How Do You Keep Your Show Items Clean?

[ChefPeg]

When you're done with your show, where do you wash your stuff? Do you wash it at the host's house or take it home to wash? And if you take it home, what do you transport it in? I mean, you don't want to get your PC totes dirty. I thought about getting a large plastic tote but then that's one more thing to bring to the show and would have to be cleaned too anyway. I guess plastic shopping bags to hold dirty items and then carefully placed in the PC tote would work...

 

[esavvymom]

Normally, I put them in a crate (I have the old red ones that fold)...but if I just had the PC soft totes, I would carry a tote for dirty dishes and then fold up the bag when it's empty, etc. I usually take them home, simply so I can throw them in the dishwasher (most of them) and then put my feet up! But I've been at shows where my host's DH or a guest or someone insists on helping. I usually let them! Just gotta keep an eye on them with regards to things like the stone items, and the sharp items (at a non-PC event, a lady cut her finger TERRIBLY BAD on one of my PC knives in the sink as she was trying to find it to wash. I was just reaching in to pull it out before she did that, but she beat me to it. Now I am very cautious about leaving sharps in the water.)

 

[Tracy99]

I usually keep a reusable shopping bag in my kit and then I rinse and put dirty things in it. I wash at home.

 

[jendill]

I usually wash at home as well, but am thinking of offering 10% off to anyone who is willing to help me wash them at the show. What do you think?

 

[pamperedlinda]

I was my knives at my host's house. Everything else goes home dirty. Except on the rare occasion that my host washes them for me.

 

[Bren706]

I have a Rubbermaid tote with handles that I bring with me to bring the dishes home to wash. My hospitality director (an Executive Director) washes them at the host home.

 

[maldvs]

I bring plastic grocery bags to place my big items in, such as my DCB. The smaller items, I generally can wash and dry pretty quickly before leaving.

 

[esavvymom]

If a guest is asking to help, those are the ones you want to let them help. I heard (I think Belinda Ellsworth) seminars where they say those folks are usually hanging around for a purpose, like wanting to talk to you privately, ask questions, or just too shy or afraid to ask those questions about the business or hosting. So it would be an opportunity to not waste.But if no one offers, then I'll take them home.

 

[maldvs]

I usually wash at home as well, but am thinking of offering 10% off to anyone who is willing to help me wash them at the show. What do you think?

Personally I wouldn't do that but to each their own. I don't want my guests to remember helping wash the dishes instead of the fun they had. A consultant at a party I went to before I started my biz always made such light of the fact that she didn't need help with the dishes because she "just packs them up and takes them home. Since most everything is top rack safe, I just throw them in!"

I don't say all that but I let them know that it's not problem for me to quickly do it when I get home.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I bring plastic grocery bags to place my big items in, such as my DCB. The smaller items, I generally can wash and dry pretty quickly before leaving.

I wash the big things like the DCB and take everything else home, using the dw line. I like to show off how quickly and easily the stones clean up. When I'm done with orders the stone would have cooled so I fill it with hot water, pack everything up then go back and finish cleaning it. Always impresses those that are still around and I have had a guest call and say "so-and-so was telling me how easy it was to clean that stone I had thought about getting so please add it to my order". ...more than once.

 

[PamperedK]

I wash pretty much everything at the show, except any serving dishes. I like to give my guests time to shop and visit before ordering.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Since doing Carry Less, Sell More, I have way less dishes to wash too. I wash all my dishes at the host's house, usually with the help of the host or a guest or two. It's actually a fun part of the show, getting to chat more one-on-one. Then, my kit is all packed and ready for the next show. I rarely even take my kit in the house - it stays in the back of my Vue.

 

[marystell1]

I watched a video on you tube yesterday taken of Jillian Grant at a training she gave. She says she lets one of the guests wash the dishes and gives them a $14.75 cookbook for doing so. I couldn't afford that. Besides it's easy to throw them in a dirty dish crate and stick them in the dishwasher at home. I don't even wash my DCB at the host's home. I want to spend all my time with the guests.

 

[esavvymom]

I watched a video on you tube yesterday taken of Jillian Grant at a training she gave. She says she lets one of the guests wash the dishes and gives them a $14.75 cookbook for doing so. I couldn't afford that. Besides it's easy to throw them in a dirty dish crate and stick them in the dishwasher at home. I don't even wash my DCB at the host's home. I want to spend all my time with the guests.

