I lean toward gentle dish soap—like the clear stuff you’d use on baby bottles—since it seems to rinse cleaner than hand soap or antibacterial gels.
I’m with you on the dish soap. Those cleaning tablets get pricey fast, and I honestly noticed they didn’t always leave my trays feeling that clean. I use a drop of the clear stuff and warm water, then rinse like crazy. Never had any buildup or weird taste. Tablets are fine in a pinch but not worth the extra cost every day, at least for me.
Has anyone else worried about the dish soap leaving a taste or residue? I get nervous about my kid swallowing anything weird. I rinse those trays like I’m prepping for surgery, but sometimes I wonder if it’s enough. Maybe I’m just overthinking it...
I get where you’re coming from—my partner always jokes that I’m running a “dishwashing lab” because I rinse everything for ages. I’ve definitely worried about residue, especially with sippy cups and lunch trays. One thing that helped me chill out a bit was switching to a fragrance-free soap. It’s not perfect, but at least I don’t notice any weird aftertaste anymore. Honestly, I think if you’re rinsing as much as you say, you’re probably doing more than most folks.
One thing that helped me chill out a bit was switching to a fragrance-free soap. It’s not perfect, but at least I don’t notice any weird aftertaste anymore.
That’s funny—I’m the same way with my coffee mugs. I swear I can taste even the faintest hint of dish soap, especially after I started whitening my teeth. Maybe it’s in my head, but after a round of whitening strips, I’m hyper-aware of anything that could stain or leave a film. I switched to a clear, unscented soap for dishes and toothbrushes. It made a difference, or at least I think it did. There’s definitely less of that slick feeling.
I get the obsession with rinsing, too. My partner teases me for “inspecting” every glass before I use it. I’ve noticed if there’s even a tiny bit of residue, it seems to cling to the inside of the cup and picks up stains faster. Kind of like plaque on teeth—once it’s there, everything sticks.
I did try using one of those bottle brushes for sippy cups and water bottles. Makes a huge difference, especially in those spots you can’t see. And I agree, if you’re rinsing as much as you say, you’re probably ahead of the curve. Most people I know just give things a quick rinse and call it good.
Funny how once you start paying attention to stains (whether it’s dishes or teeth), you see them everywhere. Maybe it’s just being detail-oriented, but I can’t unsee it now.
I totally get where you’re coming from—once you notice those little stains or soap residues, it’s like you can’t ignore them anymore. I went through a similar phase after my kid started using sippy cups. Suddenly I was inspecting every cup and bottle in the house. Switching to fragrance-free soap helped, but honestly, using a bottle brush was a game-changer for me too. Don’t feel weird about being detail-oriented; it actually pays off, especially with kids’ stuff. You’re doing better than most by caring about those little things.
