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I know someone who has great difficulty observing Shabbos correctly, because she is very accustomed to using a sponge to clean dishes, and a sopping wet rag to clean kitchen surfaces (which are constantly getting very dirty due to serving several children food throughout the day). Leaving the sink full of dishes, or leaving kitchen surfaces dirty, are not acceptable to her because it is disgusting. Using a Shabbos scrubber with cold water doesn't wash dishes well enough for her (it doesn't get off fat or oil, for one thing). Just placing everything in the dishwasher is not a solution, because they need to be cleaned somewhat first for the dishwasher to be effective (requiring the sponge), and because many of her kitchen items can't go in the dishwasher.

My question is: How, as a practical matter, do people who are fully Shabbos-observant deal with cleaning kitchen surfaces or washing dishes on Shabbos without violating prohibitions such as squeezing and using the hot water faucet? Given the information above, how would you advise the person to transition to observing Shabbos while keeping the kitchen as clean as she likes?

Kordovero
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  • We typically stick everything in the dishwasher and deal with it appropriately after Shabbos, but that doesn’t address the counters. – DonielF Dec 31 '17 at 22:57
  • Is this off-topic, as your friend should see her local Orthodox Rabbi? – DonielF Dec 31 '17 at 23:00
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    @Kordovero A Shabbos sponge should be able to take fat and oil off of dishes, even with cold water, if (liquid) soap is used. The chemical reaction that removes grease is going to take place regardless of the temperature of the water. However, generally one can only do this in preparation for further Shabbos use of the dishes. ... You can clean hard surfaces on Shabbos as long as you are not causing any wringing from the cloth, and are not doing so davka as a preparation for after Shabbos (but she should double-check with her own rov on this). + – SAH Jan 01 '18 at 00:23
  • @kordovero She might check with her rov on Shabbos rulings for an istnis. If she can't get any leniencies, I suggest she cover up the messes with decorative blankets or the like and try to forget about them until after Shabbos -- or use disposables. – SAH Jan 01 '18 at 00:24
  • @Kordovero This seems a personal question, could you reword it to encourage more specific answers regarding work, heating water, squeezing out water, scraping etc. on Shabbat using sources explaining why. Otherwise it seems a rab should be giving the advice to this person. – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 23:22

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I would agree that Shabbat clean-up can pose some challenges, and it's not just because of various melachot. When you have a lot of company, the hosts really don't want to spend hours cleaning in the kitchen.

The easiest solution - something I have been doing for numerous years - is to cook everything you can in disposable aluminum tins and use disposable paperware / plasticware and disposable tablecloths. For those who want things to look "fancy", you can find fancy colorful paperware and plastic spoons, knives, forks that look almost like fancy silverware. Granted, not everything can be cooked in disposable tins, but, they can be warmed in them (including soup, if you warm it before Shabbat starts.)

Once you're done with your meal, roll up everything in the tablecloth and it goes in the trash. Your left-over food is in the tins for the day meals. The point is, there are no dishes or pans to wash.

