8 Tips Busy Moms Need to Simplify Their Dishes Routine

Dishes…. Oh, the never-ending chore that so many moms and kids dread.

Meals and snacks all throughout the busy day. Family members eat at different times. Dishes piled in the sink and stuck on gunk. It feels like a vicious cycle.

It can feel so draining to need to tackle dishes at the end of a long day. I hate feeling like I am spending half the day cooking and trying to keep up with the dishes.

Try these tips to simplify your dishes routine. They will help a ton with making fewer dirty dishes and getting your dishes done faster!

Tip 1: Teach Kids to Help

• Kids can and should help with dishes. Everyone contributes to the mess, so everyone should help clean it up.
• It’s easy to think younger kids can’t help or will slow you down. Kids are more capable than we think.
  • Younger kids can help bring dishes to the sink
  • Cupboards can be switched so 3,4, and 5-year-olds can help load/unload the dishwasher
  • Kids can also help dry/put away dishes
• Many hands make light work. Kids need to start sometime. It takes some time and training. It is so nice when they get older and you can add “Load/unload dishwasher” to a list. Your 8,9, and 10-year-olds can do it all on their own.

Tip 2: Don’t Put Dishes Off

• Give dishes a quick rinse/load them in the dishwasher RIGHT AWAY.
  • Putting it off will let the food get hard and stuck on. This makes dishes take much longer to clean.
• Try to wash as you go while you are cooking.
• Set a 5-minute timer and see what you can get accomplished. Doing dishes goes a lot faster than you think. Especially when you stay focused.
  • Even if you are really tired, push yourself to do something for 5 minutes. Then if you want to leave the rest go, fine. At least you can feel good about making some progress.

Tip 3: Keep a Small Bowl of Soapy Water in the Sink

• Keep a small bowl in the sink for quick washing/rinsing of dishes while cooking.
• It is really helpful to have this and a 2-minute can-do attitude while cooking. After some practice, you will get better. You will find small chunks of time to take care of dishes as you go.
  • Just be careful so you don’t try to do too much at once and get distracted while cooking!

Tip 4: Batch Cook/1 Pot Meals

• Cooking extra on the weekends is a great way to reduce dishes.
  • It can get overwhelming to feel like you are spending an entire afternoon cooking. Check out this post for some batch cooking tips.
• Here are some examples.
  • Brown double the meat. Freeze half so you don’t need to pull out the skillet to brown meat again during the week.
    • After you are done browning the meat, you can rinse the skillet and use it to cook another dish. This can work for many different types of foods.
  • Hard-boil eggs in the Insta pot. Let the pot cool. Give the pot a rinse. Then, you can use it again to cook rice or noodles.
  • Use a cutting board to cut lettuce/carrots, etc. Then use to cut onions and tomatoes if using. Always cut raw meat LAST.

Example Meals

• Skillet Meals
  • BBQ Chicken Burrito Bowls
  • Skillet Lasagna
  • Egg Roll Skillet
• Crockpot/Insta Pot Meals
  • Chicken Noodle Soup
  • BBQ Chicken
  • Beef and Rice
• Sheet Pan Meals
  • Potato and Pepper Sausage Bake
  • Chicken and Veggies
  • Steak Bites with Veggies

Tip 5: Use a Kitchen Scale

• This is especially helpful with baking.
• It is more accurate, especially for measuring flour.
• It takes a little time to convert recipes to grams/oz. Do one recipe at a time. I recommend using a chart or making a list of common conversions.
  • 1 cup flour= 120g
  • 1 cup brown sugar=192g
• I love using this for items like brown sugar. No cup or packing is needed. It’s also great for peanut butter. No cup or spatula is needed. Simply spoon the correct weight in the bowl!
• Don’t use this for small teaspoon measurements. Some scales are not accurate when the weight is that small.

Tip 6: Reuse Bottles and Cups

• Cups can be reused for a day or 2. We have a spot on the counter and in the cupboard for “gently used” ones.
  • Be careful if the cup has had milk or something more perishable in it.
• Water bottles can be washed weekly.

Tip 7: Reuse Dishes When Possible

• Fruit/Veggie Containers
  • Use the same containers for veggies and fruit.
  • These can be washed once a week. I’ve gone up to 2 weeks without washing them.
  • Be sure to check for any bad spots. Some berries and fruit leave a little juice so keep that in mind.
• Gently Used Dishes
  • Pay attention to containers that are only used for a short time
    • If you make homemade pizza on Sunday and put the leftovers in a container. Eat it for lunch the next day. Save the container and see if you can use it for something else in the next day or two.
    • If your family does canning, reuse jars that you opened to add to dishes. If you use a jar of tomato soup/marinara sauce for spaghetti or chili, save the jar. Use these jars to store leftover chili or spaghetti.
    • Pick a specific spot in the fridge for these gently used containers. It will take some practice to remember they are in there. It does help save a few dishes here and there. It adds up!
• Thawing Meat
  • What container do you use to thaw your meat in the fridge? Plates work for some meats. Containers with a lip work a little better to avoid juice/blood spills.
  • If you are thawing meat on a Thursday to cook on the weekend, pay attention to the containers. Try to reuse what you used earlier in the week. Did you use a 9×13 pan to make a dessert or cook veggies?
    • Give it a rinse. See if you have room to store it in your fridge for a day or 2. Set your meat in there to thaw for later. Use your judgment for cross-contamination. Most meats are contained in their packaging. I haven’t had any problems with it at all.

Tip 8: Use Napkins/Parchment Paper When Possible

• Pizza, sandwiches, toast, etc can all be served on napkins.
• Cloth napkins are a great idea to save money and reduce waste.
• Parchment paper works great for baking.
  • Put a sheet under your cookies and there’s no pan to wash when you are done.
  • Hate the waste? The sheet of parchment paper can be reused a few times. Shake off the crumbs and fold to reuse later depending on the food item.
  • Cookies don’t make the paper very dirty at all. We have reused ours quite a few times!

Conclusion

Dishes are not a favorite chore for anyone I know. It is helpful to find some tips and tricks. You can slowly add them to your routine. This way, you have fewer dishes to deal with every day.

What are your best dishes tips? Let me know in the comments!