Guests who won't use the dishwasher?

[Laura2592]

This one has me flummoxed.

We used to say in our house rules not to put food items down the sink and that we prefer guests to use the dishwasher when cleaning plates. Some guests totally ignored this and after a few times of finding a full dish rack of drying dinner plates, we hid the dish rack and worded our rules more strongly-- please do not hand wash dishes after meals as food items get clogged in the sink we and we don't have a disposal, etc. Came in recently and once again there was a full array of plates, bowls and cups drying on the counter.

It is really starting to be a problem as we have had a few clogs. I can't for the life of me figure out why people insist on hand washing dishes when we have a nice, easy to operate standard dishwasher for their use. We always re-wash the hand washing because we want it super hot scalded clean between guests. I understand when its a coffee cup drying because a guest wanted to clean up before leaving. But these are clearly the entire complement of their dishwasher during their stay.

Does anyone have any insight into why this might happen? These are American guests, usually a bit older, and the behavior is equally common in both couples  and singles of any gender. Our dishwasher is fully functioning and working normally too, so its not a matter of the darn thing being broken in some way.

Yes I will probably have to break down and install a garbage disposal.

[Susan151]

@Laura2592 . How is putting dishes with food on them into the dishwasher better than hand washing? The drains go to the same place after all. If you get clogs from hand washing, you will also get them from dishwasher washing [or your dishwasher filter will become clogged regularly.] Would it be better to ask guests to clear their plates into the trash before washing?

My experience has been that lots of people do not use dishwashers. They don't trust them; don't know how to use them; and/or believe that they haven't generated enough dishes to warrant one.

[Laura2592]

@Susan151 we do instruct guests to scrape plates when using the dishwasher. We have instructions on how to use the dishwasher...its just pressing two buttons and closing the door. 

I just don't understand why anyone would not "trust" a dishwasher. Hand washing does not get the dishes as clean and we und up having to redo them anyway.  Guests aren't asked to do their own dishes. Many probably think they are being helpful but we end up with clogged drains.

[Susan151]

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@Laura2592 wrote:

@Susan151 Many probably think they are being helpful but we end up with clogged drains.

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This just doesn't make sense to me. Why are drains clogged if dishes are washed by hand? It is the SAME drain as the dishwasher.

[Laura2592]

Because the guests forget that we don't have a disposal. It's not unusual for guests not to follow the rules, sadly. Using the dishwasher would bypass this particular issue. 

[Lilian20]

Guest know how to use their own dishwasher but won't bother with yours because it doesn't look the same, so they feel unsure. 

[Suzanne302]

@Susan151 

I was trying to figure out the same thing. @Laura2592  Wouldn't they rinse the plates in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher, hence clogging the drain anyway? I use my dishwasher, but also hand wash some items. My pre-rinse is no different between the two. What is it about using the dishwasher would prompt guests to put scraps in the trash instead of the sink if they're not doing it when they hand wash??

[Laura2592]

@Suzanne302 if I had to guess i would say that some of my handwash guests are just doing what they do at home where they have a disposal.  They are on autopilot and forget that we don't. We have only ever had to unclog the drain after guests who handwash a lot of dishes.  There is definitely a link between the two behaviors.  I don't actually watch them do it so I don't know for sure what is happening. 

We don't want guests handwashing lots of plates. Period. 

[Annette76]

Most modern dishwashers have a grinder that acts as a disposal. It won’t grind up a big piece of meat per say, but will grind up things like pieces of rice or pasta. So it won’t clog the drain like just rinsing food down the sink. 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  I've never had a dishwasher in my life, nor have I ever wanted one. It always looked to me that aside from it being a good place to hide the dirty dishes, people spend as much time loading and unloading it, not to mention shifting things around in it multiple times so as to fit as much in as possible before it's actually full enough to start a load that it's not a time-saver at all. 

So personally I am unfamiliar with using a dishwasher, and when I stay at someone's place that uses one, like my daughter, I always have to ask how to use it and don't remember from one year to the next. 

So if I were your guest, you would also find that I have done the dishes by hand. 

But I always make sure to scrape the food off the plates into the compost 🙂

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592 You think its a no-brainer because you are used to using a dishwasher. But it's not "just pressing two buttons and closing the door". It's figuring out how to stack stuff correctly, adding the soap or soap pods, none of which someone like me is adept at. And don't you have to wash the pots and pans by hand anyway? I know when I stay somewhere that a dishwasher is used, there's all kinds of things I'm told can't go in the dishwasher. Not sure why you think dishes don't get as clean washing by hand- they certainly do if the person washing them is doing a good job, rather than a half-assed one.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 dishes don't get as clean. Dishwashers sterilize dishes with water that is super heated/too hot for human hands. It savex water and is more hygienic.  Maybe people just aren't familiar with this? Herea a good article explaining the merits of dishwashers vs hand washjng.

https://home.howstuffworks.com/what-gets-your-dishes-cleaner-you-or-your-dishwasher.htm

We don't leave anything that can't go into the dishwasher for our guests 

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592 Yes, I realize it uses super hot water and would sterilize the dishes. Which would be really important in a hospital or restaurant setting, but I just don't see it as crucial in a home environment, unless someone in the household has some dread contagious disease. I doubt if bacteria survive on a well-hand-washed and dry plate. If it was a real concern, a bit of bleach could be added to the rinse water. And the way I wash dishes doesn't use a lot of water, I'm sure a dishwasher uses more. I don't wash them under running water, I fill the sink with hot soapy water, let them soak for a bit, then wash and rinse.

And why does that article assume that people use a sponge to wash the dishes? I've never used a sponge- I use a plastic scrubby.

All I can say is I've been washing dishes by hand all my life and no one has ever gotten sick from eating off my dishes.

[Laura2592]

@Sarah977 I'm not trying to cause offense, I'm just trying to get our guests to follow our house rules 🙂 We don't want folks hand washing dishes  It creates extra work and can cause plumbing issues. Every host is different but that's what works for us. Personally I'm a big fan of our dishwasher but I understand if not everyone has one. I'm not familiar with resistance to using one.  I see them as a positive where i stay. Its eye opening that so many people seem leery of using them.

[Sarah977]

@Laura2592  Well, you asked for insight as to why people would wash by hand rather than use the dishwasher, so I was just trying to give some insight. As you said, you aren't familiar with why someone wouldn't want to use one.

I'm not leery about using one, I'm just not used to it. Which is probably the case with your guests who are hand-washing.