How to Wash the Dishes

by Peter Miller

Find order and beauty in the kitchen with this delightfully elegant primer on washing the dishes that elevates and illuminates a seemingly routine chore.Washing the dishes is an ordinary, everyday task--but with examination and care, it can become much more. In this reverent guide to the household chore, Peter Miller shows us how washing dishes can become a joy, a delight, a meditative exercise, and an act of grace and rhythm.We pay so much attention to recipes but little attention to maintenance and cleanup. Washing the dishes is as much a part of making a meal as prepping the vegetables, making the sauces, or seasoning the meats. At times it is quite routine, sometimes raucous, other times complex. It is never convenient. Despite its din and clatter, and despite its reputation, washing the dishes is the coda to the meal. It is a bustling musical of water and soap, of flow and surface, and done well, the fragile shall sit as proudly as the cast-iron.There are some who do the dishes for the clarity and privacy of it, and there are some who relish the quiet isolation of putting things in order where they belong. There are some who feel the time and movement is a kind of digestive. In the evening in particular, there is a silence when it is all done. How to Wash the Dishes brings elegance, art, and a bit of mindfulness to the sink. It is the perfect gift for those who love to clean and equally as apt for those we wish would clean a bit more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food, Essays, Humor, Cookbooks, Self Help, Cooking

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2020

Reviews

[Kaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Prospective Reader,

Do not be fooled! This book is actually about how to wash the dishes! If I truly believed this I wouldn’t have jumped in with such curiosity because (humble brag) my dishwashing skills are unrivaled and I’m not looking for any pointers from anyone who isn’t my Oma. I thought I had nothing to learn from this whitepaper on dishwashing and am DELIGHTED that I was wrong. How to Wash the Dishes is a surprisingly inspiring piece featuring three simple recipes which detail how to minimize mess and ease cleanup.

What I learned/ will do differently/ fun facts/ spoilers?:
-Every time you wash dishes is an opportunity to practice mindfulness and to reduce waste
-Decant dish soap into a clear vessel to cut visual clutter and refill from bulk to go green
-Linen dish towels are easier to clean than cotton ones due to their looser weave
-Baking soda and salt can be used as dishwashing abrasives
-The egg yolk was the secret to the preservation of paint during the Renaissance which also explains why it’s a pain to clean once it dries


Tidbits I’ll forever quote to anyone who will listen:

“You will know your state of mind when you wash the dishes. Your care or your impatience; your attention or your distraction. You will see yourself, at that moment, clearly. It is not a task that draws a crowd. It is a solitary undertaking. And it has no instructions or even formats.”

“Each piece in the sink has a complaint and would like to speak to someone in charge. That someone is you.”

“There is an art to preparing and presenting a meal, and there is an art to putting it all away.”

“Nothing, of course, is simple, and a simple salad is one of the more complicated simplicities.”

“Cooking is a flurry of labor and bowls for a lovely moment of tasting.”

Signed,
Millennial Housewifey

[Geoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as it says on the cover.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first saw this title, I thought it was a trick title for a book that was about something else entirely! However, since I wash the dishes almost everyday, I was sure I could learn something from it.

There are tons of tips and tricks on how to do a proper job of cleaning your plates and cutlery. Everytime I apply moisturiser to my hands and put on and take off my gloves effortlessly, I thank the author for mentioning the very useful tip in his book! Ha!

Seriously, for every person who has to do the dishes often, the info provided in this book will serve you well for the rest of your life! I'll bet you'll discover some useful dishwashing detail that you never knew about.

I do wish though that there had been more illustrations and less words, so that some ideas can just be glanced at rather than read.

Thank you Netgalley and Roost Books for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

[Mia Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how simple, to-the-point, and well-written this book is. If you love washing dishes & keeping a kitchen clean, you'll enjoy this book. Although it is nearly entirely a practical guide - it also carries a delightful metaphorical weight; It is laced with quotable lines and lighthearted humor.

[Alex]

If you share my interest in short reads on mundane topics, then you may actually like this? Washing the dishes is one of those things we spend much time doing but little time thinking about. It feels a bit like Mari Kondo and reminds me of the Liturgy of the Ordinary, teaching an appreciation for the little things and what we do. My favorite quote was about water and dish washing:

Do not waste water or soap. Water is life. It is precious, and if you are lucky enough to have it come easily out of your faucet, treat it with gratitude and respect. Review your water footprint. Every time you wash dishes is an opportunity to practice mindfulness and to reduce waste.

We overlook how amazing it is that we're able to get clean water when really each time we use it is a moment for appreciation, wonder, and respect. At the end of the day it's a book about enjoying the little things.

