Last updated on August 14th, 2022 at 01:28 pm
Washing dishes is essential to keeping a clean home. Imagine using plates with crumbs of food from your last meal. How does fresh lasagna look on an oily dish? Ugly right? So we all want to wash our plates.
But one thing of relative necessity is rinsing these plates after washing them. Is this process of utmost importance, or can it be skipped?
Whether or not you should rinse dishes after washing depends on individual preference. However, it’s best to rinse plates after washing as it helps to rinse off all the particles of dirt the soapy mixture dislodged. Rinsing is also essential because it makes the plate usable; you wouldn’t want your food tasting like detergent, would you?
What Do You Do After You Wash Dishes?
After washing dishes, there are two essential things you should do; they are rinsing and drying. Below, I’ll explain these processes separately.
1. Rinsing
Rinsing is more advisable with hot water because cold water may cause water spots on your dishes. Therefore, it would be best if you rinsed dishes with clean hot water by dipping them in a rinsing sink or pan or spraying water on them when placed in a drying rack.
If you have a double sink, you can use the second sink to rinse dishes after being washed. Ensure always to rinse the interior of all cutleries, cups, bowls, and ceramic/separately.
2. Drying
Drying can be done by air drying or wiping with a towel. It is easier air drying because you have to put the dishes in a drying rack and leave them to dry off. However, using a towel is more helpful when drying glassware because it removes grease dishes.
When using a towel, ensure that it is clean and always remember to replace it when it becomes damp because drying your words with a dirty towel will give the dishes spots and spread germs around more.
What Is The Most Sanitary Way To Wash Dishes?
The most hygienic way to wash and sanitize your dishes is through a dishwasher.
A dishwasher cycles hot heat and hot water, recommended in washing and rinsing dishes, typically around 45 to 75°c. Using a dishwasher washer is an effective and efficient way to get your dishes clean because it also saves time and energy; hence dishwashing is not an easy job.
In 2020, the University of Michigan; researchers found that the most energy-efficient way to wash dishes is the two basin method. You wash dishes in one basin and then rinse them in another basin with clean water. Still, this method is less effective compared to using a dishwasher;
hence using hot water is advised; the water temperature may drop or cool off in the two basin method but, a dishwasher, on the other hand, maintains the temperature of the water.
What Is The Three Sink Method?
The three sink Method is the manual form of commercial dishwashing. It requires washing, rinsing, and sanitizing dishes in three separate sinks, one sink for each step in the procedure.
Understanding the right way to perform this method is critical to archiving clean, hygienic dishes and reducing the likelihood of patron illness. The three sink method is the manual form of commercial dishwashing.
It requires more than washing dishes with soap and water; unlike washing dishes at home, this method also requires sanitizing them. As indicated in the name, the three sink method requires three sink compartments, one for washing, one for rinsing, and the other for sanitizing.
Although the three sink method uses three sinks to perform the three different procedures, the entire cleaning process takes five steps: Prep, Wash, Rinse, Sanitize, and Air Dry.
1. Prep
This is the preparation of each sink for use and the scraping of leftover food particles on the dishes before washing. Each sink must be fully set before the beginning of the cleaning procedure.
Before hot water is added, you have to check each of the sinks and drains for any debris or remaining residue from the previous cleaning; each sink should be clean before use.
Washing dishes without scraping the food leftovers may make the washing tedious because of the cluster of the food particles in the washing water.
2. Wash
This is cleaning the dishes with hot water and detergent in the wash sink. The water needs to be at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, the wash sink dishes are scrubbed clean with a scrub brush, scouring pad, or cloth.
As a general rule, the water and detergent in this sink should be replaced frequently. When the water becomes dirty or when the soap suds are no longer visible.
3. Rinse
The dishes that have been washed are placed here; no soaps or chemicals are added to the water or in the bay because dishes are put here so that the soap will be removed from them. When the water in this sink becomes too soapy, it is supposed to be replaced.
4. Sanitize
This is the final sink in the three-sink method. Here the dishes are sanitized. Sanitizing is critical to reducing the chance of food-borne illness because sanitizing kills about 99.99% of germs and bacteria.
To be sanitized, dishes can not have any remaining detergent residue or remaining food residues on them. If you find out that words have remaining food or detergent, you must rewash them. Sanitizing can be done in two ways, either by using hot water or chemical sanitization.
5. Chemical Sanitization
This is the most common form of sanitization; it requires suspending the dishes in a sanitizing mixture for a minimum of one minute. The most common chemical sanitizers are chlorine, iodine, and quat.
6. Hot water sanitization
This sanitization requires a heating device to be installed in the Sanitization sink. The heating device heats and also circulates the water.
During hot water sanitization, the dishes are submerged in the water for a minimum of 30 seconds, altho some states may require the dishes to stay for as long as two minutes in the water.
7. Air Dry
After the dishes have been washed, rinsed, and sanitized, they are left to air dry on the drainboard, utensil rack, or similar equipment.
Dry boards allow the dishes to dry without being contaminated thoroughly. However, placing the dishes on a flat surface may allow water to build up and grow bacteria.
Conclusion
Whether or not you should rinse dishes after washing depends on individual preferences; hence, not rinsing dishes after washing them poses no health challenges, only when using a modern dishwasher.