It wasn't long before we discovered that there was no hot water in the
kitchen sink (did I mention there is no stove or microwave either, but we
do have a toaster-oven). So the process for doing the dishes is as follows:
1) Rinse off each dish you use throughout the week and stack them nicely in the sink (and keep reminding husband this is actually a new fun game that we are playing). 2) Do a 'rinse-off' with cold water of each dish and put it in the other sink or on the counter. 3) Clean out the empty sink and add lots of soap.
4) Boil water on the stovetop. 5) Add boiling water to sink with soap in it and
swish around the soap. 6) Begin to add dishes (carefully as to not burn oneself).
7) Add a little more dish-soap on top of the dishes that aren't submerged yet
(I use a lot of dish-soap as I do believe it is somehow diluted over here).
8) Boil more water and add to sink.
9) Boil even more water and add to sink.
10) Boil even more water for stand by.
11) Let dishes sit for a few minutes.
12) Add a touch of cold water and wash all the dishes.
13) Drain the water and rinse dishes with cold water
(putting dishes on the countertop. 14) Clean out both of the now
empty sinks. 15) Go through process #8, 9, 10 and 11 of boiling the
water filling one side of the sink. 16) Put water and Clorox in the other sink.
17) With gloves on (recommended) and/or using the spatula (use this idea more) or with bare hand (standard scalded fingers) put a few dishes at a time in
the hot water, rinse them off then dip them in the Clorox side of the sink.
18) Stack the dishes and let them dry.
19) Turn the pots upside down and let them air dry.
During the following weeks try to use more plastic dish-ware.
20) Repeat the process in a few days.
Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for our beautiful apartment and the
fact that we have running water and dishes and a sink to wash them in.
On the flip side this might be a good transition
to our mission lifestyle if we end up in a squalid district!
