Having a dishwasher is great, but there are a lot of rental homes and apartments that don’t have dishwashers installed. You may not know how to wash dishes without a dishwasher but it can be done. And it’s not as bad as you think. Here are some tips from home experts that will help you figure out how to wash dishes without a dishwasher in your home:

Soak the dishes in a plastic tub: Dish tubs are inexpensive plastic tubs that fit into your sink. If you don’t have a dish tub you can just stop up your sink and fill it with water and soap but a dish tub is the best thing to use to wash dishes. To soak your dirty dishes turn on the hot water tap and let it run until it gets very hot. Squirt a couple of squirts of a natural and chemical free detergent into the dish tub. Then fill it with hot water. Swirl the detergent into the water so it dissolves into the water. Then add your dirty dishes and let them soak until the water cools. Soaking them will make it easy to get tough stains off dishes, pots and pans and glasses.

Washing the dishes: Next put on dishwashing gloves and turn on the hot water. Clean each dish with a clean sponge. You can soak the sponge in the hot soapy water or pour detergent directly on the sponge. Clean each dish thoroughly. Then rinse it under the hot water tap. Make sure the water is as hot as you can stand to sanitize the dishes. If you are wearing high quality rubber dish washing gloves your hands will be protected from the hot water.

Rinse the dishes in cool water: After you have scrubbed the dishes and rinsed them in hot water, it’s time to give them a cool water rinse. Use another dish tub or fill the other side of the sink with cold water. Add a quarter cup of white vinegar so that glassware will shine and your dishes won’t get spotty. Put each dish into the cool water and swirl it. Then place each dish individually in a dish rack set on the counter. You can put a baking sheet underneath the rack to catch any drips. Make sure to put glasses in the rack upside down so the water pours out. Then let your dishes air dry or dry them with a towel and you are done.