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I’m a cleaning expert and you’ve been washing your dishes all wrong – the exact amount of washing up liquid is key

NO ONE likes washing dishes, but unfortunately it's just one of those annoying chores that needs to be done.

Even if you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher as home you might be looking to cut back on using it this winter in a bid to save some cash.

There's no need to waste washing up liquid when washing dishes by hand
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There's no need to waste washing up liquid when washing dishes by handCredit: Getty

But it turns out there's a right and a wrong way to wash your dishes by hand, and you've probably been doing it all wrong for years.

According to Anna Pearling, who is an expert on all things food and cleaning, getting it right can make getting the job done less of a chore.

She explained on that using the perfect amount of washing up liquid is the key to efficiently cleaning dishes.

"If you’re grasping a slippery, unwieldy bottle with wet hands and squirting soap onto the sponge for each dish, it’s easy to dispense a bigger blob than you need," Anna said.

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Instead of constantly reaching for the bottle of washing up liquid as you do your dishes, the pro recommended using a tub and filling it with hot soapy water and going from there.

The key is starting with the least grubby dishes first and refilling the tub of soapy water if it gets too dirty.

According to the pro you should also soak more crusty dishes beforehand to make life a little easier for yourself, making sure to drain that water before cleaning anything else.

And if you don't love soaking your dishes in a soapy tub, try mixing a small amount of washing up liquid in a container so you can dip your sponge in the suds as you go.

If you're still unsure about how much washing up liquid to use, a simple trick is to use less than you think you need, about a teaspoon full should do the trick.

You can always add more if you need it, but wasting loads of liquid is only going to make your dishes more slippery, not more clean.

Washing your dishes properly can save time and money
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Washing your dishes properly can save time and moneyCredit: Getty
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