I’m sure whatever Marie Kondo’s definition of giving up is, it’s much different from your own. For example in her latest book, she describes leaving housework such as the dishes for the next day (probably morning) because she is too tired.
This does not mean you can continue being a messy unorganized American who waits a week to do the dishes.
>This does not mean you can continue being a messy unorganized American who waits a week to do the dishes.
True. It is much easier to just throw away the dirty dishes (they did not spark joy). But that starts to get expensive and it was much easier to just eat out of the can, or these days - thankfully - the grocery store makes complete ready to cook healthy whole food single meals oven ready. Only need to own utensils and a coffee cup now
Seriously (I mean that did happen, but) I am guessing whatever her 'giving up' is, is better than all of my best efforts combined.
She just had her third kid too. Sounds like her need for tidiness in the face of having three kids was taking up a lot of time/energy and she realised spending time with her family was more important.
Do Americans not have dishwashers? They are almost standard in my country and completely eliminate this problem. Not having one feels like not having a washing machine for your clothes.
I'll admit if I have a dinner party that goes till late, I'll often leave the dishes on the table but then move them to the dishwasher first thing in the morning.
Americans mostly have dishwashers. I think the problem is that dishwashers vary a lot in how much crud they can handle. Growing up we had a detachable unit that hooked up to the sink. That limited its ability to discharge any solid particles, which meant that in practice we would pre-wash most dishes and use the dishwasher to ensure the dishes were spotless and sterilized. Too much gunk and you'd have to frequently clean out the filter, a disgusting task.
Plumbed-in dishwashers are not supposed to have this problem, and I have not found them to. You just have to scrape off any solids into the garbage before putting the dish in. The dishwasher performs better with dirty dishes and you save a lot of water. But I've definitely noticed that some people are very hesitant to just put stuff in the washer, which can result in a pileup at the sink.
Usually what happens is that a pot with nasty stuck-on bits gets put in the sink and filled with water, and then someone trying to rinse off a dish gets put off by the dirty pot and just puts the dish in the sink, and then before you know it you have a sink full of dirty dishes and gross water. My traditional policy to avoid this is to prohibit leaving any dishes in the sink at all, which was my family's rule. Unfortunately, my current roommate comes from a family with the exact opposite rule -- leaving dishes on the counter is forbidden, they must go in the sink.
Personally, I intentionally do not have a dishwasher. I strictly limit the number of dishes I own and use. When I need a dish I clean it. But I don't really have dinner parties ever.
Oh. like a credit score dictating how much you will have to work to pay for the interest part of that house loan you need?
Or just if you get that lease or not?
That would be random people telling you what you're allowed to do. And it's unamerican.
I am pretty sure people who leave dishes out for a week will be unaffected by her leaving them out for a day. They will be able to leave them put as before.
This does not mean you can continue being a messy unorganized American who waits a week to do the dishes.