NoStupidQuestions

How long do you let dishes "soak" before it turns into denial ?

https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1lvk459/how_long_do_you_let_dishes_soak_before_it_turns/
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Discussion

Siilan

The instant I decide to soak them. I make that decision, and I know they'll be there all night.

5 hours ago
The_Grim_Sleaper

The only length of time I will soak a dish for, is however long it takes to wash the other dishes.

3 hours ago
Siilan

I'm just a serial procrastinator. Seeing the soaking dishes the next morning gives me the motivation to properly wash them. I'm kinda acting on my laziness and tricking myself into motivation at the same time.

3 hours ago
noggin-scratcher

If the water has gone completely cold and the grease has recongealed, it's not going to be doing much of any use beyond that point.

5 hours ago
Reset108
I googled it for you

A few minutes. I can’t stand dishes left in the sink, they must be washed asap.

5 hours ago
TotaIIyNotCIA

Man since I had kids I gave up 

4 hours ago
_Dickbagel

I don’t even let them soak. I love my sink.

4 hours ago
xThe-Legend-Killerx

I can’t have them scattered about, but if they are in a nice soapy bath it’s like controlled chaos for me.

3 hours ago
Doogiesham

Any amount of time.

Putting it in to soak is just putting the work off in general, either rinse it actively or put it in the dishwasher

5 hours ago
AggravatingTear4919

na ive been a dishwasher for professional kitchens its kindve a peeve of mine when people out right say soaking is putting off work when its an actual method to loosen food and prevent damage to the dishes. But it does only take on average about 5 mins you can knock out some more dishes as you do that unless they all need a soak

4 hours ago
hooked-on-crocheting

IMO some things need to soak. My cat’s wet food bowl with dried on food bits isn’t going to get clean if I give it a quick rinse. But if I let some water soak in it, the dried food pieces come right off.

3 hours ago
handsy_mcgee

When new life forms develop.

5 hours ago
_Dingaloo

I always just load up the dishwasher and keep it running and still have a few dishes in the sink. I normally only soak so that in between that load washing and waiting to be unloaded, bugs don't get to all the food residue

5 hours ago
Miews

I've thrown out dishes because I let them soak for too long and became too horrendous to deal with.

RIP oven safe dish perfect for lasagna. You will be missed.

5 hours ago
ZeusThunder369

About 12 hours. Overnight, plus a few hours after that. If it's 24 hours or more, then it's denial.

4 hours ago
Sensitive_Hat_9871

Came here to say this. Something can soak overnight, but needs to be taken care of immediately after you've gotten dressed the next morning and are waiting for your coffee to brew.

4 hours ago
AffectionateBook4659

I never soak unless it’s a cooking dish that would require chipping away at the baked on food. And I always add baking soda to the water to speed up the process and make it an easy job to get off. I hate dishes in the sink.

1 hour ago
anditurnedaround

Haha! Sometimes I put out the soapy water and start over! Nice clean fresh water. When you know it would take next to nothing at that point to just put a little elbow grease into it. I wait till I can wipe it away. 

5 hours ago
GirlPowerBeach

15 minutes tops

5 hours ago
Traditional-Car-1583

That Dawn spray in the blue and black bottle. I put that shit on everything.

4 hours ago
lionpenguin88

I don’t soak them at all I just wash them

4 hours ago
majesticalexis

I keep a sink of soapy water to put dishes in and at the end of the day I make fresh water and wash them. It’s much easier if they’ve been soaked.

4 hours ago
Ok_Orchid1004

Maybe a week?

4 hours ago
Vivid_Witness8204

99% of the time soaking is just a delay tactic anyway. Just wash them and be done with it.

4 hours ago
refugefirstmate

Nothing soaks. There is nothing more discouraging to washing dishes than confronting a cold dishpan of yuck. Everything gets rinsed off and placed in the sink and washed after dinner. Whatever we use after dinner gets washed while the kettle heats for coffee in the AM.

4 hours ago
hailclo

Lol just a few hours in very hot water w dawn ! When I started dated my hubs ( 25 yrs ago ) when I would visit his sink was full of slime !!!! Not hot soapy water SLIME! I had to put on gloves - throw out the cloth , pour bleach over and wash them ! Don’t ever do that to your loved ones lol

4 hours ago
yellowrose04

An hour. I’ll get everything rinsed off I can and in the dishwasher. Put the dirty pot or pan to soak, then clean the countertops, stove. Watch some tv or something then do it.

4 hours ago
Astronomer_Original

Humm. On the rare occasions when my husband does the dishes, the answer is until my wife comes along and cleans them.

To be clear I’m retired and he is not so I do more of the house work than he does.

4 hours ago
iMacedo

Of course there are exceptions, but anything over 8h is denial, imo

4 hours ago
phantom_gain

The moment the thought enters your head you have begun to avoid washing them.

