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Week 05 · Set, Serve and Clear

Thursday

Clear, rinse and load
// A family table from the first plate to the last wipe
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Clear, rinse and load

The plates are empty. Everyone leans back. Lucy flies to the middle of the table.

"Is everyone finished? May I clear?" Six heads nod. Bennie stacks three plates and carries them to the sink.

Lucy follows. "Scrape, rinse in warm water, then into the dishwasher. Plates below, cups above." Bennie peeks inside. "Where do the spoons go?" Lucy laughs. "Ask the grown-up who runs this machine!"

Clearing the table

Clearing means taking the used dishes off the table. It starts with a question: may I clear?

Wait until everyone is done. Then clear a few things at a time, with two hands.

  1. Ask, may I clear? Wait for a yes.
  2. Take your own plate first, then offer to take others.
  3. Stack no more than three plates. Carry them with two hands.
  4. Scrape leftover bits into the bin your grown-up shows you.
  5. Rinse each dish under warm running water.
  6. Set the rinsed dishes beside the sink, or load them with a grown-up.

Loading with a grown-up

Every dishwasher is a little different. Your grown-up knows how yours likes to be loaded.

Most of the time, plates stand in the bottom rack. Cups turn upside down in the top rack.

Ask where spoons and forks go in your machine. Then a grown-up adds soap and starts it.

No dishwasher? The rinsed dishes wait by the sink for a grown-up to wash.

Safety first
A grown-up handles any sharp tool, any glass that is thin, and the dishwasher soap.
A grown-up starts the dishwasher. You never open it while it runs.
Warm water only. Wipe floor drips right away.
CLEARING CHOICES
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What do you say before you start clearing?
How many plates do you stack at most?
Where do cups go in most dishwashers?
Who adds the dishwasher soap?
PUT THE CLEARING STEPS IN ORDER.
  • ?Load with a grown-up
  • ?Stack up to three plates
  • ?Rinse under warm water
  • ?Scrape bits into the bin
  • ?Ask, may I clear?
WHY THIS EXERCISEScraping first keeps the rinse water clean, and rinsing first keeps the dishwasher clean.
Running water over a dish to wash loose food away is called what?
What temperature is the water for rinsing?
Who knows how your dishwasher likes to be loaded?
StatementTrue or false?
You wait until everyone is finished before clearing.?
You can open the dishwasher while it runs.?
Plates usually stand in the bottom rack.?
Scraping comes after rinsing.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEThe order and the rules keep dishes clean and helpers safe.
Try it
After your next meal, ask, may I clear? Then clear your own plate.
Scrape, rinse, and set it by the sink. Ask where it goes next.

Cleared and rinsed! Tomorrow Freddy reviews the week, and you write a mealtime plan.

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