Dishwashing Duty Made Easy

This week's Boat Galley shares six tools that make cleaning up the galley easy...

Guest blog by Carolyn Shearlock
Carolyn Shearlock, author of The Boat Galley, appears weekly on the Daily Boater with tips for getting the most out of your boat's kitchen.

Photo: Carolyn Shearlock, theboatgalley.com

Do you hate dishwashing duty? I used to...

Today’s Topic: Six Tools for Easy Galley Clean Up...

Okay, we'll start with the fact that cleaning up is about my least favorite part of any job. In the galley, I'd much rather be doing the cooking... and the eating. But when we informally divided up the chores, I got cleaning the dishes. Dave got cleaning fish. Considering that I really, really hate cleaning fish, I was reasonably happy with the split.

Now that I've discovered these six tools, I'm definitely happy with the division of labor. Cleaning up isn't nearly the chore it used to be.

1. Silicone Spoon Spatula (red scraper in the photo) - in addition to lots of cooking duties, I use it to scrape plates and pans before washing them. The shape just plain works far better than a rubber scraper, it's stiffer and gets more off, and the seamless construction makes it easy to clean. Scrape the dishes into a wide-mouth jar so as not to attract bugs... or have a stinky trash can! Read more about dealing with garbage in The Boat Galley’s previous article: Garbage On Board 
2. Scrubr dish rag (the yellow “rag”) - it's got enough "grit" to get dishes clean but won't harm non-stick finishes. But the best thing about it is that it just never gets stinky... and that means that my hands don't get that nasty smell, either. Read more about these and where to get them on the TheBoatGalley.com: A Dishrag That Doesn’t Get Stinky!
3. Nail brush - it's a mini scrub brush that I use a lot, particularly on plastic containers. 
4. Bottle brush - in many stores, you won't find one in housewares... they're in infants. The perfect tool to scrub out a Thermos or water bottle. Also great for cleaning the gap between the stove and the counter without totally removing the stove. 
5. Q-tips - they get in places where lots of other tools can't, particularly the joint where the counter meets the lip. "Gunk" always seems to collect here. 
6. Denture tablets - tough on stuck-on food, whether in a pan or Thermos. Just toss a few denture tablets in with a bit of water, let the pan sit overnight and then a tiny bit of rubbing will get rid of pretty much anything. Much easier than scrubbing with Brillo (which just turns into a rusty pad if you're around salty air)!

And for drying the dishes? Check out the first article I wrote for Daily Boater: A Better Dish Drainer

Carolyn Shearlock is author of The Boat Galley, with over 300 FREE articles to get the most out of your boat kitchen with galley tips, insights & equipment recommendations. A few recipes, too - plus an active Facebook community to ask questions and share tips with other readers!

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