CasaSugar

Are You More Likely to Hand Wash Dishes?

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:00:40 -0700

While we do have a dishwasher, I find that I am a much better dishwasher than it is. Plus, I hate waiting until the dishwasher is full to run a load. There's something that bothers me about knowing that the dishwasher is half full of dirty dishes. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy doing dishes by hand. What about you?

Etsy Find: Do the Dishes Tea Towel

CasaSugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:30:48 -0700

Sometimes we all just need a straight talkin' to. That's especially true when the pots and pans are piling up. So beyond a bit of Palmolive and some elbow grease, perhaps the answer is the Show Pony Do the Dishes Tea Towel ($20), a fair trade organic cotton towel with the kitchen commandment spelled out in screen printed stacks of dirty plates. Perhaps you're a gal who goes for the three-packs of striped dish towels from the grocery store, so this one may not be for you. But I love me some tea towels, and have an ever-growing collection, so you can bet your bottom dollar that this Show Pony piece will show up in my kitchen.

Casa Verde: Efficient Dishwashing by Hand

CasaSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:00:42 -0700

I've told you before that using an energy-efficient dishwasher is the best way to go when it comes to getting your dishes clean, but let's be realistic . . . we don't all have one and some of us just can't afford to buy one at the moment. There are some ways you can increase your efficiency at washing dishes by hand so you don't use more than a couple gallons of water, though. To begin, put a stopper in your drain (not just the strainer). The easiest way to waste water is to leave the faucet running down the drain, so plugging the drains will create a pool of water you can use to soak your dishes. And even if the water is dirty, you can still use it on your thirsty plants. If you have a double sink, wash your dishes in one section filled with a couple gallons of water and then use the other one with hot water for rinsing. If you have a single sink, use some sort of basin or bucket for rinsing your dishes with hot water, so the dishes you're rinsing reuse the same water. But, before you wash, wait until all of your dishes have piled up; it conserves water to wash as many dishes as possible at once.
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Who Does the Dishes?

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:29 -0700

The general rule in my house is that whoever cooks gets to sit out when it comes time to do the dishes. But it often ends up being a shared task. Who does the dishes in your house?Source

Casa Quickie: Easier Egg Cleanup

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:00:16 -0700

I like eggs. I like scrambled eggs and fried eggs and poached eggs and hard-boiled eggs and deviled eggs. Omelettes and French toast are friends of mine. I'll eat eggs in any style. I like them, Sam-I-am! But, I do not like dried eggs on dishes! Peeling dried eggs off of my spatula is an unpleasant Saturday morning routine. Fortunately, I learned to save myself a little headache by washing my dishes used for cooking and eating eggs (whatever style egg it may be!) with cold water. Hot water, I now realize, just cooks dried egg (and milk) further onto dishes and cooking utensils. Cold water still requires a little elbow grease, but that's nothing my guns can't handle.

Casa Quickie: Permission Granted - Stop Washing!

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:15:44 -0700

Hey! Drop the sponge and move away from the sink. That's right: it's time to stop washing dishes by hand. According to the EPA, using an energy-efficient dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. An energy-efficient dishwasher, such as an Energy Star certified washer, uses only 4 gallons per cycle, saving as much as 5,000 gallons of water per year compared with hand washing. By using an energy-efficient dishwasher, you'll also save an average of $40 in energy costs and 230 hours of washing time. Take all of those extra hours and do something fun, like wallpapering that extra bedroom.
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Cool Idea: Plant-Watering Dishrack

CasaSugar — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 04:06:44 -0800

Designer Erdem Selek came up with this smart design, called the Planter Dish Drip, which waters a houseplant with water from hand-washed dishes. The plastic dishrack can hold several dishes at once, though obviously not as many as your everyday dishrack. Still, it's a smart design that lends a whimsical, green touch to an everyday chore, which is something I can definitely support. While this design is still just that-a design-I'll let you know if and when it hits stores.

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Would You Use These? Grab and Dry Terry Dishtowel Gloves

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:15:53 -0700

Featured in O at Home magazine, these gloves ($15) might just make your dish-drying chore time faster (though probably not in my house, since I let everything air dry). Made of absorbent red or white terrycloth, one size fits all and they have waterproof linings.

What do you think? Gimmick or a real innovation? Would you put these to use in your kitchen?

Crave Worthy: Snap Cups

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:27:36 -0700

I love the bright, pop-art colors and the surprising snap accessory on these INV/ALT design snap cups ($50). You can order some from INV/ALT's Etsy shop, or you can pick the glazes for your personalized snap cups and snap-cup innovator Angela will make them just for you!

I think these would be so fun to display in a retro-style kitchen. Where would you put them?

Cool Idea: Dish Towel Curtain

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:00:52 -0700

I spotted this image in the portfolio of British photographer Polly Wreford and am utterly charmed. Some clever crafter has created a curtain from a hodgepodge of white or white and blue dish towels. Of course, this idea won't work in all homes, but I think it has a quaint country cottage look that would be endearing in a kitchen. Even the most amateur sewers can figure this one out, and dish towels sell for practically pennies so it's also quite the economical solution. And, the thick, absorptive textiles do a great job of keeping out glare without blocking your natural light.
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