I’m one of the few people that actually enjoys washing dishes, but it wasn’t always that way. I remember when we were first married, I assumed the best and most efficient way to get the dishes done was to use the dishwasher. I would never feel done with the dishes because after loading it, I knew they would have to be put away. It bothered me how much water the dishwasher would use and the chemicals that it spewed into the kitchen, not to mention the coating and taste of our dishes. If I still used a dishwasher today, I don’t think that we could fit all of our dishes in the dishwasher from one meal.

When I started converting our cleaning products to more natural ones, and I tried them in my old dishwasher, my dishes didn’t get/look very clean. I will admit that they did with the commercial cleaners. After trying several natural alternatives, and making many homemade recipes, I got frustrated and gave up! I decided to start washing dishes by hand, and I’m so glad that I did.

When I started washing dishes by hand, I was concerned because I didn’t want to get people sick. I assumed that I had to run dishes through the dishwasher in order for them to be safe. Then I heard some stories of dishwashers harboring bacteria, and I realized that nothing is perfect. I decided to do what I wanted to do and not to worry about it. When I’m making products for people, I always take extra steps to sanitize everything I’m using, but for my own family, good old soap and hot water with some added vinegar and essential to the water does a great job at cleaning. The little ones help to dry and put away dishes, and I always stress the importance of getting them really dry, because bacteria need moisture to thrive. Studies done on the combination of hot water and vinegar have revealed this to be a great option for killing food-borne illnesses. Studies have also suggested that the orange essential oil I use is antimicrobial. Orange is my favorite because it’s economical, smells clean, and I find it to be uplifting and energizing. Definitely do your own research on this.

Now that I have been washing dishes by hand for years, I believe that it is much more efficient, the dishes get so much cleaner, the work feels done, and I’m not using near as much water as I would if I were using the dishwasher. After using “natural” dish soap for years, I finally got tired of coughing when I started washing dishes, so I made my own. I learned that dish soap contained harmful ingredients like SLES, EDTA, SLS, laureth-7, butyl, phthalates, or phosphates, and the “natural” ones weren’t great.  I knew I needed something different for my gut healing program as well this last year.

One thing that surprised me about my new recipe was that Alena and I (especially Alena) do a lot of dishes and our hands rarely get dried out. We both had to get used to the fact that this recipe doesn’t produce bubbles. Most dish soap contains chemicals to make it bubble, and I have learned those bubbles aren’t actually cleaning. Thanks to the bar soap (and no extra water) there are no harmful preservatives in my recipe. This was the cleaning product that took me the longest to change, but now that we have a good routine, I really love this. I also like that I can wash dishes as I’m making meals and then be able to reuse items. One tip that I picked up from someone several years ago was their suggestion to get the sink ready before preparing any food. This way dishes can be done while working in the kitchen, and it’s not so overwhelming after the meal. I still have work to do in this area.

Now when I wash dishes, I close up my sink, start the hot water, and stick my soap bar under the water. I add about 3 Tbsp. of vinegar (I never measure), and a few drops of orange essential oil. Then I take my soap bar out of the water and rub it to a Scotch Brite pad and use this to wash dishes. I never let the water run when I do dishes, so we can get a lot of dishes done with very little waste! I have heard a lot of people complain about the newer dishwashers not getting their dishes clean, and I always have to wonder if they would be happier without them? My homemade recipe is probably not for everyone, and I will admit that Alena and I didn’t like this for the first few weeks. Change is hard, but now she likes it and I love it. I feel really good using it. It’s also very frugal, and the most natural way of doing dishes that I have found. Do you love washing dishes, or am I alone? We love to hear from you!

Our family has learned to slow down, make careful observations of what heals/damages, get rid of the distractions, take a little more time preparing our food, and most importantly to seek the Lord’s wisdom. It’s a daily struggle and it never goes perfectly, but we just keep trying to do the best we can. If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, some important discussion about natural sweeteners, talked about Forgiveness, hopefully we got our eggs right, learned about the benefits of pastured, clean meats, considered getting mercury removed, we got the toxins out of our mouth, skin, and hair, and this week we will continue to focus on our house. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.