Dishwasher V’s Handwashing

[SandwichShortOfAPicnic]

Do you dishwasher or hand wash?
It’s something people seem to have quite entrenched views on.
This is an interesting podcast from the BBC for those of you who can access BBC sound.

I don’t think it really covers all the angles but it certainly shows there are a lot of variables and it’s entertaining all the same!

Sliced Bread - Dishwashers - Dishwashers - BBC Sounds

 

[TastyReuben]

We (meaning me) used to hand wash most things. MrsT has this opinion that dishwashers are expensive to run, waste water, damage dishes, and don’t work as well as handwashing. Easy opinion to have when you wash zero dishes…

For the longest time, all we put in the dishwasher were plates, bowls, mugs, and flatware, but a few years ago, I rebelled, and now pots and pans go in there, plastic stuff on the top shelf, other utensils…if it says it’s dishwasher-safe and I can get it to fit, in it goes.

We used to run the dishwasher every four days, and now it’s every two, with all the extra stuff.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I avoid the dishwasher like the plague. What's the point of having to rinse the dishes before you put them in the machine, then wait 2 or 3 days for a full wash, ( during which time your favourite cup/mug/knife/saucepan is developing germs), and then check every single plate/cup/saucer/spoon/fork etc., to see whether there are actually pieces of dried food on them?
I wash by hand. No contest.

 

[badjak]

Hand wash
I haven't got a dishwasher.
Never had one.
I live alone. Not that much wadhing up to do.
Besides that: I run on solar only. Dishwashers need power. Hand washers don't

 

[Morning Glory]

Everything goes in the dishwasher. I mean everything. Even with just two of us, I can more or less fill it in a day. I put it on overnight however much is in it and unload first thing next morning so everything is clean and ready to start cooking again. At the moment I am on my own at home and have been running the dishwasher every other night. I don't rinse dishes, there is really no need. I just scrape any obvious large clumps or bits of food straight into the kitchen waste bin.

 

[CookieMonster]

(sigh) I buy 3x of anything I need - one still in the dishwasher, one dirty waiting to go in the dishwasher, and one to actually use . . .

my good knives never go in the dishwasher - and wooden spoons/spatulas/etc typically don't - but have been known to take one for the team.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We don't have a pressurised water system in our house. It's gravity fed which means that things like a dishwasher or washing machine frequently error. It's a simple case of only 1 thing can use water at any one time. The washing machine is less error prone than the dishwasher. The dishwasher came with the house, the washing machine is ours.

So we wash by hand, unless I've got all the time in the world and a hell of a lot of patience. The dishwasher typically errors 5 or 6 times during a single washing cycle. You can't use dirty mode, only eco mode and if you do much as take a glass of water from the tap, or flush the toilet, wash you hands, shower etc, it will error.

Plus there is no way it will save us water (important when you're not on mains water but reliant on it raining). We only wash dishes twice a day. That's 2×11 litres of water were to fill the washing up bowl to overflowing. We don't. I can't see how the dishwasher, even if it actually didn't need to be set going 5 or 6 times just to get 1 washing cycle complete, will save us any water.

So hand washing it is.

 

[CookieMonster]

We don't have a pressurised water system in our house. It's gravity fed which means that things like a dishwasher or washing machine frequently error. It's a simple case of only 1 thing can use water at any one time. The washing machine is less error prone than the dishwasher. The dishwasher came with the house, the washing machine is ours.

============== unable to escape the quote box . . . ==============

oh, now I can . . .

if you wish, you can install a booster pump, a check valve, and a pressure sensor . . . that will provide 'constant' pressure to the whole system. any RV/caravan store can set you up with that, albeit usually 12 volt as-for-travel-trailers.....

 

[kaneohegirlinaz]

For me, plates, bowls, forks-knives-spoons, glasses, mugs, plastic cutting boards, all of my cooking tools other than my "good" knives, plastic stuffs on the top rack - go in!

