Bento picks are cute, versatile, fun, and there are millions of them to choose from! Yeah, millions and millions...of little tiny picks to wash - that will get lost in the dishwasher, unless you wash them by hand! Yay!
Not to mention - where to store them all? They are SO cute.. but SO tiny! *Sigh*
Don't give up on using picks yet - I have a super quick and easy way to wash them, and a really great way to store them.
How to Wash Bento Picks
I have 2 grandsons who are 3 and 1, and they love to play with my picks when they come over. Since I have been blogging for nearly 5 years, I have amassed a huge amount of bento picks. So you can imagine the fun we have - and the mess it could make if I didn't have an easy way to wash and store them!
Its SO easy to clean them! All you need is a large mesh strainer or colander, and a sink of soapy water. Here's what you do:
1. Dump all the picks into a mesh strainer. I use mesh so nothing can fall through. Often I wash all my picks at once, especially after my little bento buddies have been playing with them 🙂
2. Submerge the strainer into a sink of soapy water. I don't fill the sink up all the way, or the picks may float out of the strainer and get lost. Just about halfway up the side of the strainer is perfect.
3. Lift the strainer out of the soapy water and run under clear water. You don't even have to take the picks out - just run the whole bunch of them under the water to rinse them. I shake the strainer a little to make sure non of the picks miss getting rinsed.
4. Then shake out the excess water, and place the whole strainer on a towel to dry ( like in the first picture). Just leave it out to drip dry for a couple of hours, and then you can put them away!
How to Store Bento Picks
The best way I have found to store a bunch of little picks is to use a Needlecraft Organizer box. There are lots of little compartments, and you can open up the box and set it beside you when you're making lunches so you can easily see which picks to use. I sort them into general categories, like "nature", or "Disney" and from there it's really easy to see what I am looking for. Then I store the box on one of the shelves in my kitchen.
Products I Used
Here's where you can get some good storage boxes and mesh strainers:
You can also buy some of my favorite picks here in My Favorite Kitchen Tools/Picks