I have a couple of handy hints that I use in our motorhome concerning doing dishes in an RV.
If you are boondocking and need to consider conserving propane and holding tank space here is what I do.
I heat my water on the stove in a large kettle. I fill it ½ full and heat it for no more than 17 minutes. Then the water is then poured into 2 plastic tubs that fit in the sink. Be careful not to spill it on you or your little ones, be they be animals or children. Add a small amount of cold water to make it comfortable for you to put you hands in and wash and rinse your dishes.
Then when dishes are done, you can carry the wash water to the toilet and use it for flushing. The rinse water can be saved and used for rinsing off your hands or for washing them, or rinsing dishes before washing.
I always try to wipe off the dishes before washing with the dinner napkins or paper towels that I have set-aside after using them to dry off hands, that saves on paper consumption. It is a good idea have have "clean" dishes before you wash them. By wiping off food and grease from dishes and cooking utensils, you prevent grease and garbage from going into your gray tank. Scum is going to build up in a gray tank, but by pre-cleaning your dishes by simply wiping them off you will prevent a lot of this build up. The less scum in the gray tank the better your sensors will work.
Another thing that I have in each of my sinks is a small wire sink strainer covering the drain holes. This prevents large chunks of food from going down the drain. This is another part of keeping your gray tank cleaner.
Of course, if you are boondocking, another way to conserver water and propane and your own personal energy is to use ALL disposeable dishes, glasses and eating utensils. Personally I like the "home" feeling of eating on "real" dishes, so unless we have a very extended boondocking trip planned, I think we will be using plates, glasses and silverware.
