It's not something that immediately comes to mind when thinking about pleasure. And we know, it doesn’t always feel that simple – especially when the dishes are piled high.
Perhaps that's why we've chosen it. A slightly left-of-field task that used to feel so arduous when we were younger. A chore parents asked us to do as a way of teaching discipline. The we'll get to it in the morning' attitude that goes hand in hand with hosting a dinner party. Unwashed dishes always look a little different in the cold light of day.
But there's something in the meditative state you can fall into when you finally get to them. The perfectly hot water. The gentle fragrance of the washing up liquid. The meditative motion. The innate satisfaction of cleansing. The little reward at seeing plates once heaped with good food now glistening, ready for the next meal. The next memory.
Rinse your tawashi brush under the tap. This is to make sure there’s nothing hiding between the fibres. Kind of like when you get new bedding and you throw it in the washing machine first.
We recommend using warm – not boiling hot – water, adding a little dishwashing liquid straight onto the brush and gently scrubbing. You can use your tawashi on non-stick pans and root vegetables, but be gentle as the fibres are obviously more coarse than a sponge.
Make sure to rinse your tawashi brush after washing the dishes – it’s easy for pieces of food to get stuck in between the long bristles. It’ll last longer the more care you give it. Leave it to dry, either hanging from the tap (so any excess water goes down the sink) or flat on a soap dish.
