View Full Version : Drying/wiping out kitchen sink basins after dish washing.
Don't think it falls withing the confines of being eccentric, but who else (aside from myself) dries out their kitchen sink basins after use?
In our house showroom like kitchen basins don't last long, but if I bypass going through the motions of performing my regular traditional drying out of the basins after I'm done, I feel as though the job was left incomplete.
Well, I can't say it's an obsessive thing with me because I often have dishes to do. But when I do completely wash every dish and the counters are clear, I do wipe out the sink with a rag. And it's a funky old sink.
I wipe out the kitchen sink after washing dishes, as well as wipe down the counters. I don't wipe out the bathroom sink every time, but I will wipe up the counter if there is water on it, even at public restrooms.
goldensmom
1-10-11, 6:31am
Okay, I am the first non-wiper. When I had a stainless steel kitchen sink, I would wipe it because I do not like water spots but I now have a granite composite sink that does not show water spots so I am not a wiper. I do wipe the granite bathroom sinks. A health professional friend once told me it was more sanitary to rinse a sink with really hot water and let it air dry which is good to know for non-wipers.
Wow it never occurred to me to do even DO such a thing. One thing about these forums is that I'm learning what a slacker housekeeper I really am.
I never thought of it either, until I started with Flylady. Part of the daily routine is wiping off the counter, wiping out the sink, and then throwing the dishtowel in the laundry and starting with a fresh one the next day. At first, I thought it was not only excessive, but I thought I'd ruin all my dishtowels--I preferred at that point to ONLY use dishtowels for dishes (and not pots and pans either). But if you've just cleaned your sink, there's no reason to believe your towels will get messed up, and mine haven't.
It's a great routine actually, it does make you feel spic-and-span! And there's nothing better than the luxury of dipping into your towel drawer to pick out a nice clean one ever day.
Sad Eyed Lady
1-10-11, 9:28am
Non-wiper here. Like goldensmom, I rinse with hot water and let air dry.
And like herbgeek - I am a slacker by comparison!
I do clean my sink after doing the dishes and prepping for cooking if necessary, but don't bother about water spots. My sink is porcelain anyway.
My son-in-law used to be quite obsessive about the water spots in his stainless steel sink. I was afraid to get a glass of water over there. BUT, a marriage, autistic stepson, and new baby later...his bar has lowered significantly. Not so important anymore.
Wow it never occurred to me to do even DO such a thing. One thing about these forums is that I'm learning what a slacker housekeeper I really am.
Same here - and I doubt wiping the sink dry is the norm for most people. Not wiping sinks does not make one a 'slacker housekeeper' just as wiping sinks dry does not make one an 'excessive housekeeper'. :~)
I will rinse the sinks, but wipe them dry? No way. That is not my idea of living the simple life. ;)
We wipe and clean the sink after each use, plus we dry the outside-lip area where the sink meets the counter. We do this because we do not want to replace the sink nor the countertops anytime soon. Water damage is a big problem in an RV, and humidity can be a problem as well. We also want to make sure that no fungus or mold could happen, so we dry the outer part of the sink and countertops.
So Mrs. M - you are not crazy.
Great input everyone! I sometimes think to myself, "you are such an outcast Margaret"! I don't think so anymore... :)
winterberry
1-10-11, 11:48pm
Not always, but I just did it before sitting down here at my computer. It made me happy to see it so nice and clean. I am obsessive about wiping the countertops, too, but I can't begin to keep up with you, Mrs-M, when it comes to floors. The floor is way down there where my feet are, and I rarely eat off of it ;) Funny how different people are with regard to these things, isn't it?
Great input everyone! I sometimes think to myself, "you are such an outcast Margaret"! I don't think so anymore... :)
Even if you were the only person on earth who wiped out your sink or mopped your floors daily, what difference would that make if you enjoyed both doing it, and the end result? It's your house, your life.
We each live in our own ways, and comparing ourselves to others doesn't really help much. As long as we are not hurting anyone else, who cares if no one else does what we do?
Besides, it's fun being eccentric. http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=171&d=1294631413 ;)
Hi Winterberry and Gina. I've been slowly working on a "who cares what others think" mindset and although it's coming and I'm progressing, it's a slow process. One day... :) Your entries have helped make me feel good (better) inside.
Hi Winterberry and Gina. I've been slowly working on a "who cares what others think" mindset and although it's coming and I'm progressing, it's a slow process. One day...
