SILLY SUDS
Clueless youngsters need told to use hot water and cleaning liquid
PAMPERED youngsters are unable to wash up, according to cleaning experts.
Lazy teenagers have been left clueless due to the popularity of dishwashers and the growing trend for ordering takeaways in disposable containers.
And a generation appears to have been denied the basic knowledge of the cleansing properties of hot water, washing-up liquid and a draining board.
In Jayne Hill’s food and nutrition class at Okehampton College in Devon, a 12-year-old boy cried when he was told off for not washing up properly.
She said: “This poor kid was in turmoil. He’d never had to wash up at home.
The 64-year-old home economics teacher and author said it is a “common theme” today, but was not the case when she first qualified in 1978.
She said: “I walk around and dip my hand in the sink of water and 90 per cent of the time it’s icy cold.
“They don’t understand the concept of draining.
“When I first started, you certainly didn’t need to tell them you need washing-up liquid and hot water.”
Louise Davies, who has been in food education for more than 30 years, said: “The dishwasher is always used and the washing up skill has disappeared. It seems to be something parents have slipped out of the habit of teaching at home.”
The number of dishwashers in households has doubled from 24 per cent in 1998 to 49 per cent in 2018, according to official stats.
Lynsey Crombie, telly’s Queen of Clean, said children are too often resorting to the dishwasher, even for a few crumbs on a plate.
She said: “I think it’s just laziness. Parents need to step up. Learning starts at home.”