We have a record player (that also plays cassette tapes - I only have one anymore - and radio) in our sun room.
And, in an unfun take on the ever-popular, ever-ruined (in the library world, at least) "Where's Waldo" books, just try and see what's missing from our kitchen. Aside from general housewifey cleanliness.
There are a couple of reasons that we never took that plate plunge.
First, there's no realistic space for the thing without making the place look seriously effed up. The base cabinet would look all funky near the sink, and there really isn't the space for it there, anyway. Our kitchen's a pretty good size (there's a wall of cabinetry behind where I took the picture and tons of space for a small table/stools and cat food - priorities, people - on the right), but it was built in 1920, so there's really no non-awkward place for one.
Oh, and for the record, I'm not sure if it's the more efficient way to wash or not. I should probably search for some ways TO make it more efficient, but the comparisons seem minimal (and, in all honesty, I'm tons faster than Dave at it, so I think it's a tad more efficient the faster you are; play "beat the water", it's fun. *shakes head* It isn't.). Still, I'll continue the search. In case you're wondering, here are a few interesting articles: Treehugger (love them), NPR (love them, too) and GizMag (who?).
Anyhoo, the other big reason is that we really don't care. We've been offered the gift of a dishwasher several times, but we always quickly agree that it wouldn't be necessary. We really don't mind washing dishes by hand. And, regardless of what it may sound like, we tend not to have a full sink of dishes always waiting to be washed. (Sometimes a couple of random mugs or a plate and a knife or fork from breakfast. Maybe.)
I know. Crazy, right?
I guess that, since we've lived here, we've really gotten used to this method. Our apartments didn't have dishwashers, but we both grew up with them (and I'm assuming Dave didn't do a lot of kitchen cleaning as a teenager...just a guess; I, however, have done an @$$ ton of it since early childhood), so we know the pros to those magical mystery machines. Really, yes, they're great. We get it. We do.
But, a dishwasher's not a necessity. Plus, I've come to enjoy dish washing.
Okay, wait. The wording's wrong there. I've come to
It also gets me off my @$$. It's easy to fall into the "sit and stare at the TV" mode after eating, especially a bigger meal like dinner. But, knowing that there's a pile of dishes waiting in the sink makes me completely unable to relax. No way. So, after the dishes are done, sometimes I ride off the rush of having accomplished at least one tiny bit of housework for the day, using the adrenaline to get something else done...or patting myself on the back and feeling that I've deserved some TV/blogging/Ancestry.com/reading/stare-at-my-husband-until-he's-uncomfortable time.
And what's better than that? Even when we move one day and, say, the joint doesn't have a dishwasher...I doubt we'll jump on the bandwagon.
What about you guys? Who's a hand washer? Who swears by their dishwasher? Who just makes their kids do it like my mom? I can't blame her, really. Her parents got an automatic dishwasher after she graduated and got married (which happened practically at the same time), so I think she realized what her value was to the family. ;-)
Come to think of it...wait a minute.
Hmm. Hmph.
Washing the dishes is probably my most hated chore. Listening to music or a funny audiobook helps. Growing up, my dad and I did the grocery shopping and cooking, while my mom did the hand washing and my brothers handled the dishwasher. Unfortunately, my husband didn't come from that same kind of divide and conquer household, so I grocery shop, cook, and clean. Thank goodness we have a dishwasher - I can get away with washing a sinkfull about 2x a week and the rest goes in the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteWow, MOST hated? Even more than toilet-cleaning? (Side note: I don't mind cleaning the toilet whatsoever. The shower and bath, however.) That's sayin' something! :-) At least you've got the dishwasher to help, to an extent.
DeleteHa! Well, I grew up in a house without a dishwasher, unless, of course, you count me. It was a constant source of conflict between me and my mother since I considered it grossly unfair that my household chore was to do the dishes which took at least an hour every single day, while my brother's chore was to take out the garbage which took about 10 minutes once a week. Can you say "sexist bullshit?"
ReplyDeleteAs an adult I've had a love/hate relationship with dishwashers, largely because until my current one I never had one that worked very well so you practically had to wash the things by hand before you put them in it. But my current dishwasher (an extremely energy efficient Bosch) totally ROCKS! Seriously, you put dirty dishes in and they come out clean... and you don't even have to pre-rinse. It's really somewhat life altering. I think doing the dishes would't be such a big deal if I didn't have cats who dirty about a dozen dishes per day between them, and if I didn't have to cook everything from scratch due to food allergies - which creates a TON of dishes to wash. Seriously, I'm a household of one and I do at least 4-5 very full loads of dishes per week.
So at this point I can't see myself ever going back to life without one. I even have a dishwasher song... to the tune of Yankee Doodle Dandy "Oh I love my dishey washer... I love my dishey washer woo..." Yes, I'm totally crazy. Now... if they could just figure out how to make one that would load and unload itself.... :-)
LOL Not crazy. :-) Anyone who sings something to the tune of "Yankee Doodle Dandy", I can get behind! I'm a fan.
DeleteWe had a similar family. The boys had chores, but my sister and I had about 10x as many (we cleaned the house, top to bottom, once a week). Mom referred to us as "Cinderella". At least you're not alone! :-)
Washing dishes is my MOST hated chore! I'd rather scrub 1,000 toilets with a toothbrush (not MY toothbrush) than wash a sink full of dirty dishes. With that said, let me tell you why I do not own a dishwasher. First of all, my 1950's kitchen, like yours, is just not set-up to accept a dishwasher. I fear that the addition of a dishwasher would cost me valuable cupboard space. Secondly, and more importantly, there are always other things that I need to spend my money on; groceries, gas for my car, cheer gear for V, the latest & greatest tech gadget for P, and so on and so on and so on. Therefor, I will continue to hand wash my dirty dishes while trying to channel the therapeutic aspect of this duty!
ReplyDeleteAwesome response, LOL! I understand hating the chore, I do. It's cool that you try to channel the therapeutic side of the task, regardless of how hated it is. It's definitely a necessary evil!
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