When I grew up, one of the common phrases in our home was 'what will the neighbors think?'. When I was young, I thought what someone else thought of me was more important than what I thought of me. It took years to overcome most of that. It's a hard habit to break, but with persistence it can be done, and it gets better little by little. And it's greatly freeing.
One of things that really helped me was to ask myself questions such as did I really want someone else to change their actions becasue of what I was thinking of them? If, for example, a friend loved to wear red, and I didn't like the color, should she change her dress just for that reason? Well of course not. And if there were several people with differing opinions of her clothing, whose 'thoughts' should be most important? When you break it down logically, you can see how silly it all is. To carry it further, people have many fleeting thoughts about everything - and they usually don't mean much.
So, 'what will the neighbors think?' As long as you are not infringing on their rights, who cares? They are probably too busy wondering what you are thinking of them. ;)
I laughed when I saw the title of this thread. I had never even considered wiping out the sink until a friend, many (many, many) years ago, when we both had babies, said something about her DH wiping the bathroom sink with his towel after use. I remember pondering that for a long time, and trying it out. Then years later I read the Side Tracked Home Executives (from whence Flylady derives) and there it was again! anyway, if I am feeling very spiff, I'll wipe out the sink. Or maybe wiping the sink down makes me feel very spiff...not so sure about that. If I am in a hurry, it gets rinsed with the sprayhose and hot water but on a more relaxed day, I'll wipe away....
These are interesting differences between people, though. Fun to read about. I recall my mother's version of sink cleaning involved Comet and a rag and rinsing; a clean sink was shining WET. But it only happened now and then. I read Don Aslett's books when I became responsible for cleaning and found out about wiping clean after nearly every use and that means never having to say you're sorry (oops, not that...) never having to scrub with Comet.
I realize that I just contradicted myself....I guess I treat the kitchen sink differently (rinse and go) from the bathroom sink (wipe after use). And now I've spend how many minutes pondering sink cleaning and actually writing about it? Guess I must be procrastinating on my actual work....
Thanks for the thread!
Wow it never occurred to me to do even DO such a thing. One thing about these forums is that I'm learning what a slacker housekeeper I really am.
Yeah, me too! I know I should scrub the sink more often - it's stainless steel and gets kind of sad-looking.
I have never done this. However, I am certainly not queen of the kitchen, so I can be ignored. ;)
I appreciate hearing from you guys. My mom often reminds me of the fact that, "we're all different, and that's what makes the world go round". (I'm learning to embrace that too). :)
Bumping this thread, because it's totally fun!
Come on everybody, how about it, let's hear from you on this topic! :)
I scrub out my sink when it gets grungy, then let it air dry. My friend, though, keeps an extremely kosher kitchen (I don't) and yet only has one sink. To keep meat dishes from coming into contact with dairy dishes, she uses separate plastic sink liners, which she wipes down and dries after every single use.
In our old apartment in Florida, it was located in such a highly orthodox-Jewish neighborhood that not only did each apartment have separate sinks, they also had two different ovens, and sufficient cabinet space to keep separate dishes, pots and pans. To which all I could say was..."gosh!"
Wow it never occurred to me to do even DO such a thing. One thing about these forums is that I'm learning what a slacker housekeeper I really am.
You're only a slacker if it bothers you that you're not doing it. Not that others do it and you don't.
Non-wiper here -- I took some interesting things away from Flylady, love the 10 minute sweep for example, but the sink wiping and shoe wearing rules just made me go "HUH?" Not so much the sink wiping -- especially in a situation like Laura's I can see where that might be a very practical thing to do. But in our house the sink gets used regularly, so if you wipe it out it is probably just going to get wet again in 15 minutes. Seems a bit sysyphian and likely to cause a little OCD if you see a dry sink as being some kind of marker of your identity. But the shoe thing? Don't want to take this thread totally off tangent, but that "getting fully dressed includes putting on your shoes and wearing them around the house all day" just seems crazy to me. We are a partly Asian family, so the shoes MUST come off when family members enter the house. Just how its done here. My whole family in the US has adopted the habit as it really helps to keep the house clean as well. But I guess I'm as crazy in my orthodoxy as Fly Lady is in some ways. We do not force visitors to take off shoes, BTW, but most do.
Anyway, I guess this was partly a way of saying one of the things I really like about this forum is our multiplicity of views and I know that while we sometimes have impassioned debates about what constitutes "simple" (salad spinners, anyone?) for the most part the general attitude seems to be "if its simple in your mind, go for it!" Whatever turns your simple crank. So wipers, keep wiping, non wipers, keep enjoying your wet sinks.
