Dishwashing is my Never-ending Story. Do you remember that movie? Actually, scratch that. Dishes are nothing like that. They’re more like that annoying Lambchop song – what was it called? The Song that Never Ends. Yep. That’s what dishes are like…but even more annoying (if that’s possible).
There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t have to tackle the dishes piling up on my kitchen counters. And once I get them done, more of them just keep “magically” appearing. It’s enough to drive a person bonkers, but I’ve found some helpful ways to cope with the eternal, lifelong struggle that is dishwashing.
1. Be thankful for modern technology. It used to be so much worse! Let’s take a look back at the history of dishwashers in this infograph from Frigidaire. Just be glad you don’t have to hand-crank a wooden dishwasher. I’m also very happy I don’t have to hand-wash all my dishes (my apologies to those of you who do), because with a family of 5 who eat an insane amount of food and dirty up an equally insane amount of dishes, I’d have to make dishwashing my new full-time job.
2. Don’t overcrowd the dishwasher. This is one of Frigidaire’s “Top Rack Tips” and I’ve definitely found it to be a good rule of thumb. I know it’s tempting to cram as much as you can into your dishwasher all at once, but then nothing gets cleaned properly and you end up having to run it again, taking up more of your valuable time, water, and energy.
3. Use your speed cycle. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love the 30-minute cycle on the Frigidaire OrbitClean dishwasher. It’s really changed my routine for the better. I used to have trouble keeping on top of the dishes because I work all day, and then I have to make dinner, so I wouldn’t have time to get to the dishes until after our meal. There would always be more dishes than I could fit into one load, and cramming them in was a bad option (see above!), so there would still be dirty dishes left on the counter for the next day. Now I can manage to get a light load of dishes going before dinner on the 30 minute cycle, and then afterwards I do a regular cycle with dishes that need a little more oomph, like pots and pans from dinner. Dishes are actually done and my counters tidy at the end of the day!
If you’re interested in learning more about this dishwasher’s great features, here’s a link to Frigidaire’s Facebook page with the deets: http://www.frigidairekitchen.ca/en/orbitclean-dishwashers/
4. Get your kids to help. If you have kids, they can be a great help with the dishes. Even the littler ones, like my 2 year-old, can be put to use. She likes to hand me or brothers the cutlery so we can put them away. Okay, so it’s not a big help, but it keeps her out of trouble at least while the rest of us do the dishes.
5. Have fun! I know it can be hard, but try to keep a positive attitude about the dishes. Make a game of it, or play some music. I love playing music so I can sing while I work, and my kids like to get their groove on with me, too. I use Songza on my iphone a lot when I’m in the kitchen. I love that you can just type in what you’re doing or what your mood is, and they’ll give you playlists for it. Here a playlists for doing housework or spending time with kids.
In the spirit of fun, I’m going to leave you with this neat timelapse video that we made of us loading up our dishwasher that I shared on Instagram – take a look:
My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” 