4 hours ago
rachtastic94

I feel attacked 🤣💀

4 hours ago
morts73

When the water gets cold.

4 hours ago
Jsenss

Anything after 5-10 minutes doesn't help. So I try not to go over 72 hours

4 hours ago
AggravatingTear4919

its denial if its more then a day. ive actually been and loved being a dishwasher soaking is a regular method but it only takes about less then 5 minutes for a dish to soak but personally i give it 20 mins to an hour before getting back to it. a badly burned pan can take multiple soaks but you do need to work on them otherwise the water will only penetrate and loosen so much of it

4 hours ago
Elfako_89_mask

Depends on the dish. If it's a sink full - a few hours. If it's a single problem dish like a pan with burnt on crust - it soaks on its own and that could take 12-24 hours.

4 hours ago
ImpossiblePut6387

Depends when I get back from work and if I'm tired or not. If I'm relatively awake I'll take care of it. If not, I put it off for another day. 

4 hours ago
sbwcwero

Week or two tops. After that I just feel lazy

4 hours ago
Cloud_N0ne

I don’t let them soak unless they genuinely need it. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink other than maybe a fork or spoon makes me anxious.

4 hours ago
NicoleExclaimed

I wash them while the food cools lol I mostly do one pan easy meals though

4 hours ago
LivingEnd44

The real answer is around 90 minutes. At that point it's going to be as good as it gets. 

4 hours ago
SpiltMySoda

Soaking is a myth. Just put them in the dishwasher.

3 hours ago
StragglingShadow

30 mins

3 hours ago
jagger129

An hour. Anything over that is just laziness. Certainly the thought of waking up to greasy dishes in the sink in the morning turns my stomach

3 hours ago
FatLikeSnorlax_

If you clean and let something soak and do another load of dishes while ignoring the thing that is soaking, you’ve got a problem. Leaving a dish or a pot til next time isn’t all that bad if next time is actually next time

3 hours ago
ostrich_ostentatious

I never let them soak unless it's a particularly dirty pan. I just wash my dishes when they're dirty?

3 hours ago
NyxPowers

I set a timer for 15 minutes and usually come back

3 hours ago
johnptracy-

Long enough to soften whatever was stuck. The wash up takes about two minutes unless there's something truly burnt on. When that happens my go to is tomato paste on the burnt part - only on metal, never teflon - leave for 15-30 minutes. Most any burnt gunk comes off with some elbow grease.

3 hours ago
Kotern

I refuse to let dishes soak. While it might take a little longer to scrub them clean, it is exponentially less time than it would take if I let them soak "overnight" and then maybe scrum them the next day. Get yourself a good scrubbing sponge and a plastic pan scraper and you can get all the dishes clean in less than 10 minutes, even that crock pot you might want to let soak. Cheers!

3 hours ago
Ancient-Recover-3890

As soon as the water turns lukewarm. No more bubbles either.

3 hours ago
JYoungBuffalo65

Soaking is only soaking til the water runs cold.

2 hours ago
Green-Dragon-14

When the water turns cold.

2 hours ago
EatYourCheckers

We are blessed to have a dishwasher. We load it and run it every night before bed.

2 hours ago
Agreeable-Time2749

When the water has gone cold

2 hours ago
DaddyBigBeard

We set a 90 minute timer. Long enough to do other stuff and put off doing the dishes ,but short enough so that it's still hot water.

2 hours ago
thegreyman1986

Oh god I almost never soak any dishes, the only time I do is usually a pot or a pan if something has “caught” and burned in the process and is really stuck then I’ll soak it in hot water for an hour and then scrub it off

2 hours ago
gaia_is_bae_goals

20 minutes

1 hour ago
redthumb

I soak the dishes, vacuum, then do the dishes

1 hour ago
Justasillyliltoaster

Get a stainless steel scrubber, total game changer for getting crap off dishes

1 hour ago
dustydave211

Long enough that occasionally my girlfriend breaks down and just does them.

1 hour ago
Forsaken_Mess_739

I hopped out the soaking game a long time ago. I'm doing them right now or in very rare situations I clean up enough to go to sleep and hit them as soon as I wake up. I used to grow up in a house infested with roaches and hate that feeling as an adult

1 hour ago
Low_Mushroom3391

If you go to sleep with dishes "soaking" in the sink you are a goddamned liar.

52 minutes ago
confusedpenquins

When the water level visibly decreased

51 minutes ago
burf

If you wash them same day, it’s legit (even if you forgot about them for a bit). If you’re leaving them overnight, you’re just avoiding housework at that point.

48 minutes ago
-RedRocket-

Overnight is understandable. Past that you're procrastinating.

46 minutes ago
M5K64

6-8 weeks before symptoms begin to reside.

11 minutes ago
Hot-Philosophy6858

if i put it aside to soak its gonna stay there until i feel like washing it 😭

2 minutes ago