You could make it a Season's Best easily! And you'd be surprised what someone would do for one of those things anyway.

 

[pampered1224]

At home. Why you may ask? ACCIDENTS! 1) I do not want anyone washing my knives or my mandolin or Simple Slicer and cutting themselves. 2) No soap on stoneware comes out of my mouth at every show but if someone decides to help and wash dishes, you would be surprised at how many times I caught someone just about to put the DCB in the soapy water to soak! And someone used a Brillo Pad on my 12" Professional Skillet because of the stuff stuck on it.
To costly in my mind to let anyone else touch my dishes. I have several cloth bags I use to carry dirty dishes. They are washable so why the heck not!

 

[babywings76]

I bring grocery bags with me so I can put some things in bags and then into my tote bags to keep them clean. I carry my DCB in one of those dish pan things and I also bring the Utility Tote we earned last summer/fall (I can't remember what month it was.) I fill up the dish pan with hot soapy water in the host's sink when I get there and put things in every now and then as I go through the recipe. I usually do the dishes because people are still shopping and deciding on their orders. I don't like to hover over them, so I start doing dishes. I get pulled away to check out with customers, so I do the bulk of the dishes after check out is all done. But, I like to come prepared so that if a host's home is set up in a way that I don't feel I can do dishes there or I'm in a rush to get going afterwards or it's getting late and I feel I've been there too long, then I can bag up things and just put the dirty things in the dish pan and the utility tote or plastic bags and just wash them at home.

 

[wadesgirl]

If I took the dishes home to wash them they wouldn't get washed in a timely matter! Plus I like to keep my kit packed so I wash my dishes at the hosts house. Sometimes the host helps but normally it's me. Some will say "I was going to get that for you!" - which I reply "it's your party, go visit with your guests!" If they are taking their time to order after the party I'll get it started while I'm waiting (or at the end of there are a few straglers I'll tell them to let me know when they are ready). It really doesn't take that long. The only person who ever complained was my aunt who sells jewelry. She made some comment about how it was nice to carry jewelry and not worry about that. She forgot that along with her PC party I had a jewelry party for her right before that so I brought food and dishes myself so I cleaned everything up not just the ones from the PC party!

 

[gailz2]

At home. Why you may ask? ACCIDENTS! 1) I do not want anyone washing my knives or my mandolin or Simple Slicer and cutting themselves. 2) No soap on stoneware comes out of my mouth at every show but if someone decides to help and wash dishes, you would be surprised at how many times I caught someone just about to put the DCB in the soapy water to soak! And someone used a Brillo Pad on my 12" Professional Skillet because of the stuff stuck on it.
To costly in my mind to let anyone else touch my dishes. I have several cloth bags I use to carry dirty dishes. They are washable so why the heck not!

I love the idea of using cloth bags. I normally wash the dishes at the show, or the host does, but sometimes it is just isn't possible. I think I'll sew together some cloth bags to keep on hand if necessary, nice to be able to throw them in the washer after.

 

[pkd09]

I put mine in a plastic rubbermaid bin and take them home. I have had hosts volunteer to help but I feel she should spend time with her guests. Also I have had them "dropped" by hosts we feel the need to help. I have a very supportive husband so when I get home from a show I hand them off to him. He is on the payroll!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I'm very picky, I take the new black tote full of product, (before that it was rolling bag and rubbermaid sat on top)my bag with supplies and laptop and a green rubbermaid tote 21x14x12 also filled w product and my TTA in bag laid across the top.
If it isn't far to the door I can usually make it in in one trip.
After I use a product it goes in the tote. I wash everything at home in DW (I admit sometimes a day later) depending on how far I traveled or the rest of my plans if it is a day show). when I load DW I fill tote w soapy water for washing. I want to make my job look easy & want to come home as quickly as I can and it is part of my booking spiel, I bring my dishes home dirty. Some homes I would want to rewash them anyway!! I have been doing this for the past 15 years & i train my recruits to do the same. It gets them out quicker. I tell them I will give them 15 min to browse the products (set timer) and then I will pack my car, come in & take orders so I can be out of their way so they can visit.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Also I encourage them to touch the products but tell them if they handle anything it needs to go in my rubbermaid to be washed so it is clean for the next show. (jokingly add with the exception of my spices, cookbooks, grinders and timer) I tell them they come out of the dw looking a little different