Wash, rinse. . . Wait, what?
American reporter Brittany Baker tries to understand why her dishwashing technique has caused such a splash here in New Zealand.
The last thing on a foreigner’s mind when they come to a new country is whether or not their dish washing technique is strange. Surely this is one area where humanity can find some unity as the fundamental outcome is always the same.
But after a short time in a flat with three Kiwis, this American girl learned she did things differently enough that it was not only cause for comment but ridicule as well.
Why? Because I follow a twostep dishwashing method. First, I wash, then I rinse the suds off. Surely that’s just common sense.
Not to my flatmates though, who initially thought I was perhaps not completely sound of mind.
But the sight of suds-covered dishes dripping dry disgusted me – why didn’t they rinse, why were they not disgusted?
When I asked I was laughed at: ‘‘Why? They’re already clean,’’ they would say.
‘‘But they’re not clean’’, I insisted.
To me a brief scrub of grimy, greasy dishes in lukewarm bubbly water does not make them clean.
Then again, maybe it was just a cultural thing? I asked my colleagues. ‘‘Why would you rinse?’’ and ‘‘Of course I rinse’’ split the office. It was a genuine divide but the arguments for and against were as murky as the dishwater Kiwis use to clean their plates.
It was time to ask the community.
For New Plymouth Mayor Neil Holdom, it took an embarrassing moment in the United States to turn him into a dish rinser.
‘‘I spent a few months flatting in LA in ‘99,’’ he recalled.
‘‘I got told off for not washing my dishes right. My flatmate said, ‘your body is a temple’ and since then, I’ve rinsed my dishes.’’
Though Holdom admits to mostly relying on a dishwasher to clean his crockery, hand-washing always includes a final rinse.
Jacquie Vink, house nurse at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, was also a rinser.
‘‘I find drinks are not as good,’’ she said of cups left with soap on them.
But Vink was also influenced by an outsider.
‘‘My brother-inlaw is from France and he was horrified by the amount of soap we use,’’ she said.
‘‘I’d love having him over because he always did the dishes. He knew we Kiwifolk would do it wrong.’’
However, Butterfly Preschool head teacher Vickie Donaldson wasn’t able to see the reasoning behind rinsing.
‘‘Most modern families have dishwashers,’’ she said.
If washing by hand though, Donaldson said she left dishes soapy to drip-dry.
It seemed this had so far caused her no ill effects so I began to wonder if rinsing was necessary or simply a socially ingrained hypochondria I had never thought to question.
Was I wrong? It was time to call in the real experts.
Khush Khambatta, compliance officer for natural cleaning product manufacturer Earthwise, insisted soap residue on dishes would be so minimal, no adverse effects would occur.
‘‘It’s a personal preference,’’ she said. ‘‘And of course if the recommended dosage is used, no-rinse should be no cause for concern.’’
A quick glance at the back of five different dishwashing liquids found only two brands suggesting an amount, both directing ‘‘one squirt’’ or 8 millilitres (1/2 a tablespoon) in warm water.
While there may be no hard and fast rule behind the art of dishwashing, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) does advocate a rinse when prepping to cook.
After a short time in a flat with three Kiwis, this American girl learned she did things differently.
In their food safety tips, MPI said to wash chopping boards and utensils with soap and water ‘‘and then rinse in clean water’’ before handling food.
Not only that, but dishcloths and sponges should also be cleaned.
‘‘Clean by rinsing, then soak overnight in a shallow dish of water with five to 10 drops of household bleach; microwave for three to four minutes on high; or put through the hot wash cycle in the dishwasher.’’
This was still not hard evidence I could take to my flatmates to confirm they were the crazy ones, so I went to Facebook and launched an entirely unscientific poll.
Of the 32 people who responded, 23 choose to rinse the soap off dishes when handwashing while only four said they left dishes soapy and five said it depended on the dish.
Kelly Russell commented that she rinsed cups while the sink filled and then poured hot water over the pile of soapy dishes.
‘‘Nothing worse than detergent in your cuppa.’’
Jessica Charlotte claimed soapy dishes left to drip-dry end up smelly and Abbey Karen called ‘‘non-rinsers’’ monsters.
‘‘Who wants all those bubbles on there? Yuck.’’
Which, I believe, is enough to prove my point entirely.
Thanks Abbey. I think you’ve made it official. Rinsing is best. I win.