[Yan Xin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*proceeds to purchase more dish towels and dish cloths*

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

quick and delightful

[Ella Kasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting opinions/thoughts on doing the dishes. Will I use some of them? Yes. Will I also ignore some of them? Also yes.

[kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love romanticizing parts of life you would normally overlook or hate. this quick read made me want to cook and organize and keep a clean tidy home. and it has good, practical tips, but what i loved about this book was just finding purpose and peace in little, often mundane things.

[Nicole · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was really dumb (and also highly repetitive.) I thought it was going to offer tips on how to do the deed - sort of dishwashing life hacks. But no, this joker actually wants me to ENJOY washing the dishes. GTFO.

[Ryan Foshee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what the title says— a book on washing dishes. There was; however, something quaint and lovely about it.

“Despite its din and clatter, despite its reputation and its noisy relatives, washing the dishes is in sum an act of grace and rhythm. Ironically, it is often handled and managed almost as an attack—let me at them!—especially by the rush of youth. But its veterans know the task differently. They know that it is a cast of the hard and the fragile, of the sharp and smooth, of the young and the old. They know that all will be on stage, some in a mad rush, some marked and crusted and slick, some elegant and formal. It is a bustling musical of water and soap, of flow and surface. Done well, the cast-iron shall sit as proudly as the crystal.”

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is exactly what the title says it is- a book on how to wash your dishes. The writing is rather lovely and meditative, and the size of the book is rather charming (much like An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, it's a book you just like holding).

The first half of the book was where I got the most pleasure and information and inspiration- I ordered new sponges, new dishcloths, decided to change our dish soap.

[Jonathan Shaheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish all aspects of my life had a book describing them as lovingly and poetically as this one. I’m very particular about how to load the dishwasher, how to wash each dish, and how to dry everything. So much so, that my wife doesn’t like to help me clean because I shadow her and “fix” everything. This book (more or less) articulates the idea that I’m not overly type A, I’ve just developed a relationship with all the dishes I clean and have heard them whisper to me their preferences. Don’t take my word for it though, the author puts forth a beautiful and compelling vision of what taking care of the kitchen can and should be. It’s a quick read that I’d recommend to anyone cleaning on a regular basis to either find inspiration or affirmation. Me and Peter will have to agree to disagree on the dishwasher, however, as I do not share his restraint in not putting anything and everything into it (I’ve even learned how to take off the top rack to fit larger items).

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have always hated washing the dishes. i hate the feeling of brushing my fingers over wet food particles and getting splashed by dirty water, but what i hate most about dishes is that it is a never ending task—no matter how many you wash, another dirty plate will always materialize.
however, this short read by Miller was so pleasant to read, and the careful ways in which he writes about washing dishes have changed how i see this task. his poetic imagery transforms the act from an agonizing chore into an art: the art of dishwashing. i have always wanted to be the sort of person that romanticizes life and finds beauty in the mundane, and this book has done exactly that for something i've dreaded throughout my entire life.
one of my favorite sections is one in which he writes about dishwashing in through the lens of a recipe, hoping that his advice allows one to minimize the inherent chaos of creating a meal and all that goes into its preparation. one of my favorite bits, and now, one of my favorite starts to a sentence ever, regarding a four-egg omelet: the french, who have been studying eggs while others have been sleeping,

[Ashley Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ Despite it’s reputation and noisy relatives, washing the dishes is in sum an act of grace and rhythm.”

Not only will you learn the tools and best way to wash the dishes, you’ll also learn to appreciate beauty and act of love it is to wash the dishes.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely gift idea for a housewarming or hospitality gift.

I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. It was insightful to a task that is done every day. Everyone could use a fresh perspective on washing the dishes.

"The dishes are the last review."

[Lisa Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entirely lovely, like a conversation with a good friend. He made a mundane task seem like a deep, spiritual experience. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of anything that helps me find joy in the mundane

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant meditation - and now I know the difference between a dishcloth and a dishtowel.

[Jeannie]

Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy) has shared about this book before and my curiosity finally got the best of me.

This tiny book will never let you look at washing dishes in the same way ever again! It reminds me of the adage, “How we do one thing is how we do everything.”

[Marcel Uljee · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Once the food has been washed and soaked and scrubbed and prepped, there is a moment before the actual cooking begins when you must take a place at the sink and quickly rinse, clean, and dry all the bowls and tools that went into preparations.’ (p. 104)

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Review copy courtesy of NetGalley***
A book about everyone's least favorite chore shouldn't be charming, but this absolutely is. I think this might become my official odd but sweet graduation gift from now on, because in addition to offering excellent instructions on how to wash the dishes (no, REALLY), it's a beautiful meditation on staying in the moment.

