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So the design world has discovered that draining dishes into a plant of some description is pretty cool. Agreed. I am pretty amazed when I come across another concept that appraoches this idea and does it with a different twist. This idea is more basic that the others I have found, I enjoy its simplicity. It’s so great to find people adressing the small instances or ‘micro events’ of water wastage in the design comunity. It reminds me that what I am doing is relevant and current.

Cleaning dishes more effectively

* Soft water is highly recommended. It helps the dishwasher perform as designed. Test for hard water and purchase a water softener in necessary.
* Scrape the dishes off before putting them in the dishwasher. A restricted wash system results in immediate filming and unsanitary conditions. “Do not wash your dishes before washing your dishes”! Don’t confuse scraping with washing. We need dirty dishes to get clean dishes. The detergent needs the soil to do its thing and break down as it should.
* Always purge the hot water at the sink until it is hot just before running the dishwasher. This will ensure the first fill is hot. Also, check to make sure that your hot water heater is set between 120-125 degrees. Most units are shipped turned way down. Keep in mind that hotter is not better. Any hotter with these new dishwashers and you get what is called flash drying. This is when the environment in the dishwasher is so hot that after the final rinse, instead of the water running off the glass taking with it all its impurities, it is instantly baked on.
* Choose the correct cycle. The average consumer wants to use the shortest cycle possible to save money and then blame the dishwasher for not cleaning. Shorter is not necessarily better. Once you’ve chosen the proper cycle do not interrupt it.
* Don’t use a detergent that has a rinse aid in it and also put liquid rinse aid in the dispenser. This causes suds in the final rinse. Plain CASCADE® and a rinse aid in the dispenser are recommended.
* For getting rid of film try a product called GLISTEN®. Follow the instructions, bearing in mind that you may need to do it twice. If the problem is not corrected, disassembly may be necessary and possibly even part replacement. GLISTEN® is also a deodorizer. It is recommended that you use it twice a year whether you need it or not. An ounce of prevention is better than a ton of cure.

is it weird that i’m so in love with this dish rack? my current one doesn’t have a drip spout so the water just pools below the rack and sits there. granted, it doesn’t touch the dishes so it doesn’t really matter but i find it kind of gross. i need a gift certificate to sur la table.

oh, and sans commission, let me tell you that this strainer is the best thing that’s ever happened to my kitchen sink. it’s a miracle worker.

update: totally tried to buy the dish rack but they’re sold out! wtf*

OK, so this picture might be confusing. Here’s the explanation: I’ve realized that washing dishes by hand and letting them dry on a tea towel means all the water dripping off ends up wasted. It soaks into the towel, rendering it smelly and in need of laundering, which just uses even more water.

Clearly, the answer to this is a dish rack so that I can use the water collected in the tray for my indoor plants. However, dish racks are often made of plastic and I’d prefer not to buy a new one. Then again, something about getting a used dish rack off Craigslist or Freecycle grosses me out.

So my temporary measure is to let everything dry on the top rack of my dishwasher (currently not in use), and stick some plants underneath to catch whatever drips down.

If anyone has any better ideas for catching dish drippings — ones that don’t involve purchasing anything new or sacrificing the cleanliness of my smoothie blenders — please let me know!