Grandma Henke

Woo Hoo … Whoopeee … The new dishwasher was installed today!   The old one died a week ago so this is a real good thing!

This week, though, as Kaitlyn and I were doing the dishes together it reminded me of the good old days when we kids had the assignment of doing the dishes.    We didn’t know it then … but it was actually a time of fun and bonding that modern families miss out on.      There were four basic jobs … washing, rinsing, drying, and putting away.  (My favorite was washing).  Sometimes two of us divided it up and sometimes there were four.   It didn’t necessarily mean we would get the job done faster if there were four because along with doing our chores there were songs to sing, stories to tell, and a lot of laughter and horsing around.      Sometimes we would listen to stories on the radio.    Sometimes we got ourselves pretty wet and ended up having to mop the kitchen floor.

My Uncle was a doctor and it didn’t seem to matter what ailment we had when we visited his office … his parting remark was … “Take this medicine and remember to soak your hands in dishwater three times a day.”    As I was thinking about it this week … that was actually a pretty good prescription for creating some good family memories.   

Did you know how much more energy/water efficient the newer dishwashers are?    The man who installed my new Kitchenaid dishwasher today told me that they used to use about 15-16 gallons of water and now they only use 5-6.     He also gave me an important heads up I thought was worth passing on: Before you start the dishwasher, run the hot water in the sink so hot water is in the line before the dishwasher starts and it will save time and energy.    The heating element on your washer has to heat  the water from the normal temperature of 120 to 160 degrees and you want it to start out as hot as it can.      Another tip?  When it is not in use leave the door unlatched so it can air out between use.     Because of the new regulations for saving energy the newer dishwashers don’t dry as long … so unless you use a rinse product they may not be dry..      

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