I knew that the addiction was complete when I caught myself smiling, even giggling a bit as I unloaded the dishwasher, full of some of our everyday dishes. They looked so lovely to me stacked side by side on the counter, waiting to be placed in the cabinets. For inquiring minds who want to know: Copeland Spode, Pink Tower; Burleigh, Blue Willow; and Furnivals, Blue Quail. An ordinary household task that brings me a moment of joy...who knew!
And now for the tip: When entertaining, I always make a point of emptying my dishwasher before the party begins. Why, you might ask? As dishes are cleared from the table, they can be lightly rinsed and placed in the racks of the dishwasher to await cleaning. Even when I am using items that need to be washed by hand, the dishwasher is the perfect place to store them until I'm ready to gently clean them after my guests have departed. Primarily, it keeps my counters from becoming overwhelmed with stacks of dirty dishes. and they are safer in the dishwasher than stacked 'harem scarem' all over the kitchen. This is an especially helpful strategy for those of us who have extremely limited counter space. Hope that this idea will make your next party clean-up better!
Beautiful dishes you have there!!!
ReplyDeleteI luvs dishes I do! Grins...I know I'm in good company.
God bless and may you have a sweet week-end,
d from homehaven
Oh those speak to my heart! I love them all! I must confess that I am *storing* dishes in my dishwasher right now. I just got a complete set of 1956 "Brookpark" Melmac and after washing them in the dishwasher, and realizing they have nowhere to go, they are still there. Sad, but true! I wash everything by hand because I can't stand to have them sitting around waiting to be washed. Great tips for entertaining, though. A Butler's Pantry would be nice to keep things out of sight also, but that's in my dreams, lol! Thanks for stopping by!!
ReplyDeleteIf I had those dishes for every day use I would be happy too! So pretty.
ReplyDeleteI always empty the dishwasher before company comes too. Nothing worse then a dishwasher full of dirty dishes and no place to the ones you just ate from.
Great tip!
Hugs,
Joanne
Gorgeous dishes, I love all the patterns and the color. I think the dishwasher is a great idea/trick. My mom does that sometimes, especially when we were young. I use to store things in my dishwasher in my old apt. in my 20's, I had no cabinet space and it worked out great!
ReplyDeletelove your post
xoxo
Bunny
I love all of your transferware, particularly the Burleigh! Your vignette is adorable, especially with that bottle of Yellow Tail in the back! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI wholly endorse the empty dishwasher before guests arrive theory. It's a must!
Thanks so much for becoming a Follower. I too am becoming a Follower of yours. I host a weekly meme called Summer Sundays. It all about whatever summer means to YOU. It's interesting to see everyone's different take on the meaning of summer. I hope you can come and join in the fun.
- The Tablescaper
Believe it or not, it was my husband who first encouraged me to do this. I was a bit *ahem* annoyed one time when he decided to hand wash the dishes in the dishwasher not long before folks came over. Later, I was so glad that he had done it. It made a big difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your dishes. I'm plum crazy about Blue Willow!
Lovely dishes all!!! I always do the same -- my kitchen is small and my guests are guests -- they do not help with clean up! An empty dishwasher is the best party helper you can have!
ReplyDeleteWhat yummy dishes! The blue and white is ccaling my name! Can you hear it;)?! You have quite the collection! I adore our tablescaping ideas! I have been peeking around your blog a little bit and they are just scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteI have just become your newest follower and look forward to many more visits!
Enjoy!
Cathy
I'm a blue and white addict too so I LOVE this post!!! Love your dishes--so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Cindy
Love this post and tip. I too store my dishes in the dishwasher until I can get to them after guests' leave and do a "quick rinse" right after putting them in. When I was looking for a new dishwasher, I found one made by Kitchenaid that has a "china setting" on it which does a luke warm 5 min. gentle rinse...it was chaeper than hiring a maid...oh wait that's me:)
ReplyDeleteI do this, too. And I place a shallow pan, full of hot soapy water, in the sink for the silverware. It's especially handy when friends "help" me clear the tables.
ReplyDelete