I put my tips in a small tupperware bowl with soap and hot (hot!)
water and give it a shake ([/i]shake shake shake). Let them sit, change the water and do it again. Of course I still wipe inside them with the corner of a paper towel, but there's just no easy way of cleaning the little buggers. As for everything else? Clean before, during and after. It's the only way I keep my sanity

I put my tips and couplers in a small bowl with hot, soapy water after I'm done with them. Swish them around every now and then and then rinse under very hot water to get the goop out.

The Wilton courses I took pushed their mesh bag for the dishwasher but I use recycled mesh bags from producr for my tips. I got them with brussels sprouts and lettuce, also one from my ham at Easter. Put the rinsed tips and couplers in the mesh bag and use a plastic clothes pin to close the bag. The bag goes on the top rack of the dishwasher, clipped on to one of the prongs so it doesn't fall through to the bottom. Once finished with the wash cycle I lay everything out on paper towels to air dry.

One other thing to mention - I realized my goodies weren't getting very grease free and discovered my hot water tank wasn't heating the water properly. I had it repaired and the hot water is now 130-140 degrees and the grease is gone.

I agree with everyone else that does it by hand. It's tedious but no other way around it.

Speaking of tips what tips does everyone use? I got the wilton ones to start with and even though I dry them as best as I can they're starting to discolour. I live in an old complex and I think we're off of well water but I'm not sure.

I'm assuming the tips are just cheap but I'd like to know if anyone else has run into that with the continous washings.

Some of my Wilton tips have discolored also. I find if I leave them in the water too long this happens. I just started washing them immediately. Not allowing them to soak as long.

My tips are discoloring, too. I am pretty sure the dishwasher detergent does a number on tarnishing them. Also, when making royal icing, I wipe down my tips with vinegar which also tarnishes them.

The dishwasher is my best friend for cleaning. I try to scoop as much leftover icing in the trash and use toothpicks to scoop it out of my tips so I have as little grease as possible to clog up the sink. I use one of the baby bottle baskets in the dishwasher. I don't think I could do without a dishwasher.

I take a wet rag and wipe the powdered sugar and gunk off the counters. I rinse the rag and then throw it in the wash pile. I then use the Clorox Anywhere spray and paper towels to clean down the mixer and the counters. Usually, I shop vac the floor and spot clean the tile if the rest of the floor is pretty clean.

Man my husband doesn't know where the kitchen is let alone clean it, but boy can he barbeque.