How Do I…..Wash Dishes?

It’s Monday which means time for another “How Do I….” post?!

I typically throw dishes and pots into a basin that’s 1/3 full of water since I don’t have running water or a sink. This basin is in my “washroom” which is just an empty room with a small drainage that goes outside and is where I do all of my cleaning at (bathing, washing dishes, washing clothes, etc). Yes, the basin is on the floor….lots of things get done on the floor around here (bathing, cooking, washing dishes, washing clothes).

I then add dish soap (by the time I get a vehicle to go to town and return back to my village…it can take 4-6 hours to get this bottle of soap) to the basin.

Oftentimes the weather affects what I cook. If we’re in a dry spell then I’m more aware of what I cook. For example I may eat a PBJ sandwich and a boiled egg for one meal which requires minimal water to cook and clean up. I may choose to make spaghetti instead of pancakes…again, less water needed to clean up afterwards.

I use a small pitcher to clean pots since it’s a lot easier to use less water that way instead of filling up the basin full of water.

If I’ve had an easy lunch (e.g. PBJ sandwich) then I just reuse the water for clean-up after dinner if it’s clean enough. Since I have cockroaches, bats, spiders, etc. crawling around I wash my plate and fork right before I put my food on it even though I just washed them the day before.

Then, depending on what was cooked….I either sweep or mop up the floor! I was able to grab this broom a while back from town (vs the typical Kenya broom which I do use from time to time).  I later found a mop attachment which didn’t fit and the broom attachment wouldn’t come off so I ended up whittling down one end of the broom to attach the mop….hey…it works.