The science of washing dishes

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-02-16

Three meals a day, each meal will be prepared very hearty, and washing dishes has become a housework that we must do in our daily life, but do you really know how to wash dishes? How to clean a large number of accumulated dishes and chopsticks quickly and safely?

Many people think that washing dishes is just about cleaning the surface stains. Going a little deeper, I think that as long as the oil stain is removed, the dishes and chopsticks will look clean, but in fact, this is a misunderstanding of people's dishwashing. Stains and oil stains that can be rinsed off with water only adhere to the surface, and many bacteria will adhere to wooden chopsticks, dishcloths and other utensils, and if they are not cleaned up as soon as possible, the bacteria will multiply quickly, and if they are used again, they may be harmful to health.

Many parents are concerned about how to wash the baby's feeding bottles and tableware, including the tableware used by adults, and they feel unclean without detergent; I used it and worried that it would not be clean.

In fact, washing dishes can be complicated. It can also be as simple as that.

1. The knowledge of dishwashing

Don't look at washing dishes as a simple thing, in fact, there is a lot of knowledge in washing dishes.

So how do you wash the dishes to be the cleanest?

Choose a dish soap brand that effectively removes bacteria.

Dish soap is the washing product that comes into contact with our dinner plates the most, and its safety is also worth paying attention to.

Especially for families with pregnant women and babies at home, we should pay more attention to the fact that some inferior dish soaps contain surfactants, surfactants are strong endocrine disruptors, have estrogen-like effects, affect human reproductive development ability, and are not easy to degrade in the environment.

The dish soap commonly used in dishwashing is a macromolecular substance, which will remain on the tableware more or less after use, affecting the health of the body. Using the most traditional dishwashing method is more natural and healthy, and can effectively reduce chemical residues.

There are not many detergent brands that can effectively remove bacteria, and Liby salt detergent is one of them. Mineral salts are refined in Liby Salt Dish Detergent to effectively sterilize and reduce the formation of plaque on chopsticks and dishcloths. Because refined mineral salts are added to Liby Salt Detergent, which is the original ecological mineral stone extracted from the deep sea, and the bamboo tube is sealed and calcined at high temperature, it is not an industrial chemical product, and it is natural, green, safe and healthy. The main component of salt is sodium chloride, which can be microionized into hydrochloric acid in water, and mineral salts also contain fluorine. Hydrochloric acid and fluorine can have disinfection and sterilization effects, and can effectively kill Escherichia coli (which can cause diarrhea) and Staphylococcus aureus (which can cause food poisoning, ** suppuration, etc.). With it, all bacteria have nothing to hide.

Rice washing water instead of dish soap

Use baking soda to wash dishes, remove grease, and deodorize well; Don't rush to throw away the rice water and noodle soup, they are natural dish soaps that can be used directly to brush the dishes; Soaking lemon zest in water and white vinegar can be used to make a detergent to remove oil from glassware and porcelain bowls. If dish soap must be used, it is best to choose a product that foams a lot, or dilute it well before using it to avoid overuse.

Dish cloths should be changed frequently.

Changing dishcloths regularly can help reduce the retention of bacteria on dishes, as damp dishcloths tend to have many bacteria attached to them, which have the potential to transfer to the dishes every time you wash them.

Wipe off the oil with paper before washing

Wipe off the grease with toilet paper (rub the dishes and chopsticks with a lot of oil twice), and then rinse with hot water to easily wash them.

Bowls should be cleaned frequently and in a timely manner.

Some people have a habit of leaving the dishes for a long time before cleaning, which provides time for bacteria to multiply, so we should make it a habit to clean the dishes as soon as they are finished.

Drain the bowl after washing.

A humid environment is where bacteria can live most easily, so try to keep your dishes as dry as possible.

In addition, attention should be paid to the order in which dishes are cooked to reduce the chance of using dish soap.

For example, fry a dish with a lot of oil first, and then when the dish or soup is boiled, there is no need to re-brush or add a lot of oil; Dishes that need to be braised or stewed should be made at the end to prevent the pot from becoming sticky and increasing the number of washes.

Second, the technique of washing dishes

As a household manpower dishwasher, what is the trick to washing dishes?

First of all, be clear about why you are washing dishes

First of all, don't confuse decontamination with disinfection.

Taking laundry as an example, the washing process focuses on decontamination to make the clothes more beautiful, while disinfection depends on the subsequent drying or drying process.

It's the same with washing dishes, there is nothing poisonous on the tableware, and there is no need to eliminate it. Most detergents contain three things: surfactants, water, and flavors of various flavors. The latter two are skipped, and the role of surfactants is similar to that of the United Nations Secretary-General, who is hydrophilic and oil-friendly, which can make immiscible water and oil mix together. To put it bluntly, detergent can be seen as soapy water.

The job of the detergent is to remove dirt that is insoluble in water, mainly oil. Disinfection is not required, but rather prevents bacteria from growing on the tableware. Even some detergents have additives that are said to be sterilizing, such as sea salt, but the effect is actually very poor. Thinking about it from another angle, isn't it a terrible thing if there are so many bacteria to be killed in the freshly eaten rice bowl?

