There are times when you have to rely on hand washing your dishes and there are ways to cut down on water and energy consumption while doing so.
What to do:
Scrape food from dishes with a rubber spatula. You will scratch dishes less with a rubber spatula than with metal utensils.
Rinse every dish with hot water, then stack by type.
To conserve water, fill a large plastic bin or one side of a double sink with hot, soapy water. One or two squirts of soap should be sufficient. The hotter the water, the more likely glass and silver will dry without spots and streaks. Do not overload the sink, you may risk chipping or breaking your dishes.
If you are not using a tub, line the sink with a rubber or plastic mat for protection should a glass or plate fall. for particularly fragile items, line the sink with old, soft bath towels and skip the rubber gloves as they tend to be more slippery than bare hands.
Wash one piece at a time. Rub the dish with the cloth or sponge while revolving it with the other hand, working from the center of the dish outward, then back again inward. Turn the dish over and repeat. Scrub stuck on foods with a dish brush.
Wash dishes in this order: crystal, glassware, clear glass plates, other plates, flatware, serving ware, then the greasiest serving dishes and finally, pots and pans. Start with the least soiled dishes and end with the greasiest. When in doubt about the cleaning power of the dishwater, drain the tub and start again fresh. Adding more dishwashing liquid to dirty water will not boost the cleaning power of the water.
Stack washed dishes by the side of the sink or in the empty side of the sink. Once you have five or six pieces, and before the suds dry, rinse under hot running tap water. Start with the back of the plate or the outside of the glass, rinsing the eating or drinking surfaces last.
Special Circumstances
Starches and dairy products get gummier in hot water, so use cold water on dishes with these type of residue. You can soak them for a few minutes to loosen residue, but don't let them sit for any length of time (bacteria grows quickly).
Wash or at least rinse china teacups soon after you have finished with your coffee or tea, so that stains will not have time to set.
Bottles are easier to clean if you soak denture cleaner in them overnight and then scrub them with a narrow nylon bottlebrush.