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

An essay devoted to the eidos zoe of the dishwasher, establishing the rules that govern the significance thereof, the first of which is the buddhist point that

washing the dishes can be
a deep and enjoyable experience.
But if you wash them
thinking of others things,
you are wasting your time,
and probably not
washing the dishes well
either. (9)

What follows are abstractions in the style of Sun-Tzu laid over a culinary technical manual: "dishwashing can be done as an attack, but that is not what will, in time, maintain the task" (116). Rather, "every time you wash dishes is an opportunity to practice mindfulness" (26); while washing, "you will see yourself, at that moment, clearly" (46). Ultimately, "you must use your head when figuring out this challenge, and that is the best part" (99). Good times.

[Ellen Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Wash the Dishes by author Peter Miller & Illustrator Colleen Miller

In my effort to simplify and declutter my life, as well as become more ecological, for example, purchasing items not made of, or wrapped in plastic, I was attracted to How to Wash the Dishes by Peter Miller, with delightful illustrations by Colleen Miller, the author’s wife. It could easily be subtitled, “The Zen of Washing Dishes,” especially after reading the Dedication:

It is always my hope, and the hope of many people, the hope of every civilization, that we share our lives. We eat together and, with luck, we realize what fortune that is. We do the dishes. As simple as that.

What I learned from this book is whatever task is at hand, focus on that task. Not thinking: Oh, I wish I could be reading my novel, or I hate doing the dishes. Also,
Miller’s philosophy about washing the dishes could be applied to any other task: one that you save for yourself, one you do as a sacrifice, or a task that you avoid doing at all!

The author calls his book a primer, because he deals with basics, or as he writes….”with rules and regulations, safety and sense, and a start and a finish.”
He notes in the beginning that the fact that we can wash dishes in a sink (or dishwasher, if you use one), with clean, warm water is actually a luxury. Think of all the people in the world who wash dishes by a stream or have to lug water from a well to your house as the pioneers did and first heat it before even attempting to wash the dishes.

Each aspect of washing dishes is delineated step-by-step, with the author comparing your kitchen to an operating room and you are the person cleaning up after a type of surgery. Even though I do have a dishwasher, I also do many items by hand and this primer helped me focus on a better way to do these tasks, such as handwashing one of a kind items that you may need before the next meal, for example, your favorite paring knife.

The Table of Contents gives the reader an idea of what’s in store in the eight short chapters, from Decisions and Details to Flow to The Daily Dishwashing Routine. It’s all here for the taking and using in the spirit in which it is written.

Throughout the book, a quote from the text is placed alone on a page to emphasize the task. Here’s one I love: “Washing the dishes is in sum an act of grace and rhythm.”
Miller ends his serious, yet whimsical, primer with a lovely statement that seems to fit his philosophical take on life:
“You will always have Paris, and there will always be dishes. I will wash, and you can dry.”

This delightful book of 125 pages from Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications in Boulder Colorado is in hardcover at $19.95 and is only 7 inches X 4 ½, easily fits into your purse or briefcase, and makes a delightful gift for someone who likes to wash dishes!

P.S. The back cover’s message is priceless:
“You will know your state of mind when you wash the dishes. Your care or your impatience; your attention or your distraction. You will see yourself at that moment, clearly.”
All this from washing the dishes!!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a library borrow, completely on a whim. "A book about how to wash the dishes? Really? Well, I'll grab it for the kids since they are in a month of dish duty, since mom threw in the towel and said it was someone else's job for the next month, and that someone else was all humans under age 18 in the house."

Just over 24 hours later I closed the book thinking I need a stack of them for housewarming gifts, coupled with a liturgy for doing dishes. This was a most delightful book. Small. Short. Simple. Clean; I can wholeheartedly recommend it to the stiffest of church ladies with no warnings.

This book almost, almost, makes me look forward to my turn to do the dishes again. I hate doing dishes. But this book takes what I view as a drudgery of disgustingness and turns it into something of humor, of worth, of mental challenge, of skill. It compares the situation of dirty dishes to traffic jams, beaver dams, and barnyards.

It makes me feel less crazy for losing my marbles over the pile of unscraped dishes piled haphazardly in the sink. "When people clear the table, it is common to see all the silverware floating in greasy water in the dinner's sauté pan. That is when doing the dishes seems like a nightmare." Not just me? Thank you! But when I lose it over this, I simply sound like a crazy woman. When he addresses it, it's humorous and logical and full of grace for how to untangle the mess.

