Friday, March 06, 2009

Anatomy of My Perfect Dish Brush

My friend Amy posted recently that when she thinks back to this time of her life, raising 3 small kids, a memory that will take dominance is laundry. She said she feels like the laundry practically haunts her, that no matter what she's doing or where she's going, there's a basket of clothes that need to be sorted, carried, loaded, changed, emptied or folded. (And she told a pretty funny story about that, but it's her story, so check her blog.)
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For me, the domestic necessity that rules my days is the dishes. We have only two adults, one 3 year old and one baby who just eats pureed foods. It seems we dirty enough dishes for Jon and Kate. I walk through the kitchen dozens of times a day, and there is always something that needs to be rinsed, loaded, washed, scrubbed, soaked, dried, unloaded or put away. I think there is an indentation on the floor in front of the sink where my feet have carved a nook, because I stand there so much.
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Now, I am NOT a neatfreak. By any means. I sometimes wish I was because I get disgusted at myself for what I tolerate for days at a time. But not dishes. Those I'm particular about. Because of the frequency of this task, I have found a few quirks in my preferences that help me get the job done more quickly or more efficiently. (Sidebar--Trent rarely does any dishes. At all. I'm lucky if his dishes make it in the sink, let alone rinsed or in the dishwasher. HOWEVER, I don't complain because a)he does about 85% of our entire family's laundry and b)when he does help I get irritated that he's not doing it the way I want, so he can't win.)
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One of my quirks is that I have a very specific way I want the dishwasher loaded. Doesn't everyone? Especially the silverware. I load spoons and forks first, because I have to separate the spoons so they are not, well, spooning each other. Then neither spoon gets properly clean. I use the forks and then the knives to separate those sneaky spoons. Another quirk is that I only like to have a small container of dish soap (Purple Dawn is my favorite) on the counter, not a big bottle. Too clumsy and messy.
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But my biggest quirk is that I LOVE dish brushes. I buy a new dish brush at least every other month, usually once a month. I've tried different brands, sizes and styles, but I think I've found a winner. I accidentally through away the tag, but I get it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $3.50.
You see, the brush has to have a decently long handle. Duh.
It also has to have strong bristles, but not so harsh that they will scratch anything.
But bristles in a round shape don't help when I'm working on the inside corner of a bread pan or casserole dish. The bristles have to come up above the top of the brush in a sort of point to help with those corners.
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Last, but NOT least, the brush needs to have a firm little edge, or a lip, on the top, so that you can turn it over and scrape stubborn pieces of food that are stuck on. For instance, if "someone" made a hot pocket and didn't rinse the plate, and I was washing it a day later and the melted cheese had petrified onto the glass. In that instance, the scraping edge would be ideal.
So, now you are educated in the Brazenlilly school of shopping for a dish brush. Happy scrubbing.

10 comments:

The Brandt Clan said...

Jen! This is too funny! So, dishes are my big thing too- I can't have a dirty dish in the sink at all, or I feel like my entire house is a mess! So, every night, regardless of how full the dishwasher is, I run the load (it's usually overflowing, which amazes me, because like you, there are only two adults, and 2 kids!). Anyway, the next morning, first thing, I unload the dishwasher. That way I can put all my dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher! It's really helped me a lot, but maybe not our water bill?! I'm going to have to stick with your friend on this one for me... LAUNDRY definitely takes over my life! I'll get 4 loads done, the basket empty, and then that night it's overflowing again! I just don't understand...
oh yeah- thanks for the brush tips! I need a new one, and now I know where to go!

Unknown said...

Who knew. (And we're still friends?) I can relate to Trent best in this post--minus the Hot Pockets.:) I have gotten much better through the years, but I am nowhere near particular in dishes. Funny enough, I found out something new about Lee the other week: He DOES have a specific way of loading the dishwasher (I just have never noticed) AND he hates going to get a glass of water from the purified filter in the sink and looking down to see a dirty dish. So, I keep them on the other side of the sink.:) Jen, the way you write about this stuff, you could sing the phone book and I'd find it entertaining.:)

Jo B. said...

So if I use the 20% off coupon that comes every week to my house from Bed Bath and Beyond, I can buy that brush for only $2.75! A small price for making a task easier!

Anonymous said...

Is this what I have to look forward to in my life? Finding the perfect dish brush. I think I will stop growing up now. However, you do make some good points about the dish brush. love ya, Tara

Heidi said...

My favorite part was when you drew the arrows on the last picture. :)

Diane Davis said...

darn it heidi! that was my thought... did you really not only take a picture but include an arrow? nice touch. :)

Dionne Sincire said...

teddy does the dish work in our house. he's such a dishwasher snob. he will actually unload the washer whenever i load, and then reload everything the "right way". (rolling my eyes) :)

Wonder Boy said...

Seeing those lines drawn on that last picture made this post what it is. I got a solid three minute laugh with tears at those bad boys!

Lines aren't easy to draw I know but come on Carson could have done better!

Janet said...

Jen,
We have never met, but we have a connection through your dear brother - and my son Brad.

I want to THANK YOU for providing such delightfully entertaining anecdotes and pictures as well as informative articles! (I have plenty of other things I should be doing -like actually posting something on our own blog! - but I just have to check yours every other day or so.)

Keep up the good work - it is obvious you are a blessing to many!!

Sarah said...

Shoot! I was just at Bed, Bath & Beyond today. Too bad.
I completely share your sentiments about the whole thing - the bristles, the firm edge, the loading of the dishwasher ...

Nice arrows, by the way. ;)