No one likes to deal with the messy aftermath of preparing a family meal or baking a dessert for a get-together. If you have a dishwasher, the clean-up stage is made a little easier for you — but without one, you might feel like washing dishes will take hours. Before you strain your back and turn your fingers into prunes, here are a few key dishwashing tips to teach you how to wash dishes efficiently.

Rinse off Dishes Right After Use

Instead of piling stacks of dirty dishes in or beside your sink — many filled with crumbs or with a layer of coffee at the bottom — rinse them out. This step will save you after your meal, later that night or the next morning because you won’t be spending extra time trying to scrub off excess food and liquid.

The Hotter the Water, the Better

Not only should you be using hot water to wash your dishes — bacteria and germs are killed this way — but you should also use hot water to rinse off the suds. It creates fewer streaks and spots on your glassware, making the air-drying process go flawlessly.

Here’s a dishwashing secret — cold water will help you remove dairy and starch products. If you’ve been using bowls and pots to bake, running some cool water over them before submerging and washing will keep you from scrubbing away.

Soak With Suds

While you might think it’s best to wash your glassware and cake pans right away, soaking is the best thing you can do. By soaking your pots and pans, you’re letting the food particles loosen up naturally, making it easier to clean them efficiently.

Leaving caked-on pots and pans sitting out overnight without any soak or rinse is something we all do from time to time. Certain dishwashing hacks will help if you’ve got some heavy stains to deal with. One trick is to combine water and 1/4 cup of baking soda. Heat the mix to a boil. Remove the mixture from heat, and pour it into the dirty pot. Soak with the baking soda mixture for one hour, and voila — the food lifts right off.

If you have pans lined with old grease, try rubbing table salt onto them with a dry sponge. Salt is a naturally abrasive and absorbent material, making it the perfect antidote to grease and oil.

Use a Dish Tub or Blocked Sink

Using a dish tub will save you water, time and energy. Add your liquid dish soap directly into the container, and use a sponge to wash and scrub all your glasses, plates and silverware. Then, you can rinse off a few dishes at a time and place them aside to air dry.

If you don’t have a dish tub, you can use a sink stopper or a rubber or plastic mat to line the bottom of your sink and fill it with water and soap. Just make sure you have one side of your sink prepped for washing and the other side clear for rinsing with hot water.

Even with all of these dishwashing secrets and tips, your kitchen might still resemble a war zone after a full day of cooking. Request a free estimate from Thai Cleaning Services around the Baltimore area, and your kitchen will look spotless in no time.