I think sometimes wall shelves are to blame.
My sims do the same and if I then check wall shelves they will have placed dirty dishes there at one point and for some reason they can't get to it and clean it after they put it there. So when you want the sim to clean dishes you see on the lot, and they can't get the ones you can't see on the selves, they just won't do it.
I am having this issue as well, I have mostly noticed it with having a bookcase on the 2nd story. The Sim is able to go to the bookshelf and take the book down the ladder, but cannot go up the ladder to put the book away. They just end up leaving the book on the floor and falling out of queue.
