Woman Says Roommates Claim That Her Hand Washing Dishes Didn’t Get Them Clean Enough: ‘That’s Insane, Right?’
She shared her dishwashing story on TikTok and sparked a debate over what cleaning method is most effective
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A person hand washing a dish (stock image)A TikToker has sparked a spirited debate about the correct way to wash dishes.
The user, who goes by the name gabspeak, recently shared a video on the platform recounting how former roommates took issue with her dishwashing method. "So these girls I used to live with did not think handwashing dishes was clean enough," she explains while standing in front of a kitchen sink holding a dirty bowl.
"So, secretly they hated when me and my other roommate would clean dishes by hand because the dishwasher was running," she continues. "And they asked us if we could just clean the dishes, then put them in the dishwasher after."
The woman then turns on the water and begins to hand scrub her bowl. "No," she declares, adding, "Like, that's insane, right?"
She captioned her video, "Idk it was weird to me," and added the hashtag #cleaninghabits.
Related: Mom Catches Toddler Washing Dishes — and His Hilarious Response Goes Viral: 'Comes Naturally to Him'
The video garnered more than 5,000 comments, and it's clear the issue has people divided. Some sided with gabspeak, arguing that they "don't trust" their dishwasher to get the job done properly.
"My dishwasher never cleans anything good enough. Handwashing is almost better… not easier, but better," one person commented.
Another agreed, writing, "Yep! And it stinks! Idk it just grosses me out. Nothing wrong with a good hand scrub in some Dawn drenched with water."
Others said they have no issue with dishes being hand-washed — as long as the person doing the chore is thorough. "It depends on the person washing the dishes. Like yes, washing by hand can get them clean, but l've seen some questionable 'clean' dishes by people who just swipe a sponge over it and call it a day," one person commented.
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The majority of people, however, were firmly team dishwasher, with many pointing out that the appliance heats the water to a high temperature that fully cleans and sanitizes the dishes.
"My dishwasher heats everything up to disinfect everything, making the dishes much cleaner on a microscopic level," one person wrote.
One commenter even suggested that gabspeak could do a little experiment that might change her mind about hand washing. "You can test it yourself. Hand wash your dishes, use a sterile swab and a culture plate and then do the same to your dishes from the dishwasher," they suggested. "You can see how many bacteria remain on hand washed ones."
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A person hand washing a dish (stock image)Another person argued that it's the sponge that's the real issue with hand washing, as it can harbor bacteria. "I just think the sponge is already gross, so I need the dishwasher to get the sponge out of my dishes," they wrote.
"I literally throw the sponge away anytime it touches a 'gross' dish," someone else chimed in. "My sponge budget is insane."
To this, some people offered the tip to replace the sponge more frequently or designate one sponge for pre-washing and removing food from dishes and a second sponge for final washing.
"I always wash the sponge with soap before I use it to clean and rinse my dishes as well I can to not get more food on, and I prefer to have a 'get the food off' sponge and a 'wash with soap' sponge," one TikTok user shared.
Yet another commenter argued that the key is to actually combine both methods — hand wash the dishes first and then run them through the dishwasher — for best results. "I hand wash to get the food off then put the dishes in the dishwasher to sanitize," they wrote.
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