According to figures by the Office for National Statistics, the number of households in the UK with dishwashers doubled from 24% in 1998 to 49% in 2018.
Jayne Hill runs a food and nutrition class at Okehampton College in Devon, and explained how some children are unable to do the washing up.
She said: “If my kids use a plate for one slice of toast and there’s a few crumbs, rather than dipping it in water and giving it a quick clean they’re straight to the dishwasher.
“I think it’s just laziness. Parents need to step up. Learning starts at home.”
She told the Sunday Times: "A 12-year-old boy cried when he was told off for not washing up properly.
"This poor kid was in turmoil. He’d never had to wash up at home.”
We’ve never owned a dishwasher and we do not want one. Washing up by hand is quick and efficient with very little noise generated, so it suits us on several counts
Exactly…I haven’t had a dishwasher either, and I find washing dishes quite enjoyable anyway. I do feel sorry for today’s young folk though…they have been brought up with gadgets, so of course they rely on them first. But not knowing how to wash a dish is a bit extreme, I think…!
There are several ‘aids’ our homes have lacked over the years so our children grew up knowing how to live and grow the old fashioned way; but then on the other hand, we’ve always had proper plumbed-in bidets since our first daughter arrived. IMO it’s an essential piece of personal hygiene kit but for some reason they are still not being fitted into new homes as standard and I blame the ever shrinking house dimensions.
I don’t think it’s laziness, it’s just what they have become accustomed to, so they put it in the dishwasher, then when it’s full they switch it on.
We’re old school, times move on, it doesn’t take much to wash up,if the machine breaks down, you can always google “ how to wash dishes” tune into YouTube.
My son hates washing up, he doesn’t have a machine “ yet” …but when I’m not there ,he has no choice but to wash up…
So has my son when he stays here, I love washing up though, he hates it, just as I hate doing some things, that he loves to do, so he does them for me.
Wow, no, I’m down with the kids on this. I’ve always hated washing up, that grim greasy reminder of meals eaten! tedious and boring, germ spreading dishcloths and tea towels.
Bung it in the dishwasher, it comes out shiny, squeaky hygienic clean.
I love my dishwasher. I often fondle it gently and whisper in it’s ear that it’s my favourite kitchen appliance but not to tell the cooker!
Sorry ,I never read the post properly, not knowing how to wash up, who doesn’t know how to wash up.…if that’s what they have become accustomed to, I guess they wouldn’t know any different, …they would struggle if they hadn’t been taught to wash up, would they even know how to google washing up on YouTube.,
I have used dishwashers in homes as a carer and cleaner, some never cleaned the dishes properly and what was left in the bottom of some of them, yuck!!
I prefer washing up by hand, I get through quite a few tea towels a day.
Interesting…I think I’ll stick with washing by hand. I can monitor the water I use while still making sure they are clean. Its not a hard thing for parents to teach their kids, surely…?
You hand washer uppers, what’s your technique? Do you wash in soapy water, drain, then dry with a tea towel, or do you wash, then rinse before draining or drying
My friend from Brazil was horrified when she came to live here and her mum-in-law washed the dishes in soapy water, then put them straight to drain and dry with no rinse stage
Yes I am one of those horrific people who wash, drain & dry with no rinsing in between. I use a tea towel for regular dishes and cutlery, but use kitchen towel for pots and pans. The kitchen towel does double duty in wiping down the draining board, sink and bowl after I’m done.
My hand washing up technique is thus. (No room for a machine in this kitchen.)
I have a separate W/up bowl on the side, in which I put all the dirty crocks, cutlery and pans etc. (Saves the work top getting wet and dirty.) a squirt of soap in the bowl, a rub round with the gloves on, rinse, then fill up with the soap and hot water, topping up a nearby jug with hot water.
Put a few items into the bowl, rinse first of any residue, clean, pour water from the jug to rinse, then into the drainer. Repeat till everything done, if needs be, topping up the jug.
No tea towels used. Rinse out the bowl that is on the side. Then as I use items during the day, in that bowl they go, to repeat the process all over again.
I hate washing up by hand and love the dishwasher. Although I hate loading the dishwasher. You have to rinse some items before they go in otherwise they are not washed properly and lining them up evenly is a pain. Particularly pans or casserole/roasting dishes. So it’s great that some kids know how to put the items into the dishwasher (which is a first in my experience - they are usually left in the sink!), putting them in covered in food would send the blood pressure up.
Dishwashing control issues can go too far and some people are very precious about using the dishwasher in the correct way. A colleague has a picture of how to load the dishwasher for his family to refer to.
Washing up by hand? You need a dish drainer which many kitchens no longer have (because they have a dishwasher!). I also think tea towels are the most unhygienic items in the kitchen.
I do think that’s the traditional way here in the U.K., no rinsing stage? Certainly my mum and granny didn’t rinse, nor did they force me to when they managed to catch up with me and press gang me into doing it
I do feel sorry for today’s young folk though…they have been brought up with gadgets, so of course they rely on them first. But not knowing how to wash a dish is a bit extreme, I think…!
…he sounds like he’s got an answer for everything,