Secrets to Happiness: Secret #16

UPDATE: Jocelyn would like for me to point out that this photograph is not from our kitchen. I agree with her and apologize to her for perhaps leading some of you to believe that I was representing my own home. I was not.

Much like the not-so-secret Secret to Happiness #5, this one has to do with a relatively simple household chore. You can probably guess from the photo.

Do the dishes

Daily. Don't go to bed until they are cleaned and put away or loaded in the dishwasher. Turn the dishwasher on before turning out the lights.

Dishes...for most of us, they aren't really a problem. But for some of us, they are a big deal. We don't have the energy or desire to tackle them, we have odd shaped glasses that don't fit in the dishwasher, or we made something that sticks to the sides of a saucepan. We can find a million excuses for not doing them until tomorrow.

Bad idea.

Because tomorrow the task won't be any more desirable. If a guy lives alone or with one or more male roommates--I'm about to make a sweeping generalization--he is at least 50% likely to let dishes stack in the sink for two days or more. In some extreme cases, pestilence can find a foothold amid the debris. We hope that someone will take pity on us or be filled with enough disgust to take care of the problem.

Dishes. Makes me think of a quote of The Lord of the Rings, when one character picks ups the ring that Frodo has dropped. He says, "It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing."

That's the way I feel about a meal's worth of dishes.

A clean counter and sink is a real boost to happiness. If you don't like doing the dishes, then learn how to like it. They aren't going away. If you have a family, split up the work. Everyone can pitch in and get it done faster.

By the way, this includes putting clean dishes away once the dishwasher has finished.

You don't live out of your laundry room and baskets for clothes, do you? (If so, that'll be addressed in some future secret.) Don't live out of your dishwasher for glasses and plates and silverware.

Here are some suggestions to ease the pain:

1) Load the dishwasher immediately after using something. Exception is your drink glass, which you should use for the day.

2) Limit your use of difficult to wash glassware or dishes. This includes narrow stemware, fancy china, or anything that isn't dishwasher safe. They just discourage you from washing.

3) For handwashing, have a dish soap dispenser, sponge, and, optionally, rubber gloves (that fit you) available near the sink. For dishwashers, have the detergent and rinses handy.

For handwashing:

4) Buy a cheap dishrack to allow items to drain and dry that you've handwashed.

5) If you want to hand dry, keep a supply of linen dish towels clean and available. After a day's use, put them in the laundry.

6) Buy bottle brushes and scrub pads for hard to reach interiors and heavy scrubbing, respectively.

7) Wash glassware first. Pots and pans last. Change the water when it needs to be changed.

When dishes are dry:

8) Put them away.

I'm certain that most of you already know and do this. If so, I'd love to hear your suggestions for making this as painless as possible.

If there are multiple people in the house, I believe that everyone should share this chore. No one should be left to do this alone.

Unless I am visiting my parents. Then Mom can take care of them.