Project Organize: Do the Dishes

Updated on February 14, 2024

Do the Dishes. Empty the dishwasher, hand wash pots and pans, wipe counters, and clean the sink every night.

The next step to get a handle on our home in the Project Organize Basics is to do the dishes every night. Waking up to a clean kitchen makes staying on top of the dishes daily more manageable.

Project Organize – The Basics

So far, we have talked about several things we need to do each day to get a handle on the mess in our homes.

If you are new to the Project Organize – The Basics series, start with the tasks below:

• Use a Planner
• Create a Master List
• Set Up Routines and Schedules
• Stop Multitasking!

Do the Dishes

Today’s task is to do all the dishes. We will completely clean up all the dishes in the house so we can wake up tomorrow with a clean slate.

I don’t want one dirty dish in your home when you go to bed tonight. Take a deep breath, and let’s get started!

How to Do the Dishes

1. Empty any clean dishes from your dishwasher.
2. Gather all the dishes from every room in your home and bring them to the kitchen.
3. Load the dishwasher with whatever will fit.
4. Start the dishwasher.
5. Wash any dishes that need to be washed by hand.
6. Dry the hand-washed dishes and put them away.
7. Empty the dishwasher.
8. Load the dishwasher again with any additional dirty dishes. Run the dishwasher again if it is full. Empty the dishwasher again if needed.

Wipe the Counters and Clean the Sink

Our counters can get dirty throughout the day, especially if multiple people use the kitchen throughout the day. The sink can usually use a quick clean at the end of each day to keep it from getting too caked with food.

1. Wipe the counters with a damp microfiber cloth or dishcloth.
   • No need to move everything if you don’t want to – you can do this when you deep clean your kitchen once a week.
2. Clean the sink.
   • Take everything out of the sink.
   • Squirt some dish soap in the sink.
   • Scrub with a sponge or scrub brush.
   • Rinse off the soap.
   • Set out a new sponge or dishcloth for tomorrow.

Now you have a clean slate for tomorrow. Any dishes that you use go straight into the empty dishwasher. I usually run my dishwasher at night after dinner and empty it in the morning while I prepare the kids for school.

At each meal hand wash any dish that needs it. Before you go to bed, be sure all the dishes are done each night.

Project Organize Daily Checklist

Each day, we will build on the previous day until we have all our basic daily routines on auto-pilot.

1. Use your planner and master list
2. Do chores from the cleaning routine you chose
3. Stop multitasking
4. Do the dishes
5. Complete one load of laundry per day
6. Daily pick up
7. Make the beds
8. Quick vacuum or sweep the floor
9. Sort the mail and papers

This post is part of Project Organize: The Basics. Together, we will work on setting up basic systems in our homes to conquer overwhelmed and busy schedules.

These are the basics we need to do daily that will set up the foundation for success. This will allow us the space to tackle the larger decluttering projects with ease.

You may also like:

• 31 Days of Deep Cleaning Your Home
• How to Create a Cleaning Caddy
• How to Clean the Dishwasher