You can probably just chalk it up to a life habit that I never gave opportunity… but I have always washed my dishes in a dishwasher. In fact, nearly every day of my life I have used a dishwasher. Go figure. My parents used one. My grandparents used one. It’s been in every home I have lived in…. and when it wasn’t available (broken or kitchen remodelings), it was a source of great stress. Dishwashers get loaded, started, and emptied. End of story. Or so I thought.
Recently, I have begun washing dishes by hand immediately following every meal. Months ago, I read a famous zen story titled, “Wash Your Bowl” (via Leo Babauta) and have considered its meaning ever since.
As a result, I decided to give the mindful practice of “washing my bowl” a literal shot in my life. I began washing every dish following every meal. And since then, I have almost completely stopped using the dishwasher.
I love it. Here are the practical benefits I have seen:
- Less Physical Clutter. How often were dirty plates, bowls, and glassware left on my kitchen counter following a meal just waiting to be loaded in the dishwasher? Far more often than I would like to admit, that’s for sure. Each time, physical clutter was left on my kitchen counter, table, and sink.
- Less Mental Clutter. An unfinished project clutters the mind… always. Even when we were not in the kitchen, the pending responsibility of needing to clean the dishes was always hanging over our evening events. And we were specifically reminded every time we walked into (or even past) our kitchen.
- Seamlessly Transition Between Activities. Once the mind clutter of dirty dishes has been removed, we are freed to move from activity to activity, event to event, and room to room. We are allowed to be fully engaged in the present… however we choose to spend our evenings. There is no need to return to the past and finish the duties of our meal.
- Dishes are Always Clean. Ever need that one mixing bowl, pot, or cooking utensil, only to find out that it’s still dirty sitting in the dishwasher? Yeah, me too. Washing dishes after every meal means the dishes and cooking utensils are always clean and in their drawer.
- Dishes get Cleaner. Perhaps, the age of my built-in dishwasher has something to do with it, but I always hated pulling a bowl or plate out of the dishwasher that didn’t quite get all the way clean. And now I never do. Dishes are cleaned fully, everytime.
- It Takes Less Time. It came as a surprise, but I truly believe that washing our dishes after every meal has taken less time than loading/running/unloading the dishwasher. After most meals, it takes only 2-3 minutes to handwash each item. Cups are a snap. And most plates are a breeze to clean immediately following a meal.
- Example for My Kids. My kids see parents who finish what they start, aren’t afraid to put in a little effort, and leave a room cleaner than they found it. And those are life disciplines that I hope they embrace every day of their lives as they get older.
- It Brings Personal Satisfaction. There is a level of satisfaction in life that accompanies working with our hands and accomplishing a task without the need for mechanical intervention. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against machines. In many ways, they allow us to accomplish and create more than we could without them. I’m just saying there is a simple satisfaction in reminding ourselves that we can still live joyfully without them.
To accomplish the task of washing dishes immediately after every meal, I use three items: a dish wand, a sink rack, and a towel. I wash, dry, and put away. And with every practice in life, I own it – not the other way around. When we entertain or have a large meal that uses a number of cooking pots and pans, we still use the dishwasher.
It’s been a practical step of living intentionally. It’s been a process of choosing to question my life assumptions and live mindfully in all facets. And in that way, maybe it’s more than I just never gave it an opportunity… maybe it’s more honest to say that I never chose to live this intentionally ever before.
NotReallyComplicated says
Enjoyed this post! We have eliminated the dishwasher from “everyday” use and just use it now if we have big extended family meals or guest over. Or when I had the flu.
Anyway – We also got rid of a lot of kitchenware and dishes so each person has one plate, one bowl, one glass.
WOW – after the first week of whining it really cut down on the dishes and kitchen cleaning.
(I do keep extra dishes in a top cabinet for guests)
Thanks fo being so inspiring!
AntonioM says
When I was a young lad sharing an apartment with a friend we discovered that we would be visited by the “Dish Beast”. We would use all the dishes and pile them in the sink until we had no more dishes. Then one of us would have to conquer the Beast. We decided to put all the dishes except for 1 set for each of us and a couple of pots for cooking in a box deep in a storage closet where it was inconvenient to retrieve. *poof* the dish beast vanished. We found we needed to clean the dishes if we wanted to eat another meal so it became a habit to clean up right after cooking and eating. Less clutter, quick clean up, tidier place to bring the ladies. If we had guests we would retrieve what we needed then put it back afterward. No dishwasher necessary.
Still don’t own one. Family of 5, wash items use in preparation as we cook, wash the dishes right after eating. The trick for me is to be zen about washing the dishes. Gives me a chance to clear my mind as I just wash the dishes. I have been doing this for years. Now if there were like 12 of us, I would consider one. :)
Martin says
My spouse and I are looking for a house right now, and one of the few things I’ve put on my ‘must have’ list is a dishwasher. I am nearly 40, and I have never yet had a dishwasher. After all this time with dishpan hands, for me that’s something I’d rather not have to deal with anymore. I want more time to live my life.. washing dishes has already consumed more of that life than I care to think about.
John says
>>I want more time to live my life …
Oh goodness (eye roll).
