Washing the dishes is one of those chores that is so annoying because it happens every single day. Plus, it's not always flawless. How many times have you gone to get a fork out of a drawer only to find it's kind of gunky? All that work just to yield an ineffective result. It's not fair. You need products that make the whole thing easier and more effective.
The best products for dishwashing
We're going to start with the superstar, the holy grail, the king: the Scrub Daddy. My friends loved these way before I got on board and I thought it was all just a gimmick. Maybe they really liked that the sponge was in the shape of a smiley face. How deep could it be? But then I got one. The abrasive material really does get all the gunk off, plus the jagged edges fit into small spaces and the mouth hole is perfect for pulling utensils through for a 360-degree clean. Scrub Daddy is as good as everyone says.
Pick up a Scrub Mommy, too, for the full experience. It's like a Scrub Daddy, but it's dual-sided, with one side a little more abrasive than the other, so you can really regulate how much pressure you're putting on your dishes. Six of them are $21.99.
It's already well-established that I am a major proponent of decanting your store-bought goods into prettier, more accessible vessels. This makes your space look better, but also keeps it more organized. There are few circumstances where decanting is more warranted than when you're dealing with soap. When your hands are all wet and slippery, do you want to grab a plastic bottle, fidget with it, turn it over, and try to squeeze it? Get a dish soap dispenser. I got this wall-mounted, hands-free one for my mom and she is obsessed with how much easier it is to do the dishes when she can get soap in her hand or on her sponge without having to fiddle with a bottle. It's the little things, you know? (For the record, I won't tell you what kind of soap to actually use here, since everyone has their favorite and they all do basically the same thing, but I will say you can pry Mrs. Meyers dishwashing liquid out of my soapy, dead hands.)
Or just stick your soap into a dispenser brush, which cuts the time you need to squirt some out and foam it up considerably. This one from OXO Good Grips has a stand with it, which is also ideal for keeping your area organized.
A few years ago, my mom got me a silicone sponge and that thing has lasted, meaning I don't need to buy replacement sponges all the time anymore. It's not super abrasive, so it's not ideal for really stuck-on foods, but it's bendable and easy to get into tight spaces, so it absolutely serves a purpose. I use it every day and it's been a game-changer.
As a result of how much I love my silicone sponge, I've been thinking of getting these silicone scrubbing gloves. You can reach your fingers directly into small spaces and really dig in to those crevices. You know the ones.
Finally, consider a mini dishwasher. A real dishwasher is a luxury a small apartment dweller such as myself could only dream of, but even if you have one, you don't always want to load it up just for a few utensils and cups. This portable, USB-powered device foams up your water and creates a little vortex, washing smaller items for you while you handle bigger things. We're living in the future, baby. What a time to be alive.
The best tools for drying the dishes
I have minimal counter space in my apartment, so I can't just set all my dishes out to dry whenever I finish washing. I rely on microfiber cloths to suck the most moisture off of them and can confidently say they do a much better job than any other material.
Still, sometimes you need a rack. It doesn't have to be a behemoth that takes up all your space all the time. Instead, consider a collapsible one, like this, which you can store away when it's not in use:
