Doing the dishes is not the funniest activity, and Sims seem to agree. Often, they pick up the dishes, only to place them back down a few seconds later.
Here’s what you can do about it.
Look for Dishes in Odd Places
Sims sometimes put dirty dishes in strange spots. They might leave plates on the floor, bookshelves, coffee tables, or even under the couch.
Instead of using the sink or dishwasher, they’ll place dirty dishes anywhere else.
If a dirty plate or glass is stuck somewhere hard to reach, your Sims won’t do the dishes properly. They’ll keep putting dishes down instead of cleaning them.
Check all around for dishes stuck in unusual places like shelves or half-walls.
Dirty plates on open shelves or in bathroom cabinets can cause the filthy surroundings moodlet.
To fix this, find and clean up those dirty plates.
Add the Neat Trait
To avoid dirty dishes piling up, give your Sims the Neat trait. Sims with this trait automatically do the dishes because they get tense around dirty plates and glasses.
Adjust Cabinets
If your Sims won’t do the dishes, check the cabinet above your sink or dishwasher. Moving it up one spot on the wall should get them to start loading the dishes properly.
If the kitchen sink or dishwasher is hard to reach, your Sims won’t do the dishes. Make sure nothing is blocking access to these spots.
Remove any objects that might be in the way, and see if your Sims start doing the dishes.
Use Full Walls
Replace any half-walls in your kitchen with full walls. This will restore functionality to trashcans, sinks, and dishwashers.
Leave Sinks Unspecified
Many players noticed that it’s only when they specify sinks as bathroom or kitchen that this glitch happens.
If your Sims can’t wash dishes, try unsetting the sink type. Even if the bathroom sink is the only sink that works for washing dishes, leaving it unspecified allows Sims to clean dishes in the bathroom.
It’s a bit annoying, but it works.
Add Two Dishwashers in the Kitchen
A dishwasher can reduce the problem, but if it’s already running, your Sims won’t clean up the dishes. Add two and check if this quick workaround does the trick.
Happy Simming!