Secondly, how to clean

If you are facing a dish sink with red oil hot pot, or a cutlery of the same level as back to the pot, then use a detergent. But if it's just a daily meal tableware, there is another easy-to-use, safe, and simple dishwashing tool: hot water.

In addition to removing grease, hot water has other advantages over cold water for washing dishes

It is easier to soften and remove dirt such as stubborn dried rice;

A little sterilization effect, because of time and temperature restrictions, will not be too much, unless you soak or cook dishes with hot water;

Hot water will evaporate more easily than cold water, so it dries out faster, helping to reduce the chance of bacteria breeding.

In general, the higher the water temperature, the better. Some foreign restaurants will use hot water in excess of 70 degrees Celsius, and the dishwasher wears special gloves to wash the dishes quickly and well. But there is no need for such high requirements at home, 40 degrees up and down, you can feel that your hands will not be hot, and you can remove the oil, you don't need to wear gloves, and it is convenient to feel whether the dishes are clean by hand.

Dishes are difficult to wash with cold water, and the main problem is that the viscosity of the grease is too high, but when the temperature rises, the viscosity of the grease decreases, and it is easier to be washed away or wiped off by water. For most of the dishes, hot water and a dishcloth are enough to clean, if your tableware is often washed with hot water, please reflect on whether the cooking is too greasy, which is not good for your health.

Finally, the method of detecting whether it is clean or not

The way to determine if the washed utensils are clean is simple: look at them with your eyes.

If you wash it clean enough, you will have "neither a drop of water nor a stream of water".

If there are water streaks or water droplets on the washed utensils, and there are watermarks on the dried utensils, they are not clean enough. So when a chemist drinks red wine and shakes it and sees a hanging cup, his first reaction must be that the cup is dirty.

Why, then, is it that "neither gathering into droplets nor flowing down in streams" has become the standard for a vessel to be cleaned? Let's start with wettability.

Wettability refers to the ability of a liquid to spread on a solid surface. For example, a liquid will have a contact angle on a solid surface, and the value of this angle depends on the affinity between the liquid and the solid. When there is a strong affinity between the liquid and the solid, it is called infiltration at this time; If the affinity between the liquid and the solid is weak, it is said to be non-wetting.

When this liquid is water, the infiltration depends on whether the solid surface is hydrophilic or hydrophobic. On the surface of a hydrophilic solid, it will infiltrate and the water will spread, such as sapphire, glass, etc. However, the surface of the hydrophobic solid does not infiltrate, and the water will form water droplets, such as plastics, plexiglass, grease, etc.

Generally, the beakers, graduated cylinders and pipettes used in laboratories are made of glass, so they are all hydrophilic. If they are absolutely clean, then the water should spread out on their surface, and should not "gather into drops and flow down in strands"; If it clumps into drops, it means that there may be some oily substance in that location.

Washing the dishes at home is much easier and easier to judge than the strange utensils with various substances in the laboratory.

"Small quantities many times" saves water and has high washing efficiency

When washing dishes, washing them several times with a smaller amount of water each time is more effective than washing them a few times with a larger amount of water, which is the so-called "small amount many times". At the same time, if the amount of liquid adhered to each time is smaller, it will be easier to clean. Therefore, each time you wash, you should try to pour out the liquid from the previous wash as much as possible. In this way, you save water and time, improve washing efficiency and wash the cleanest dishes.

From the point of view of water conservation, it is a waste of water to wash dishes with the faucet on all the time. So our advice is that if there are too many dishes to the point of tragedy, soak them in detergent water first, and then rinse them; If there are not many, you can use detergent to wash the dishes in stages, or use hot water without detergent. The latter can also save water because it is more efficient.

At present, the average daily dishwashing water of Beijing households is 37 liters, and the average daily water consumption of Shanghai households is 71 liters, and 70% of households are always washing dishes with the tap on, and there is still a lot of water-saving potential to be tapped. And you don't need to worry about hot water being too expensive, even if you don't count the reduction in water consumption due to efficiency improvement, it will cost a few yuan more a month.

3. Dishwashing and dishcloth

Is a dishcloth dirtier than a toilet seat?

Just wash the dishcloth, as long as it is not worn, there is no need to replace it. In fact, the seemingly inconspicuous dishcloth, in fact, there are some questions worth thinking about in the process of washing dishes.

A kitchen hygiene survey shows that dishcloths generally have the problem of high bacterial count, which is easy to cause secondary pollution of tableware, which is worthy of attention. The Chinese Preventive Medicine Association once organized a survey in Beijing and Shanghai, randomly selected 34 large communities with more than 1,000 households, and sent more than 1,100 old dishcloths (sponges, cotton cloths, towels 3 categories) to the disease control department for testing through the way of exchanging old dishcloths for new ones.