It may not be my turn for the dishes yet (the kids have 2 1/2 more weeks of 100% dish duty), but I think I might read this aloud while they are at the task. I'll have to pause for laughing. Maybe it's only funny after 17 years of battle, "handled and managed almost as an attack."

"Dishwashing can be done as an attack, but that is not what will, in time, maintain the task. It is subtler, gentler, often longer, and more intricate than that. It is the coda to a meal. At times it is quite routine, at times raucous, and at times complex. It is never convenient. The grace is in the handling."

[KLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little book, best for those who always dread full sinks and towering piles of sudsy plates. Not only does this book go into clear steps on how best to wash economically and safely, but Miller even introduces examples of recipes one can cook and how to clean in tandem so that when it comes to eating, everything is clean and orderly.

As someone who washes dishes on the daily, most of the information in this book was already logical things I implement, but still, it was always nice to see if there were tips I could learn. What I feel this book does more of, is offer a great primer for people who aren't used to efficient cleaning, and for those who are, a more philosophical look at how to view washing dishes in a positive light, one of gratitude and resetting your space Kon-Mari style. It definitely makes me think twice when it comes now to daily washing up.

Overall : Nothing revolutionary, but a wonderful little book that would look great on a coffee table, the sort that once in a while you'll pick up, flick through, and remind yourself of why having to do the dishes is something more than just a chore.

"There is a fashion to studying and applying the cooking techniques of different chefs. But there is some truth that a great chef will be as good at cleanup as the actual cooking. There are both a task and a talent, and they are best done with imagination, attention, and care. They allow each other to succeed. There is no chef who does not have many thoughts and detailed methods for cooking. There is no chef who does not have many thoughts and detailed methods for cleaning up.

The point to doing the dishes is to complete a task and to put things away. To leave the dishes, pots, pans, tools, and surfaces ready for the next meal. To end one play and to begin another.

You will always have Paris, and there will always be dishes. I will wash, and you can dry."

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

You are, in a way, running an airport, and there are many planes that need attention: some are waiting to land, some are overloaded, some need to be cleaned and serviced, and others need to take off... The sink and the bowl are your control tower. There will be times of some crisis, and it is your task to find the ways through and to keep the system up to speed and functioning efficiently. The order will protect against accidents.

The premise of a book on washing dishes is somewhat ridiculous, somehow captivating, altogether... great?
Bordering on pretentious, hedging on philosophical, uncertain if meaningful. Miller calls a dish towel a “scarf,” a kitchen “an operating room,” and an omelet “a card trick.” This is one of the books of all time. I don’t know if I recommend this book, but it is now on my favorites shelf. So... yeah.

[Nicole Normand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on sale via Bookbub
I never thought I'd find a book about washing the dishes interesting and yet, here I am, liking it. The author explains about many common sense aspects of washing the dishes but need to be repeated. How to get a good flow on what to wash what first and when. What not to put in the dishwasher and why. And many other highlights. Some are good reminders, some I was already doing but didn't really know why, perhaps I'd learned to do it that way. A few weeks ago, I started cleaning everything on the counters at night instead of leaving it for while I was waiting for my coffee and it put me in a completely different mood. I like getting rid of pieces when supper is cooking on its own and the author shows you a great way to do this; I just changed slightly my old method. Would recommend. No stress reading.

[Gregory Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third (outside the house) job in my life was washing dishes in a small Swiss-German restaurant when I was 18 years old. In many ways it was my favorite job I have ever had. It was definitely the purest job I have ever undertaken. We were only open for dinner, and I was the only dishwasher, so I would come into a clean prepared space and work through waves of dishes and pots and silverware until I again had a clean prepared space for it all to be done again the next day.

Millar’s book isn’t quite the book I would have written, but he saw the same truth through the veil. Life and work is about a thoughtful, considered, and attentive approach to the task at hand. For every task. Get lost in the work and approach it with pride and vigor… and don’t forget that the fondue pots won’t clean themselves.

[Kayler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this after watching him on a Youtube video. Honestly, the video was the same exact thing, so it's up to you if you want moving pictures or words. Either way, it did teach me a better way of washing and actually how to get the smell out of cutting boards instead of throwing it in the dishwasher and drying them out more. After the minimalist movement, pushing me only to buy what I need, I also want to take better care of what I have, especially if those were expensive pieces that I'd like to survive many years after me. So if you need a book to do exactly what it says when dealing with a pile up of a dishes and looking at it as a part of life and not a chore, then definitely pick this up. It's a very calming book.