Just please don't try to wear your shoes into my living room! Hmmmm -- maybe another reason I like this forum -- I get to engage with all of you whether you are wearing shoes or not, and it doesn't bother me a bit :)
lhamo
Sorry
I am a once a day wiper of the kitchen sink. I wipe the counter tops down a couple of times a day but the sink gets wiped down after the dishes from the evening meal are done. It signifies to me that the day's work is done.
Sad Eyed Lady
10-11-12, 5:39pm
Bumping this thread, because it's totally fun!
Come on everybody, how about it, let's hear from you on this topic! :)
Non-wiper here. I am in the same category as some of the others - it just never occurred to me although I do scrub the sink, (talking kitchen here), and after rinsing it looks nice but never went so far as to wipe!
"Gosh", is right, Selah! LMAO!
Excellent point, Bunnys.
Lhamo. There's a real sense of self-satisfaction and completeness I get out of finishing-up the day with a clean/fresh kitchen, wiped sink and all, but how right you are Re: the sink not staying that way for very long. Considering the fact how large our family is, my neatly polished and dried-out basins never remain that way for long, but while they do never fails to make my heart go pitter-patter.
Originally posted by Florence.
It signifies to me that the day's work is done.Yes, yes, yes.
Sad Eyed Lady. Finding a happy-balance is what it's all about. :)
I am happy if I notice the larger chunks and clean them out. I am guessing the salad spinner is a reference to a previous conversation. It must have been good to still be remembered!
I am happy if I notice the larger chunks and clean them out. I am guessing the salad spinner is a reference to a previous conversation. It must have been good to still be remembered!I will never question simplicity and balance! :)
This was such a fun thread, I'm resurrecting it!
Hoping a few of our new members will drop-by to post their ways. Longtime members, too, who may have missed this topic! :)
I seldom wipe down our double stainless stell sinks, but I am amazed really how well they've held up of 18_ years.
We all take shoes off when we enter the house. I have free-range chickens....enough said.
The kitchen stainless sink I wash and dry probably every week or so. We have hard water and the lime build-up looks bad.
Wildflower
2-10-13, 4:32am
I usually spray with ultra hot water and let air dry. Occasionally I do wipe them....when company's comin'. >8)
Jilly. The salad spinner convo/debate/arguement LOL, has been a classic around here!
Iris Lily. My husband bought some special metal polish to give ours a nice holiday shine this past Christmas. Makes stainless sinks look sparkly new again! Old ones... like ours, too!
Float On. How about trying a calcium/lime deposit remover on your sinks to freshen them?
Wildflower. Isn't it funny what effect company can have on ones otherwise regular practices.
Gardenarian
2-11-13, 7:14pm
I scrub the stainless steel sink everyday with Bon Ami. I usually don't wipe it dry but do wipe all around the edges, faucet, and knobs.
It gets gunky pretty fast.
I also didn't get the "Shine your sink" bit of Flylady. Sweeping or vacuuming gives me a lot more satisfaction.
Tussiemussies
2-11-13, 7:36pm
When I am done with the dishes, I scrub the sink down with Barkeepers Friend which is very gentle on a porcelain sink. Then I used to bleach it and then after a few minutes rinse out the bleach. Now that we have a septic tank no more bleaching. :(. I never have wiped out my sink to dry or dried any other part of the kitchen when it is cleaned down. : )
I do like to clean down the kitchen counters and as much as I can in the kitchen if I am starting a big cooking project. Especially if I am going to give food that I made to someone else. :)
In the past which I have to get back to is every AM wiping down the bathrooms with Clorox wipes, I didn't wash out the tub or shower daily but the rest....
I think I do agree with the fly lady to put your shoes on every day. You can get into a rut of staying in your PJ's if you are always busy and being fully dressed makes me feel good about myself. I think that is why she does recommend it....
Oh... Bon Ami, is great stuff, isn't it, Gardenarian! I've used it in the past.
Sounds like you're working on a great routine, Tussiemussies.
In our house there's a rule (my rule)... NO WASHING HANDS IN KITCHEN SINK. Using kitchen basins for anything other than the preparation of food, etc, is a big no-no.
catherine
2-13-13, 12:00pm
In our house there's a rule (my rule)... NO WASHING HANDS IN KITCHEN SINK. Using kitchen basins for anything other than the preparation of food, etc, is a big no-no.
Mrs-M, I have to ask, why no washing hands in the sink? Isn't washing hands step one of food preparation? Just curious...
