubber on it. (This fits in the cups perfect.)  This made it easy for me to not have to fill the sink for just a dish or two.   If you do not have one of these or do not want to buy one because you have to replace the sponges on them you can get one of the foaming soap dispensers and fill it half full with dish soap and half with water mix it up.  Then you can just pump a pump or two on a rag and wash the dish,   I hope that some of these tips help you to keep your sink clean and shining all year long.

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