Wash Dishes from Start to Finish
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What you will learn
- 1Scrape dishes and fill the sink with warm, soapy water
- 2Wash the cleanest dishes first and the dirtiest last
- 3Rinse, dry, and put the dishes away
- 4Hand sharp knives to a grown-up and hold glasses gently
Mini Lesson
After a meal, the dishes need washing. Washing dishes by hand is a real job you can help with. There is a smart order: scrape, wash, rinse, dry, and put away. If you wash the cleanest things first, your water stays clean for longer. When you finish, the kitchen is ready for the next meal.
🏠 The Life Skills Way (step by step)
- SCRAPE: push leftover food into the trash with a spoon or spatula.
- FILL: put warm water and a little dish soap in the sink or a bowl. A grown-up checks the water is warm, not hot.
- CLEANEST first: wash the glasses and cups, then plates and bowls, then the greasy pots and pans last.
- RINSE: run each dish under clean water to wash off the soap bubbles.
- DRY: wipe with a clean dish towel, or let the dishes air-dry on a rack.
- PUT AWAY: put each dish back where it belongs, then wipe out the sink.
🧽 Keep the Water Working
- CHANGE the water when it gets greasy or cold - greasy water just smears the dishes.
- HOLD glasses gently: they are slippery when soapy and can break.
A grown-up checks that the water is warm, not hot. Sharp knives NEVER go in the soapy water, where you cannot see them - hand every sharp knife to a grown-up to wash. If a glass or plate breaks, step back and tell a grown-up. Do not pick up the pieces yourself.
Words to know
scrape
Push leftover food off a dish before you wash it.
e.g. I scrape my plate into the trash.
dish soap
Soap made for washing dishes by hand.
e.g. Add a little dish soap to the water.
rinse
Wash off soap with clean water.
e.g. Rinse the bowl under the faucet.
greasy
Covered with oil or fat, and slippery.
e.g. The frying pan is greasy.
dish rack
A rack where clean dishes stand to dry in the air.
e.g. I set the plates in the dish rack.
dish towel
A clean cloth for drying dishes.
e.g. Dry the cup with a dish towel.
💡 Handy Tip: let a greasy pan soak in warm, soapy water while you wash the glasses and plates. By the time you get to it, the stuck-on food comes off much more easily.
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