Catherine. Absolutely, I never overlook washing my hands before starting with anything, food-wise, but hand-washing is always done in the bathroom. There are many times I'll open up a package of meat, chicken in particular, just as an example, and it goes straight into the sink, and I don't want residual soap-residue/germs in the sink from someone who last washed their hands in the basin.
Yes, I do a quick freshening up of whatever sink I'll be using to ensure the basin is clean and ready, but I don't want my kitchen sink basins being exposed to same daily rigors of that of a typical bathroom sink.
Your question, Catherine, made me think about something, that something being, diaper changing. When my kids were babies, seldom did I change them on the kitchen floor/living room floor, etc, and never did I change them on the couch/bed.
Changing, was always done either in the baby's room (in the crib), or in the bathroom. When it came to the baby's room, I was forever disinfecting the crib railing and other areas of the room, same goes for the bathroom. The bathroom, is where (I think) all serious clean-up should take place... from the simplest, to the most involved-ish.
Tussiemussies
2-13-13, 3:36pm
I only wash my hands in the kitchen sink if it doesn't have anything to do with bacteria, that is for the bathroom sink, and I am supposed to be wiping them out daily, have to get back to that. But anyway, if I bring out the garbage to the garbage can I would never wash my hands in the kitchen sink....and things like that, when I take my dog for a walk afterward it is the bathroom sink. Thinks like that.
Exactly, Tussie, same goes for me. I can see how one of those nifty built-in kitchen sink soap dispensers would be so handy for those times when mixing hamburger, etc. That way there would be no running back and forth.
Tussiemussies
2-13-13, 4:16pm
Exactly, Tussie, same goes for me. I can see how one of those nifty built-in kitchen sink soap dispensers would be so handy for those times when mixing hamburger, etc. That way there would be no running back and forth.
Mrs. M we have a soap dispenser that you just hold your hand underneath about two inches from the top and it dispenses the soap while you just hold your hand there. You might like that for when you are handling bacteria type things...:). I cannot remember who makes it, it is still packed away. Maybe someone else will know....:)
Well, if it's just a soap proximity issue, I keep a hand soap dispenser on my kitchen sink for that purpose--and the kitchen I did for BIL has a built-in one.
I just never really thought about using the bathroom sink to wash hands, and then go to the kitchen to handle food.. then again, being almost 100% vegetarian, I don't handle much meat, and DH cooks that (and I KNOW he doesn't go to the bathroom first to wash HIS hands).
Mrs-M, I remember a LONG time ago, I got an idea of your housekeeping skills when you said you get on your hands and knees and clean the kitchen floor every night. As much as I would love you as a real neighbor, I think I'm glad that we're virtual friends in one respect, because I might be a bit sheepish about inviting you to my home..:|(
:( Makes me sad to think people would hold my fastidiousness against me to the point of avoiding extending an invitation my way to visit their homes.
:( Makes me sad to think people would hold my fastidiousness against me to the point of avoiding extending an invitation my way to visit their homes.
Oh, no!!! I didn't mean that! I just get overly sensitive about the fact that I'm NOT the world's best housekeeper! That's MY problem--not yours, Mrs-M!
HOWEVER, I do subscribe to the Hygiene Hypothesis (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905174501.htm):
While staying germ-free can prevent the spread of disease and infections, leading a cleanlier lifestyle may be responsible for an increase in allergies among children.
“It’s called the hygiene hypothesis,” says Marc McMorris, M.D., a pediatric allergist at the University of Michigan Health System. “We’ve developed a cleanlier lifestyle, and our bodies no longer need to fight germs as much as they did in the past. As a result, the immune system has shifted away from fighting infection to developing more allergic tendencies.”
And from an NBC news report:
Scientists came up with the hypothesis as a way to explain the explosion of allergies and asthma in America’s youth. And what they discovered was intriguing, if a little disconcerting: kids who grow up in less tidy environments end up with a lower risk of developing sensitivities to benign substances, like pollen and dog dander.
A study released in June added to the growing mound of evidence that the too-clean-for-health hypothesis might be on track. That study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that Amish children who were raised on farms were less likely to develop allergies and asthma than their peers.
Now, Mrs-M, of course my door is always open to you! And don't mind the dim lights and lot of candles! And the glass of wine I offer you immediately!
Awww... not to worry, Catherine.
Don't ever feel second-best or inferior (or whatever) Re: your housekeeping style.
The article captions are great. Provides much food-for-thought.
P.S. The glass of wine sounds so good!
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