Cynthia says
For most of my adult life, I did not have a dishwasher. I grew up with one, but I’ve been on my own for more than half my life. We finally got a dishwasher a few years ago as part of a kitchen remodeling project. I have to say, though, we probably use it only 3 or 4 times a month. We still hand wash because it is faster with a family of two adults and one child. It takes our dishwasher about 2 hours to complete a cycle, and there are some items that we do not put in the dishwasher, so those are hand washed anyways. Handwashing takes me 5 minutes or less if it was leftovers, or maybe 10 – 15 minutes if I used a lot of pots and pans in cooking a meal. It just didn’t seem to add up time wise, and I wonder, if the dishwasher takes 2 hours, does it really get things that clean, and how efficient is it with water usage. We definitely try to do the dishes every night, although, admittedly, there are hectic evenings where this does not happen until the next morning, something we all hate.
Thanks for your post!
Richard Dahlstrom says
Our house was built in 1928 and doesn’t have a dishwasher, unless you count my wife and I. Our grown kids our gone, but we managed to be a family of five for fifteen years without a dishwasher. The “wash your bowl” concept is marvelous, and I’m working on being more consistent with it. Thanks for the post
Vincent says
I’ve never used a dishwasher in my life (at home). My parents never had one so I grew up thinking this was the way to do the dishes. After I learned about the dishwasher I still don’t like it, it takes very long and like you say not everything is clean after it’s done.
For restaurants it’s a great tool, for a small family or somebody living alone it’s not needed.
Santiago Rial says
Hi there Joshua, I got here through a retweet from someone and really enjoyed your post. I have the exact same problem, minus the dishwasher. I moved out on my own recently and the dishes thing is always a problem, mostly out of lazyness I just let the sink get filled with dirty dishes until I can’t even open the tap. The feeling of having that big pile of “TO-DO” thing really takes a toll on my day-to-day, specially since the sink is kind of the first thing I see when I open the door to my apartment.
I’ll make it an excersise to try this (I write a blog about weekly experimentations with new things, is it ok if I link this post?)!
Thanks so much :D
joshua becker says
Of course. I’ll be interested to hear how the experiment goes.
Manu says
I have been using my dishwasher for a year as we got it almost for free when we moved in our apartment. We were reluctant to use it at first mainly for ecological reason. But we progressively started to use it and I must say that almost never wash our dishes by hand.
But actually it takes a lot of time to organize all of what goes in, goes out, optimize the space inside and even choose what pan we are going to use so it can fit in the dishwasher.
Now you convinced me : I am going to be dishwasher-free for a week just to see what if it makes a change.
Thank you!
joshua becker says
Come back and let us know how it goes.
Manu says
Hey Joshua
So I have washed my dishes by hand last week, but I must tell you I got lazy on friday night and used my dishwasher! and guess what happened ?… it broke down! I think destiny wants me to stop using my dishwasher for good now!
Adventure-Some Matthew says
I’ve had a dishwasher sporadically throughout my life; sometimes I have one, sometimes I don’t. Right now I do, and I’m enjoying it. However, I still do a lot of dishes by hand.
The dishwasher is saved almost solely for dishes: the cups, plates, bowls, and utensils that we eat/drink from. Items that were used to prepare or serve a meal are generally washed by hand, immediately after finishing with them. Because there are only two of us, my wife and I have plenty of dishes to eat from, but a limited number of items to cook with. This system allows us to run the dishwasher on a regular basis, but rarely ends with us finding what we need dirty and waiting to be cleaned.
joshua becker says
Yeah, I should be careful to mention that this has just been a month-long experiment. That being said, it’s been long enough to discover that I’ve really been enjoying the mindfulness and intentionality that it brings. But whether this remains a habit for the rest of my life, I’m unsure. The circumstances of life have a tendency to change.. sometimes quickly. But certainly, at this present moment, it’s been good to “wash my bowl.”
Mike Donghia (Art of Minimalism) says
Joshua,
This is one of the best minimalist posts I’ve read in a while. It’s funny because that same post by leo on Mnmlist has a huge impact on me too.
In my apartment, we don’t have a dishwasher so we’ ve been washing by hand a while. Until reading that post I dreaded it – saw it as an annoying inconvenience. Then it hit me that happiness in life depends on us turning the ordinary into something deeper.
Plus, the less we need technology in life – the better. Less cost, less hassles (when they break down), and much more conscious living.
Thanks man!
joshua becker says
Conscious living. I think that’s the point.
eema says
yeah,’ turning the ordinary into something deeper’
where ever and what ever it may be.
i heard a dish washer uses less water?
tordis says
it uses less water, but more energy and it has to be produced, shipped from factory to factory, being advertised and so on.
apart from that, it’s a singletasker. a sink, on the other hand, can be used for more than just washing your dishes ;)
Meg says
Oh rats, I thought it could be used for washing lettuce, too ;D
Di says
love your sense of humor
Lindsey says
And here I was thinking my dishwasher was one of my favorite minimalist tools? :)
With a large family I run the dishwasher twice a day. But I spend way less time loading/unloading than washing the dishes. I’ve tried it. But Kudos to you!!! I’m all for finding what works!
joshua becker says
I’m sure with a large family, my practice might change. With only four of us at most meals, it’s not too much effort to handwash the dishes. But like I mentioned, when we entertain, we still use the dishwasher.
Lynn says
It’s definitely a household thing. Here, with two adults and a kid, I could not get away with not using a dishwasher. As my son gets older, that may change, because I can get him to help me a little better with his part of the dishes and then I can just wash the rest of them by hand.
Point of my comment? To say not to feel guilty if you use your dishwasher!