Does this happen if the game tries to multi-task the clean dishes with this actions or do you choose it and it never appears ?
Also since you put dishes in (), does that mean it also happens if you try to clean sink/shower/etc ?
Only when clean dishes. The game tries to multi-task and fails, making the action disappear. Just like when your sim is eating or drinking and you add it to the task queue "go for a jog" the game runs as multi-task doing yours without finishing the meal only when the jog ends. But in this case, your meal or drink is not canceled, it is postponed instead.
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