DanF
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    Not so green though. :/ But a good solution nonetheless if dirty dishes on Shabbos bother you that much. – ezra Dec 31 '17 at 22:55
  • @ezra We rewash and reuse most aluminum pans. And paper is extremely "green". – DanF Dec 31 '17 at 22:58
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    Be careful of rewashing what is intended to be disposable. I've heard it can be dangerous, as certain chemicals in the ware can come out with washing. – ezra Dec 31 '17 at 23:00
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    The problem, @DanF, is the soup (and/or cholent) pot. – SAH Jan 01 '18 at 00:27
  • @DanF Since when was deforestation "green"? I'm not just speaking about the decomposition of the disposable goods. – ezra Jan 01 '18 at 09:34
  • Some of those paper plates have a plastic coating and for dry foods for little people they can be fun, might even last a few meals, just brush them off with hands.Sticky pans can have water standing in them for a few hours with the lids on imo. The day is over so quickly, pans and plates soaking or rinsed things on a dish drainer is not so bad really. Friday prep is important. – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 12:19
  • @SAH re-read carefully what I wrote. You warmed it before Shabbat started, and it was placed on the blech or oven before Shabbat started. I.e. - the soup was already cooked and it's still hot, and since you have it on the blech before Shabbat, you are not cooking it on Shabbat. – DanF Jan 01 '18 at 23:03
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    @gamliela " The day is over so quickly". Really, really debatable, my friend. I think OP is really bothered having dirty stuff lying around for even an hour. During the summer in NYC, lunch is at around 1P and Shabbat ends about 9:30. In my shul, the left-over chulent pot has been sitting on the counter for 1/4 of the day, and not only does it look like ugly sticky fat blobs (I'm being nice, here - it looks worse!) but it smells horrid. (You'd think they'd at least fridge the stuff.) But, IMO, chulent morphs into "road cement" after an hour or so. It ain't pretty. – DanF Jan 01 '18 at 23:11
  • @DanF Ah, ok. I've never tried putting 2 quarts of soup in an aluminum tin on the blech and the thought terrifies me; however, if you're telling me it can be done, I believe you. Cholent designed to finish its "extra" cooking on Shabbos would seem still to be a problem (although there may be a disposable workaround for those who do it in a crock-pot) – SAH Jan 01 '18 at 23:36
  • @SAH put the soup in the tin, cover it tightly with foil. Just take it out carefully. Crock pot cholent is "tricky". Many people assume that you can throw all ingredients in the pot 10 mins. before Shabbat, turn the switch and all is well. Not true at all, b/c there is no way the food is cooked before Shabbat. Cholent needs to start about 45 mins. before Shabbat / longer if you throw it meat or bones. The crock pot is not a "substitute". If anything, you should cook cholent on the stove first, then transfer it to the crock pot before Shabbat. – DanF Jan 02 '18 at 17:11
  • @DanF the people I know who do crock-pot do something like you suggested--or they keep it in the crockpot a long time before Shabbos. Or they do one of the workarounds with raw meat or bones or whatever. The advantage of the crockpot under your idea is that you can get a disposable liner which obviates cleaning – SAH Jan 02 '18 at 21:55
  • @DanF do you tovel the aluminum pans before reuse? – רבות מחשבות Jan 04 '18 at 02:20
  • @רבותמחשבות I must be missing something, here. Why do they need tevillah? – DanF Jan 04 '18 at 03:47
  • @DanF just wondering, see https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/7021/aluminum-pan-reuse – רבות מחשבות Jan 04 '18 at 03:57
  • @רבותמחשבות Thanks for the link. Interesting info. I do not tovel the pans, BTW. But, admittedly, I sometimes forget which pans were used for meat and which for dairy (rare that I cook dairy in them, anyway.) So, actually, tevilla after each time would avoid the confusion, if I'm correct. – DanF Jan 04 '18 at 17:04
  • @רבותמחשבות Bad question! (I think it's supposed to be before the first use, anyway -- even for said pans.) – SAH Jan 04 '18 at 20:30
  • @DanF "holent needs to start about 45 mins. before Shabbat / longer if you throw it meat or bones" - I think it becomes shorter if you throw in [raw] meat or bones. – SAH Jan 04 '18 at 20:39
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I clean kitchen counters with a spray (like Fantastic or Simple Green) and a pre-cut paper towel. This is effective and permitted as long as the paper towel does not become wet enough to get squeezed.

Dishes CAN be washed effectively in cold water using a high-quality dish soap like Dawn Platinum. There are different types of Shabbos sponges, some are more effective than others. This one, imported from Israel, is one of the best. Experiment to find the one that works best for you.

I know someone who fills a dish basin with hot water before Shabbos. She then covers it with aluminum foil. After the Friday night meal, she washes the dishes using the still-warm water. Alternatively, she soaks them in the hot soapy water.

(Disclaimer: I am not being paid to advertise for any specific products. For this specific question I felt the information would be helpful.)

LN6595
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A solution might be to begin to use cold water (turning off the hot water heater helps if one has a tendency to forget)and with a proper scraper, or hands, remove food from dishes then place the dishes in the dishwasher to be turned on after shabbat. Counters can be dripped with cold water, provided the water isn't picked up by anything absorbant, just move the water off into a plastic bowl. Since this is, as you say, making a beginning to keeping shabbat, maybe a good time to CYLOR.

gamliela
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    Quote from the OP: “Using...cold water doesn’t wash dishes well enough for her...” -1 as this doesn’t address the question as presented. – DonielF Dec 31 '17 at 22:59
  • Also you can't use a scraper as that would be cleaning which is work. –  Dec 31 '17 at 23:53
  • @user7783780 I did say a proper scraper, as mentioned by op, whats called 'shabos scrubber, basically it scrapes foods off, but is not absorbant and is just pulling things around. or are you saying a squejie is not proper for cleaning smooth surfaces on shabbot, like plates or cabinet tops? – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 12:06
  • @DonielF op placed the main intention of the question under the first paragraph, which I answred. Also, cold water does clean surfaces well enough to be placed in dishwasher for washing after Shabbat. – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 12:26
  • @gamliela OP explicitly excluded this as an answer. – DonielF Jan 01 '18 at 18:46
  • @DonielF It is more that the person, not the op, excludes cold water and rinsing suggestions. op asks for a practical way to help someone begin to keep Shabbat. Probably I am wrong sbout the squeejie, I dont use them, hands rinsing with cold water works. It is probably not possible to keep Shabbat squuzing cloths, sponges or hot water. This is why CYLR? Is the question more about "accustomed" habits? Then turning off hot water and storing sponge and cloths out of reach can help. A Rab can give incentives and understanding to why keep Shabbat, this seems a personal situation. – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 23:15
  • @gamliela It does seem personal, hence my comment on the question and my close vote. Nevertheless, as the question stands this still doesn’t address all of its concerns. – DonielF Jan 01 '18 at 23:20
  • @DonielF yes agreed, there are unaddressed concerns. Practical suggestions that could help probably need more info, things can be made easier but without knowing, its hard to give answers. – gamliela Jan 01 '18 at 23:35