Folks with sensory issues : I present the humble scrub brush.
I didn't realize until very recently that one of my problems was washing dirty dishes. Well, I knew I got really icked out by washing dirty dishes. For most of my adult life, I haven't had a dish washer, and as a single person, it was entirely on me to keep my kitchen clean, free of smells, pests,and importantly, free of disease. But since almost every glance in the direction of a stack or gathering of food -covered dishes gave me the icks, eventually I ended up eating single container or dry food. Only one ick, and it could usually be cleaned with a simple rinse, soap, and wash.
It wasn't until I returned toroutinely started eating more complex meals requiring a pot, a pan, a plate, two bowls, three pieces of flatware, a cup, and a couple of utensils, that I started using a scrub brush (the one pictured above) to remove cooked on or dried food or schmutz. My life has changed.
I realized it wasn't the dirty dishes that icked me, it was the experience of my hands futzing about in dirty dish water filed with food particles, congealed fats, and soggy old food. Using a scrub brush, supplemented occasionally with gloves, changed my world. Washing used dishes, pots, and pans is no longer filled with dread and disgust. It's not exactly my favorite activity, but even gloved fingers no longer need to be coated in fats nor feeling soggy food. No. The humble scrub brush does all that for me, so I can enjoy the benefits of clean, hygienic dishes, pots,pans, and utensils. So I can enjoy more diverse, more complex, and more fulfilling food.
So, my first preference would be to have a robot/dishwasher do my dirty dishes. Since that's not an option right now, the scrub brush is a wonderful tool to get the job done without the ickies.
If you, too, have difficulty washing dishes, perhaps consider using a scrub brush and / or gloves or both.
