Is it okay to wash a plate at a later point?
After reading: Do the dishes: Why you should keep up with the washing up - ABC News
And especially:
"You will end up with a lovely bacteria soup, then you will stick your hand in the sink to pull the plug out and do the dishes, and if you don't wash your hands properly you are going to cross-contaminate the kitchen."
I started wondering if it's okay if I leave a plate unwashed in the sink (the sink itself, not filled with water or anything like that, as described/hinted at in the quote), before leaving/rushing for work; in order to save time and wash it later with some next plate, when I return back from work (can be a bit late sometimes).
I usually always clean/wash things that have stains right away, but I only eat oats and milk for breakfast, which perhaps might make this seem like a non-issue; though I've honestly had this on my mind, for way too long at this point. Hopefully it is indeed a non-issue, but I'd love to hear what people think...
EDIT: Basically my primary concern is the bacteria spread on the plate/invisible bacteria becoming harder to wash off, in regards to my prior use case...
Best Answer
That quote sounds like they're assuming you fill the sink with water and leave dirty dishes sitting in the water. That seems gross. And of course you should wash your hands after doing the dishes, regardless of whether you washed your dishes immediately or let them soak first.
I frequently leave dishes to soak and wash them later, but I don't fill the sink. Just fill the dish with water and let it sit in the sink. When you come back to wash it, dump out the soaking water, and wash as normal with soap and hot water.
Some dishes work best if you rinse them right away, then let them soak after rinsing. Oats tend to dry on rock-hard, so be sure to wipe off any smears that are above the water level before leaving it to soak.
Pictures about "Is it okay to wash a plate at a later point?"
How long can you leave unwashed dishes?
Letting dishes pile up Leaving dishes in the sink for later isn't just a lazy habit, it could also be a harmful one. Bacteria can stay alive for up to four days on your used dishes and spread through the kitchen.Should you wash dishes immediately?
It's healthier\u2014and more pleasant. You think cleaning out your casserole dish is bad right after dinner? Leave it in your sink a couple days. Bacteria and mold will have had time to grow, and with them will come a nice stench, and you'll STILL have to clean it.How long can you wait to wash dishes?
"Bacteria will stay alive on surfaces, even clean surfaces, for up to four days. "So on dishes that have contamination like food particles, bacteria can stay alive for a very long time."Why don t Brits rinse their dishes?
If you don't rinse your dishes after washing them, you'll still have food residue and bacteria on them. Plus, you've mixed the residue of ALL your dishes together. So if one of them had something bad on it, now they all do.How To Properly Wash the Dishes
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