The short, slightly frustrating answer is: Yes, but with a lot of extra steps. You won’t die from a rinse, but you also don’t want to invite a microscopic party to your gut. The main danger isn’t the soap—it’s the untreated water hanging out on your plates after you think they’re clean.
Here’s the gist: if you have a dishwasher, you’re mostly in the clear—as long as it has a sanitize cycle that hits at least 150°F (65°C). No sanitize cycle? Then you’re stuck hand-washing like a pioneer, my friend. And if you’re washing by hand, you need to treat that water very seriously.
The Hand-Washing Survival Guide (No Drama)
First, scrape off all the food bits into the trash. Don’t rinse them down the sink—you’re not trying to give the bacteria a slip-n-slide into your drain. Then, wash your dishes in hot, soapy water like you normally would. But here’s the kicker: you must rinse them with a separate basin of water that has been boiled for one minute and cooled down. Yes, that means boiling a pot of water just for rinsing.
After that, you have two options for drying. You can either let them air dry completely (bacteria hate a dry surface) or dry them with a clean, disposable paper towel. Do not use your regular dish towel—it might be harboring the very germs you’re trying to avoid. Irony, right?
And for the love of all that is sanitary, don’t use a sponge. Sponges are basically tiny hotels for bacteria, even on a good day. During a boil water advisory, they’re like a five-star resort for E. coli. Use a brush or a disposable rag instead.
