Can you please explain to clueless me how a single sink works?

[MommyPenguin]

We've been looking at houses as we're moving soon, and a lot of the houses have a single sink.  Having grown up with a double sink, I just do not understand how it works to wash dishes in a single sink.  Can somebody explain the technique to me?

With a double sink, we fill one sink with hot water and soap and dishes, wash the dishes, put them in the other sink to rinse, and then move them to the drying rack.

When I've tried to use a double sink before, I've tried putting in less hot water and then just rinsing each dish as I wash it by holding it above the water... but then the rinsewater keeps making the water level rise and rise unless I drain some out frequently.  Or I've tried washing each dish by just rinsing it a bit, getting soap on the sponge, wiping down the dish, and then rinsing it.  Which works okay, but is annoying when you have a dish that would be so much easier to clean if it could soak a little.

Is one of these techniques what most people do, or is there another trick?  Assume that the sink is too small to put a separate tub within it, which I noticed my in-laws doing at one point.

[WillyNilly]

I have never had a double sink or known anyone in real life with one. Nor have I ever known a non-professional sink to be filled with water to wash dishes.

To use a single sink, you just neatly stack the dishes in the sink, soap up sponge and run the water. You rinse, wipe/scrub the dish with the sponge, then rinse under running water, and put in dish rack, then move to the next dish and repeat.

ETA: for dishes that need soaking - you just leave those lined up under the running water and wash last.

[delabela]

I've always just started with about an inch of soapy water started washing, letting the rinsing water run into the sink as I go, and turning the water off when I'm not actively rinsing something.

[Dazi]

If you've never had a single basin sink, then it's not at all a stupid question.

You can either follow willynilly's suggestion or you can purchase a plastic sink tub to use as a portable basin. 

[WillyNilly]

Of course the main thing is, get a dishwasher for the bulk of the dishes. Counter top versions are less the $200 including delivery and have no installation beyand plugging it in and attaching to the sink.

[Yvaine]

I've always just started with about an inch of soapy water started washing, letting the rinsing water run into the sink as I go, and turning the water off when I'm not actively rinsing something.

This is what I did too when I had that type of sink.

ETA: Oh, and yes, it was not uncommon to have to drain water out in the middle of the process sometimes.

[Bijou]

I love single sinks.  I have a square plastic dishpan that I put on one side filled with soapy water for washing and put the dishes in the other side and rinse them in running water.  I do them a few at a time, then rinse them in running water.  You don't have to run it hard, just enough to rinse them.  and turn off in between to not waste water.  You don't have to run it full, just enough to rinse them.  I would never rinse dishes in standing water.  It gets soap in it and, just seems kind of gross, to me. 

[MommyPenguin]

Most of the houses do have a dishwasher, and we would get one of the house didn't have one, there are just a number of dishes that we can't put in the dishwasher.  Thanks for the ideas, they sound reasonable.  I hate washing dishes.    A couple of houses that look really interesting have single sinks and couldn't be changed to doubles, so I may have to get used to the idea.

[Bluenomi]

Don't rinse! I never bother (expect with wine glasses) and used my second sink for dishes that won't fit in the drainer.

[Delia DeLyons]

I have a single sink and it is more frustrating than double in my experience.  However, I also have extremely limited (could even say non-exsistent) counter-space, so it's especially a pain for me.

Even with the extra deep, extra wide basin and sprayer (which is a big help for sure) it's still such  a pain in the rear for me, particularly if I've done a lot of cooking.  And I live on my own.

What I typically do to make it easiest on myself is make sure I've scraped the dishes very well into the trash/tupper ware for leftovers, whatever.  Then I rinse them with the sprayer to 'visibly clean'.

THEN I stop the drain and fill with enough hot soapy water to cover the dishes (or if cleaning a pot or large pan as well, I fill THAT with hot soapy water) and put all the dishes in.

At this point, I'll often leave them until I get home from work the next day, then I drain/dump the water, scrub em all down with a  sponge and use the sprayer to rinse them.

Hate doing dishes, so that colors my opinion and steers my method.

^^^ reading all that back, it doesn't sound nearly at all like the pain I've convinced myself it is, but then I have hated washing dishes since I was a kid (27 now).  Okaythankyou

[WillyNilly]

Don't rinse! I never bother (expect with wine glasses) and used my second sink for dishes that won't fit in the drainer.

Wait what?  Please explain because as written that disgusting and unsanitary sounding!  How do you not rinse the soap and food particles off the dishes and consider them clean?

[hyzenthlay]

I have a double sink, but I only ever use one to wash.  I usually scrub 5 or 6 dishes, then turn the water on to rinse them, wash another set, rinse etc.

I do have a dishwasher though, and I usually only hand wash pots and pans and the good knives.

[kareng57]

I've generally put the drying-rack into the second sink, and either spray-rinse everything in it, or briefly rinse stuff under the tap before putting it into the rack.  Of course, drying-racks used to always come with mats that would have a "lip" - meaning that you could put all the dishes onto the rack (on the counter) and use a spray to rinse them, and the rinse-water would drip back into the single sink.

However - my baby bathtub (25+ years ago) was a design that would fit over a double sink, and I found it to be very user-friendly.  Just a few days ago, I was watching an old TV show from the 1960s that had one of those "bathinettes" that had to be assembled, filled up and drained in a separate room (I vaguely remember my mother using one of these for my baby sister) and thought - what?  Much easier to let the baby remain dirty for a few more days.....

[Luci45]

Don't rinse! I never bother (expect with wine glasses) and used my second sink for dishes that won't fit in the drainer.

Wait what?  Please explain because as written that disgusting and unsanitary sounding!  How do you not rinse the soap and food particles off the dishes and consider them clean?

Agreed. I do know someone who was visiting a home where the dishes weren't rinsed and the kids had upset tummies the entire time, but were fine when they visited a different household in the same town. If the dishes are air dried, you end up with soap residue on them.

[mbbored]

I usually fill my largest dirty pot with soapy water and set it to the side of the sink. Dirty dishes get stacked inside the sink and I wash them one by one with a rag dipped in the soapy water, then immediately rinse and put in a drying rack.