How to Get the Dishes Done After a Dinner Party
The meal had been served and my sisters and I jumped up to bus the salad dishes, to remove them from the table and out of the way.
It was a special dinner party for my dad as we tightly packed in 17 people around several tables pushed together to make one.
I rinsed the dishes quickly and put them in the sink, and then sat back down to enjoy the rest of the meal with my guests.
After dinner, we removed the dinner plates and served up birthday cake. But before I sat down, I quickly rinsed those plates and loaded everything into the dishwasher.
Then I hit START.
I know that everyone has their own routine for doing the dishes while entertaining.
A. Let the guests bus the dishes.
B. Only you or your spouse bus the dishes.
C. Load them in the dishwasher as you use them.
D. Only load the dishes after the meal is completely over.
E. Never do any dishes until the last guest has left.
F. Make sure every single dish is washed before you go to bed.
G. Anyone can help with the dishes after the meal.
H. Anyone can help with the dishes at any time during the meal.
I. Only load what fits in the dishwasher, put the food away, and do the rest in the morning.
I’m sure I’m forgetting a few scenarios, but here’s what I do:
I bus/load as I go. It just makes it easier. And when the last guest has left, I’ll empty the dishwasher if the cycle is complete, and start one last load, OR, finish it up in the morning. This isn’t so much out of laziness; we’re usually just so tired. We like our guests to stay as late as they want, and by the time everyone has said their good-byes, it’s usually far past our usual bedtime. It’s not a dreaded feeling, but a happy feeling of, “awww, what a great time!”
There will always be more dishes to do, but we don’t always have our friends and family close at hand.
I feel it’s more important to enjoy our guests.
After this particular party, I did 2 final loads the next morning.
I had dishes on the counter that were hand-washed, and the glasses and plates that came out of the dishwasher.
After putting everything away, my counters looked nice and fresh, like this. (That’s my “purdy” lemon tree in the far right corner.)
Do you like getting the dishes done right away, or do you leave them for later? Choosing betweein A – I (above), what is your normal routine when hosting a dinner party?
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I don’t use my dishwasher, I had wash AND I have a pretty small kitchen. So the routine usually goes like this.
Try like mad to have as much as possible washed dried and put away once dinner begins (as pots and pans used for preparation). After dinner, take a couple of willing helpers to rinse off plates and put food away.
After the guests leave my hubby and I hit the kitchen and get it spotless before bed. I love waking up to an empty sink. I think the small kitchen makes this even more needed. :)
We have done it a number of ways, sometimes folks pitch-it, sometimes we just let it go ’til morning, but most often, our kids do the clean up. They have done the dishes since they were 10 or so, it always amazes people when they get up from the table and just start cleaning up. Of course, they are not always there, so we do whatever fits the evening. If everyone is engaged, we let it go, if there is a lull, we do a little clean up, etc. Great post, good to address this and have a plan before the party even get started :)
If I can help it, I load as I go. I try to have some mamas to my house on a regular basis, and find that sometimes they have a hard time relaxing if I am working in the kitchen…even to load the dishwasher. Therefore, I let the guests vary my decision if it will keep them from enjoying themselves. Otherwise, I’m loading as I go.
Hi Sandy,
What a great post! Now that I entertain more, this is something I think about often as to how best to handle. But I agree with you. The guests are more important than the dishes…so to a certain extent…the dishes can wait. After our Christmas dinner celebration, it took me two days to get all the dishes washed and then a third day to put everything away!
Generally, so it doesn’t become overwhelming, I do as you do, and clear, scrape, and pop into the dishwasher any dishes I can between courses…or put them to soak in one side of my divided kitchen sink…or use a dish pan style bucket filled with warm soapy water to soak dishes in. This way, if I don’t get to them till later…or the next day…they are easy to wash or put in the dishwasher because all the food has soaked off and not hardened. Also, my friends and family often bring dishes into the kitchen after a certain course or at the end of the meal, sometimes just scrapping, or soaking, or even popping them into the dishwasher. I think, overall, folks feel very relaxed in our home to do that with which they feel comfortable. People just seem happy when they’re allowed to help.
Also, something that we tend to do a lot…and I fear this might sound a bit sexist…is that the “women folk” ;-) tend to clear the table and congregate in the kitchen cleaning up, washing dishes, putting food away…but most importantly, laughing and chatting and just plain visiting with each other. But it isn’t completely one sided when it comes to the work load. As we ladies clean-up and prepare for dessert, that’s usually the time that the men seem to busy themselves with some tinkering and or minor household repair. So I feel that it’s a win-win situation for me…my girlfriends help me clean-up and I get to cross-off something on my honey-do-list! LOL!!!
So…I guess based on what I’ve shared here, we would fall into the H, G, and I category. :-)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Mary
I used to not touch the dishes until everyone left, thinking that it may be rude to start while they were there. But then I was faced with a HUGE mess LATE at night and I was discouraged to entertain. So now I do as you do and load as I go & start the dishwasher. It’s always nice bc at least a few gals will join me and even if they sit at the counter and finish their wine or enjoy some coffee, I like the conversation while I pick up. GREAT post Sandy! And your kitchen is so inviting and beautiful!!! Happy Friday Friend!!!
Like you, I’m too tired to actually do ALL the dishes. Usually bus the first course, start the dishwasher at some point and empty/reload before bed. Then I tackle the rest in the morning. I want to enjoy my guests, not spend the time in the kitchen cleaning up. You’re right, dishes will always be there, but special time with friends and family will not.
I tend to just put the food away and clean up after guests have gone, or the next morning. I have too many memories of holiday meals where mother or mother-in-law made their kitchen spotless (MIL’s kitchen was TOOOOOOO tiny to help without being in each others’ way) By the time everything in the kitchen was pristine my little ones were tired and cranky and it was time to go. So that has led me to the habit of not doing dishes till after everyone has gone… I would rather have the time with people.
I must say that I DREAD doing the dishes after friends visit. Luckily, my husband always helps and it gives us a chance to unwind and review the evening before flopping into bed!
oh such a great post! we’re have a few parties over the next couple of weeks and dishes in our TINY little kitchen can be a bit of problem, i like the idea of rinsing everything and throwing on the dishwasher before dessert, and again after everyone’s left – i’ll have to try this!!! thanks for the tip :)
B, C and I fit me I suppose. I’m very much like you in that I load as I go and stick the dishwasher on as needed. I’m usually (happy, but) tired by the time our guests leave, especially if I have done all the cooking (which I usually do), so I put away the essentials, unload the dishwasher if needed, but may leave big pots to soak over night, and leave anything that doesn’t fit in the last load.
As an aside, when we did up our kitchen, I intentionally put the big fridge freezer next to the dishwasher. If you stand in the kitchen door, you can’t see the work-surface beyond the fridge where the dishes are stacking up ready to go in the dishwasher. So the kitchen looks clean and tidy even when I’m waiting to load/unload!