Some people are pretty obsessive over their dirty dishes—they can’t stand leaving anything (not even a spoon!) in the sink. Others are a little more lenient—a spoon and a few plates are okay, but nothing that will sit for too long.
And other people, well, they just don’t care at all. Life is too short to do dishes, they say! Let ’em pile up!
In an RV, the dish situation can feel even more personal because sink space is limited, counter space disappears fast, and one forgotten mug can suddenly feel like clutter. For some, washing dishes right away is about keeping order in a small space. For others, it’s about saving water, waiting for a full load, or just enjoying the smells of dinner a little while longer.
So, where do you stand?
Do you always or usually always wash your dishes right away, never leaving anything in the sink? Or do you maybe let them sit throughout the day but wash them every night, never going to bed with a full sink? Or do you leave them until it’s absolutely necessary to wash them?
If you answer “other” in our poll, please leave a comment and share your answer. Thanks! And, hey, no judgment here.
TELL US MORE: Do you use regular dinner plates or paper plates when dining in your RV?
RVDT2813
We pile up the few plates that we use in the trashcan, because we find paper plates more convenient to use. On the few occasions that a knife must be used, we have two Corelle plates, but they are washed immediately. We do allow dinnerware to pile up as it is not convenient to wash a knife, fork, or spoon immediately.
Dishes are cleaned off and put in the dishwasher. Dishwasher is run when full.
Rinsed and in the dishwasher. But there is a break between eating and clean up. But never stack up in the sink.
Clutter is annoying. Clean and put away.
When we do dishes depends on the amount of dishes, the food they held, and travel. Safety for us and for the dishes often dictate when they get washed. For example, if breakfast dishes can’t ride safely in the sink, they get washed before we move. And many dishes are easier to wash after soaking for a bit. We are somewhere between slaves and procrastinators.
They soak a short while in the sink then go into the dishwasher
I (notice the bold ‘I’…?) wash them immediately or at least rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. When I cook, my kitchen, pots & pans, utensils, etc. are cleaned as I go. My husband, on the other hand, has a stack of dishes on his side of the sink (if he’s going to pile dishes in the sink, he gets one side and I get the other to actually use…), and when he cooks the kitchen looks like a racoon on crystal meth went through it… 😉
Usually don’t need to wash paper plates…
Rinsed off and put in the dishwasher. Which I hate. (this is at home) I’d much rather have a strainer on the side of the sink so I could rinse, wash, and be done. That’s what we have in the RV and I love it.
In the RV I wash the dishes almost immediately since the sink is small and so is the countertop for the dirty dishes that don’t fit in the sink. I’m not opposed to using paper plates and bowls but I prefer to use the real dishes if we are hooked up to water.
In my stick and bricks I do the dishes two or three times a days depending on the quantity.
I know it is weird but dishes piled up in the sink in our RV makes the space seem smaller. So I do not let them pile up for long. We have found that the best use of the dish washer is to put our washed dishes in it to dry.
I wash my dishes once a day in our RV. I do wipe them down with a damp paper towel and then put them in a dishpan. After dinner I do all the dishes that have been used for the day, this saves water so I have more time during daylight hours to enjoy the outside.
In the RV we washed dishes immediately. At home we rinse and place in the dishwasher throughout the day. We run the dishwasher before going to bed.
Since I travel solo, I tend to opt for one pot meals, which I can eat out of the same pot. So my dishes consist of one pot, and one spoon, which are washed immediately.
On travel days, we wash the breakfast dishes immediately, then put them away. On non-travel days, we may leave the breakfast dishes and wash them with the dinner dishes to save water (we are seldom hooked up to sewer, so rely on the tanks until dumping is required). We generally take lunches with us during the day, so seldom have any lunch dishes. And we very rarely eat out when RVing, so have dishes to wash every day.
With space at a premium, we wash dishes immediately. (However, occasionally, after an unusually exhausting day, we have been guilty of using the dishwasher—ahem, trash can.)
I try to only do dishes once a day to save on water. Everything is wiped off tho as I don’t want food particle going into the gray tank & I detest washing dishes with particle of food floating in the dishwater, ewww. I do go thru a fair amount of paper towels to wipe dishes down but that is the trade off. I always wash up all the dishes before a travel day. At home we place dirty dishes in the dishwasher but usually only have enough to run every other day. Can’t say I would want a dishwasher in the rv. I don’t mind doing the dishes, part of the adventure!
It depends on the need to conserve water. Sometimes we wait until the end of the day.
Always after dinner for the day which means breakfast & lunch dishes hide in the sink under the sink cover until then. So, not quite immediately.
Paper plates and bowls, plastic “silver” ware too. Wife died, been on my own for five years.
But do wash up cooking pans. But boxed dinners and sandwiches rule at my RV.
Thank you for the question, RV Travel! At home, the dishes may stay in the kitchen sink overnight before they go into the dishwasher. We run it when it is full or nearly so. In the RV, we usually wash dishes every two or three days and always the morning of departure from the campground. Have a great weekend and safe travels!