Doing dishes

Some folks use disposable utensils and plates to avoid having to wash them – this is especially useful if you are water-limited.

Others use regular plates, cookware, and utensils and clean them after use. This article is about reusable items.

• “one pot” meals means only cleaning one pot
• using one utensil (knife, spoon, or fork) means only cleaning one utensil
• eating out of that one pot means not having to clean a bowl or plate

• if you have water left over from cooking (pasta water, juices from canned veggies, etc) soak any tough stuck-on bits while you eat.
• if you don't have leftover water use a spray bottle to wet dirty surfaces
• scrape off or use a paper towel to wipe away as much gunk as possible. Dogs are also useful for pretreating the items.
• if you have a sink you may want to mount a drying rack over it so any drips land in the sink

Cheaper as in using less of your resources.

• turn off the water spigot/pump when not actively using it.
• use a spray bottle to apply the minimum amount of water to clean the object. Some people mix in a little vinegar.
• you might use non-potable water for the initial washing then use drinking water for final rinsing and sanitizing.
• when using dish soap, use the minimum amount required to do the job; this will mean using less water to rinse away the soap.
• if there are free newspapers available, after reading you might use the paper to line your plate similar to how fish and chips are traditionally served in newspaper.