Cold-water dishwashing — a quick tip
A couple kitchens I’ve had in Mexico have not had hot water; it seems to be regarded as something of a luxury here. It’s a detail you might want to notice when looking for rentals, especially in areas with chilly winters. We’ve had hot water for a year now, and I find myself using it much more sparingly — in the winter when the tap water is icy, for washing items used with raw meat, and for the occasional extra-greasy pan.
When I didn’t have hot water in the winter, I would heat a pan of water to use for the washing, and only have to suffer through the freezing rinse. With hindsight, I suppose rubber gloves might have helped some, but it didn’t occur to me at the time.
Here’s a trick I learned from my Yucatecan mother-in-law: Cold-water washing can leave a bad-tasting (and probably toxic) soap film on dishes; to prevent this, be sure when rinsing to pass your hand over the dish, which apppears to break the film. I have no idea of the scientific basis of this, but it definitely seems to work.