“Ever look at a sink full of dishes and think, “Why don’t I just bury these in the backyard?”

-Gina Barreca

At which temperature do you splatter the platter? Do you prefer a piping hot stream of liquid disinfectant flying towards your hands or a warm stream of tap suds. Where do you feel comfortable enough to use the dish again? I personally like a smokey stream expelling from the spigot. Aside from the aquatic choices what kind of lather do you prefer to use: Ajax, Dawn, Meyer, Seventh Generation, Palmolive, Dapple, or Ivory? After all they each have their own characteristics which we gravitate towards. Personally the smooth glossy finish of Dawn Ultra is what suits me, but sometimes the sweet smells of Meyer are appreciated as my nostrils touch the steam they release. Finally what sword do you bring to the metal trench. Do you prefer the traditional Scotch Brite or the elusive Scrub Daddy? Does steel wool give you the chills down your spine or a hand brush with bristles? All these beautifully polished products though have not always been around, how would you cope with cleaning 100 years ago.

1920. The beginning of the roaring twenties. The dishes were not Corelle as those were invented in the 70’s. In the 1920’s the hard introduction of stainless steel rose to power and was used for most cooking dishes. How does the cleaning of them compare to today though? Back in the 1920’s they used a cake of soap and a bucket of water, not the sinks we have grown so accustom to. Imagine not having a constant stream of water to drench your plates as you sweep them clean of grime and having to replace a bucket of water constantly when it gets dirty. Ohh the time it would take. Not to mention dishwashers but we are keeping this completely phalange work only. Would you be able to keep up with your families dish count back then? If not the 1920’s lets go even further back 200 to 300 years ago.

Long ago a time when humans were not given the same advantages as we use today people used to eat off of leaves and ate pretty naturally. The food around them were the dishes they knew. They used to use ash for their soaps and plant oils to clean their hands between each meal. Using the left over from fires to create a rough surface for scrubbing to clean their hands. The dishes ended up being thrown off to the side because they were either their leaves or plants with the capability to hold up what is on its way to their mouths. Ohh how the times and technologies have changed.

With all this information in mind how do you prefer to splatter your platters? Or in the end did you just throw it in the dishwasher anyway. Normal wash with a detergent pod and you’re done.