The test data is astonishing: the total number of bacteria in a single dishcloth is about 500 billion at the highest! In terms of bacterial species, a total of 19 bacterial (and fungal) species were detected in the dishcloth samples collected in the experiment, such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus squirrel, Candida (fungus), Salmonella, Streptococcus, etc., which can infect the human body and cause a variety of diseases, and even life-threatening in severe cases.

Studies have shown that 20 percent of dishcloths contain bacteria that can cause illness, such as E. coli and salmonella. Especially in summer, some dishcloths that are not cleaned enough will breed a large number of bacteria, so that the tableware will be "cross-infected" due to contact with the dishcloth during the washing process, which will not only fail to clean the tablecloth, but may also cause "secondary pollution".

How can there be so many bacteria on the dishcloth? This is because the dishcloth has to come into close contact with the dishes, chopsticks, teacups, pots and pans every day, and the residues of meat crumbs, vegetable residues, oil stains and dish soap will be left on the dishcloth to a greater or lesser extent. And the longer the dishcloth is used, the more bacteria it contains. Especially in summer, dishcloths that are not cleaned enough can breed a lot of bacteria. Surveys have shown that 20% of bacteria still persist in dishcloths washed with soap or dish soap, and after 6 hours of sitting, the number of bacteria doubles. Therefore, the issue of dishcloths should be taken seriously.

Therefore, after brushing pots and pans every day, the dishcloth should be soaped, rinsed thoroughly with water, and then hung in a ventilated place to dry naturally. If possible, it is best to heat the washed dish cloth in the microwave over medium-high heat for two minutes after each meal. Turning the microwave oven to high for two minutes can kill or inhibit more than 99% of bacteria, viruses and parasites. Therefore, it is best to heat and disinfect the dishcloth every two days. However, even if you do all of this, it's best to change it once a month to better protect your family's health.

It is recommended to have at least 4 rags per kitchen

Some people use a rag to wipe everywhere, not only the stove, but also the pots and chopsticks, and this rag is the source of pollution. Rags in the kitchen must be used separately according to their needs, each performing its own role. Relevant experts suggest: each kitchen should have at least 4 rags, one for washing dishes, one for wiping the stove, one for wiping the cooked food cutting board, one for wiping the table, and wash and dry with soapy water or disinfectant after use, and the dirty rags should be replaced in time to avoid bacterial breeding. Rags should be washed and boiled frequently, kept dry, and disinfected regularly.

What kind of dishcloth to choose?

It is best to choose a pure wood fiber dishcloth with strong hydrophilic and oil-draining properties. Wood fiber products can absorb and evaporate water freely, with strong water absorption and oil drainage and decontamination ability, especially the water absorption and air permeability is better than the traditional cotton fabric, with antibacterial health care, odor removal, self-cleaning and self-cleaning functions, soft touch, not hardened, these characteristics can ensure that the possibility of bacterial cross-infection of wood fiber dishcloth is lower.

The oil stains in the chemical fiber dishcloth are difficult to clean, easy to get sick bacteria, and easy to slip, smell, greasy and hard after use. Cotton dishcloths contain sugar and fat, are prone to pathogens, and are slippery, smelly and hard after use.

It is best not to choose chemical fiber texture or steel wool balls. Because chemical fibers and steel wool debris are also easy to stick to the tableware, they enter with the food and remain in the gastrointestinal tract of the human body, irritating or inducing gastrointestinal diseases.

In addition, dried loofahs, old white tolals and washed old masks are also good choices.

Fourth, pay attention to the scientific disinfection of kitchen cloths and tableware

Here are a few ways to disinfect it.

Steaming:Steaming is the preferred method of disinfection. Cooking can denature the protein coagulation of bacteria, and most pathogens will die after 15 to 30 minutes of cooking. The disinfection time should be calculated from the time the water is boiled, and all utensils should be completely immersed in water when boiling.

Steam sterilization:After cleaning the dishes, put them on a large clean steamer drawer, boil the water and steam for 20 to 30 minutes.

Sterilize by boiling:After washing the dishes, put them in a pot and boil them with water for 30 minutes. The depth of the water should not be higher than the utensils.

Use the sterilizer:At present, the most advanced disinfection cabinet on the market is more convenient and reliable to use, and it is more suitable for family use. However, it should be noted that the tableware should be cleaned before being put into the disinfection cabinet, and the disinfection cabinet must be operated in strict accordance with the requirements of the manual, and the disinfection time should not be shortened at will.

Chemical Sterilization:For tableware that is not resistant to high temperatures, chlorine-containing disinfectants (such as 84 disinfectant) or potassium permanganate can be used, but they must be soaked for a certain time (10 to 15 minutes) to achieve the disinfection effect. After soaking, running water should be used to thoroughly remove any residual disinfectant from the surface of the tableware.

Sunlight and ultraviolet disinfection:Sunlight ultraviolet rays have a strong sterilization ability, when the above method can not be adopted, the tableware can be washed and exposed to the scorching sun for more than 40 minutes. Be careful not to be contaminated by dust and mosquitoes when exposed to the sun, otherwise it will be the same as not disinfecting.

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