With the growing trend in people cooking from scratch at home and the inevitable mountain of dirty dishes generated, the average family is now doing the dishes at least once a day. With that in mind, have you ever wondered what the 'best' and most efficient way to wash the dishes really is?

Well interestingly it varies from country to country, different cultures and personal preferences too! So it’s time to roll back your sleeves and be prepared for some interesting insights as we’ve drawn up a list of quirky global dishwashing trends to shock and inspire! Enjoy!

Here at Dishmatic we love a good debate around washing up (after all we’re huge fans of washing the dishes with our Dishfriends!) and this fab forum in The Guardian (1) reveals that some washing up gurus recommend that keeping those bubbles present is key to a thorough washing up experience. In the UK, research shows, we like to 'keep it soapy' with no rinsing required! “The trick is to keep the water clean, by pre-rinsing and scraping and then by washing the cleanest things first (after the glassware of course). Soapy water will run off without leaving marks, whereas you will get watermarks if you rinse.”

With time being so precious, for some it’s all about cutting corners and simply getting the job done. We were shocked to read about this Brit’s love of saving time (2) and water by taking her dirty plates into the shower, surely this is taking it a tad too far?!

Down under in Australia (3) (where are Dishfriends are hugely popular, yay!) it seems they agree with our love of soapy suds (most of the time!) as it’s pretty standard in Oz to fill the sink with warm soapy water, wash the dishes and then rinse (but not all Aussies do apparently, it's' a hot topic of debate out there!) under hot water before leaving them to drip dry.

In general Americans apparently always require 'at least two sinks' (4) and a constant supply of running water for dish washing! One sink is filled with hot, soapy water, and then the washed items are placed in a second sink for rinsing.

Those in Denmark and Austria (5) tend to shy away from household chores the most and like to delegate washing up (to the dishwasher!) where possible, according to research by Wimbdu. In Denmark, 78% of properties feature a dishwasher, this stands in stark contrast with Italy, where only a quarter feature the appliance.

During our research we were surprised to read from one source that some consumers are more 'trusting' of hand washed cutlery than those washed in the dishwasher? Do you agree?

And if after reading this you feel you still need a bit more guidance on the best way to make your dishes gleam, check out this handy step by step guide on How to do the dishes properly! Let us know how you get on!



Here at Dishmatic we like to advise our fans to help save the planet and hand wash when you can! Did you know a dishwasher uses 512 kilowatts of electricity per year, producing 840 lbs. of carbon dioxide? Hand washing is a kinder choice to the environment!

Don’t forget our Dishfriends are always on hand to make your washing experience more fun and pleasurable! Do you have any quirky insights to share or top washing up tips that we’ve missed? We’d love to hear your comments - Why not share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter , Instagram



Sources:



1) https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,,-185700,00.html



2) https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/jan/26/extreme-time-cheaters-filipa-jodelka



3) http://www.notaballerina.com/2011/05/washing-dishes-australian-style.html



4) http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2012/10/the-cultural-divide-on-washing-dishes-brits-vs-americans



5) http://www.wimdu.co.uk/blog/curious-living-trends-around-the-world-revealed/