I've washed dishes by hand for many years, and for the past 4 years in my current home. I do use a hand moisturizer sometimes, and no dishpan hands here.

Hopefully it will be up and running soon.

Chisue, I've read that white is coming back again in kitchens and I've seen that reflected in ads and commercials. If that comforts you at all. ;-) My own kitchen is due for a makeover soon and I've been seriously considering all white appliances....and a new sink, more than likely.

My cabinets and appliances are white. I didn't design the kitchen, but when we bought the house three years ago, the kitchen came with it ;) I'm fine with it, it's bright, not that difficult to keep clean and at least I know no hidden dirt build up because if it was there, it would show. This is a busy kitchen too, large, and I have friends who like to cook here and are not shy about doing so.

I replaced my refrigerator this summer (10 yr old Amana). I considered stainless with the silver cabinet hardware already in place, Kohler stainless sink, but went with white at the end. It looked like a colder white to me for about 3 days, now I don't notice it at all and I doubt if anyone else ever did.

In the meantime. while you wait for auto dishwashing again, think Playtex. Playtex handsavers.

Editing to add - my refrigerator, like your dish drawers, quit on a Sat night. It had begun to rain for the first time in weeks, and I was standing at the open kitchen window before bed, listening to it. When I realized I was hearing an odd clicking sound from the refrigerator behind me - it was the compressor trying to turn on and failing. I got my rubber wheeled garden wagon, loaded all my food after taking the 'man stuff' (beer, wine, soft drinks and extra ice) out of the spare in the garage, and wheeled my food to put away in the garage for the next 5 days. Just 5 days was inconvenient enough ;)

We're a mixed bag.... We only park "certain" dishes in the dishwasher (and we run it once a week), so for after meal clean-up and doing dishes that don't go into the dishwasher, we do dishes by hand (it takes all of 5-10 minutes - even if we do all the dishes/pots & pans, etc.). We wouldn't ever let dishes stack up for an entire day because it takes so little time to do them after a meal!!! During and after cooking/baking sessions between meals, dishes are done by-hand.

We also use "saved" water -- we catch water that runs cold while waiting for the shower to get hot, and store it in 3-gallon jugs and use it for doing dishes. I hate to waste water because more often than not we are experiencing drought conditions.

We do the dishes in a small plastic tub placed in the sink using approx. 1-gallon of water for wash and rinse. If you fill a sink for washing and another for rinsing, you can easily use as much as 5-8 gallons of water - which is a lot of wasted water - so use a small plastic tub or large plastic or stainless steel bowl (if you already have one).

How to: Five cups of "saved" water is heated in the electric kettle (uses less energy than my microwave or induction hot plate - and MUCH less energy than drawing water from a hot water tank and a large tank of water has to be heated when the cold water comes into the tank). Add another 5-cups cold (saved) water, and use the remainder of the gallon for rinsing. If you wash in hot soapy water, you can rinse in room temperature water (or heat it if you want - your choice).

The only time I get dishpan hands is when I have a marathon baking day and I use DAWN detergent (which does such a good job of degreasing, but kills my hands). What I find works (because I don't like to use gloves - but that might be an option you would want to try) is each time I use coconut oil (the main fat used in our kitchen) for cooking/baking, I'll rub a dab into my hands. Hubby is the "chief bottle washer" after meals, and he will start by rubbing a little on his hands. There are too many chemicals and who-knows-what in lotions and potions, so I go with coconut oil.

-Grainlady

Oh, I was joking about the dishpan hands. I think I mostly miss being able to dismiss the dirty dishes after use. DH has always been the 'unloader'. I have a 36" wide double sink, quite deep, and that hides dishes, but they are *there*. I don't want to fill a dishpan to wash so few of them more than once a day.

We have a circulating pump on our hot water line -- no waiting for hot water at any tap.

angelaid -- Google Dish Drawer and you'll see what we use. The top is counter height and requires no bending to load/unload. It's 'right size' for our daily dishes. We occasionally use the lower drawer. Each load requires minimal water and soap, but the convenience is the selling factor for me. I'm *spoiled*!

Re: White Appliances. I have white at the condo too. It took forever to find a simple dishwasher for there that had a Quick Rinse of less than half an hour. Can't let dishes stand in tropical conditions. Phew! and Eeeek! Our upstairs neighbor once forgot to run her dishwasher after lunch, and when she opened it to load it after dinner...dozens of roaches! Fortunately, the dishwasher had the garbage disposal option built in. Nice image, eh?

Using dish-washing "rubber" gloves helps if your skin starts to loose its oils. Dust a little talcum powder into the glove before putting it on. That;s not necessary but can help in getting the glove on and off. If there is powder in the glove, remove gloves with your hands over the sink because some powder gonna fall out.

Well, dang, that is a shame. It is hard to wave good-bye to old friends (especially since the new friends often seem to not be as reliable.) But I had to laugh about your cabinet "tooth" comment. Not so funny was the roach tale! Yuck! ;)

This happened to me too. My cabinet fronted Maytag dishwasher broke, and I had to deal with what to do. I got black because I have soapstone counters and black stove top and oven. But my side by side Jenn Aire is cabinet fronted too in sage green and I have not a clue what to do when that goes. It's been 13 years since our kitchen do over.

Yes, I'm rolling my eyes on the Kitchen Forum. Women are agonizing over how to do 'pretty' without much care for 'useful' or 'permanent'. Just me, but I'm not installing porous marble on my kitchen counters or behind the cook top, however 'pretty' it is.. In the Bathrooms Forum people are told to switch to bar soap to spare their marble showers from discoloration. Something has gotten backwards and upside down here.

Memo to you folks unhappy about the colour with which you've become stuck ...

... have you considered a can of spray paint from the hardware store?

As for my old hands that get into the dishpan on occasion - the don't complain much.

o j