Don't let them pile up!

So you have escaped from home ... you now have your own place.  Great right?  No parents, no chores, no nagging you know the great life.  Well almost.  Dishes!  Let's face it they need to get clean and if you are living in the world without a dishwasher that means ... you gotta wash them.  

It all starts with one cup or plate in the sink and before you know it everything you own is in there needing to be cleaned.  So what do you do?  Roll up your sleeves and start washing?

Here are some tips ....

1) When apartment hunting make sure your kitchen is off the beaten path ... you know not viewable from the front door.  

2) Decorative dishtowels over the sink will get you an extra day ... or two.  

3) Soaking them for later is never a good idea - you just end up with STANK water and slimey dishes.

4) Marissa you are in luck ... bring that little sister over and bribe her to do the dishes.  Ex. Debra and her friends would want to come over and hang out ... sure thing but ya gotta wash some dishes.  Win win.

Okay so you are gonna wash them (because little sisters are unavailable or they have finally caught on to you), go to the sink and stand there for a few minutes thinking do I really need these dishes ... I mean I could throw them out and get a whole new set for like $10.  Okay done?  Please we've all thought that.   Instead just take the plunge.  Wash and dry them ... letting them air dry will mean that they never make it back into the cabinet so spend the extra time making sure everything is put away.

So dishes are done and you vow to never eat or drink anything again.  So now what ... well while you are on a cleaning spree clean the rest of your place.  I'm sure you have stuff stuffed everywhere hidden from visitors view so get it back to square one.  At the end, you'll have a squeaky clean apartment and eat out for the next week to keep it that way but hey you're young and there is more to life than dishes and clean apartments ... right?

The first time you get a dishwasher you will love it even more and appreciate the fact that it can contain the mess until full and be done without your sweat and tears while you are out shopping.  In all seriousness, I'm not condoning a messy apartment but it's a part of college life.  There is so much going on that the last thing you want to think about after pulling an all nighter studying or sleeping off a hangover is dishes.  It doesn't make you a bad person - it's just a part of being an adult on your own. I spent my college years nearly roommate free so maybe find a roomie that loves to do dishes and live happily ever after.  But even roommates come with a cost ... more on that later.