No baking sheets, pots or pans, the good china, my champagne flutes, go into the automatic dishwasher.

And I'm a ditto on the thinking of, if it says dishwasher safe, in it goes.

When I was a kid, we didn't have an automatic dishwasher and us kids got sick alot!
Once Dad got Mom a dishwasher, shazam! Nobody got sick.

 

[Herbaceous]

We put most stuff in the dishwasher. Our chef’s knives get done by hand, wooden things get done by hand, and anything that isn’t dishwasher safe (some types of plastic, cast iron) get done by hand.

On the “which is more efficient” question- studies have been done on this, and it depends on your model of dishwasher as well as your technique for hand-washing, but on average, a modern dishwasher will use less water (and energy to heat the water) than handwashing. Most modern dishwashers are also good enough that pre-rinsing is unnecessary (we never rinse stuff before loading the dishwasher and it all comes out clean).

So there you have it!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

oh, now I can . . .

if you wish, you can install a booster pump, a check valve, and a pressure sensor . . . that will provide 'constant' pressure to the whole system. any RV/caravan store can set you up with that, albeit usually 12 volt as-for-travel-trailers.....

If we owned the property... but we don't. And the pipes are the original 1960's pipes installed by a farmer who built the house by hand, not installed by a plumber. There's a pretty good chance they won't stand up to pressure. We've had issues already and not just with the actually pipes and quality of work, but the legality of it which means if any work is done it has to be brought up to modern standards even if that area wasn't being touched. Landlord's are not known for doing work unnecessarily.

On the “which is more efficient” question- studies have been done on this, and it depends on your model of dishwasher as well as your technique for hand-washing, but on average, a modern dishwasher will use less water (and energy to heat the water) than handwashing. Most modern dishwashers are also good enough that pre-rinsing is unnecessary (we never rinse stuff before loading the dishwasher and it all comes out clean).

So there you have it!

Yeah, I still don't see how I can save on 20L of water a day. I see adverts that tell me I can save up to 240L of water a week if I use a dishwasher. I'm only using 140L per week washing by hand. It makes no sense to me. But we're just 2 people and we don't rinse under running water. There's no need. We're a lot more economical than most because we're used to living on limited water where if it doesn't rain, we've got no water (UK it literally ran off the mountain into a sediment tank off 100 litres). In Australia we have a 22,000L tank thankfully.

 

[TastyReuben]

Most modern dishwashers are also good enough that pre-rinsing is unnecessary

What I’ve found with ours is that the choice of detergent matters immensely.

I always buy the Cascade Complete pods, the ones with three little compartments in each pod, and when I use those, everything comes out sparkling clean (I do pre-rinse, MrsT does not, so it’s a mix in the dishwasher).

A few times, I haven’t been able to get those, and I’ve used some other name-brand pod, like Clorox, and…nope - dishes come out spotted, tea-stained mugs, the whole bit.

 

[Herbaceous]

If we owned the property... but we don't. And the pipes are the original 1960's pipes installed by a farmer who built the house by hand, not installed by a plumber. There's a pretty good chance they won't stand up to pressure. We've had issues already and not just with the actually pipes and quality of work, but the legality of it which means if any work is done it has to be brought up to modern standards even if that area wasn't being touched. Landlord's are not known for doing work unnecessarily.


Yeah, I still don't see how I can save on 20L of water a day. I see adverts that tell me I can save up to 240L of water a week if I use a dishwasher. I'm only using 140L per week washing by hand. It makes no sense to me. But we're just 2 people and we don't rinse under running water. There's no need. We're a lot more economical than most because we're used to living on limited water where if it doesn't rain, we've got no water (UK it literally ran off the mountain into a sediment tank off 100 litres). In Australia we have a 22,000L tank thankfully.

It absolutely depends on your dishwashing technique. It sounds like you are for sure on the low end of water use for handwashing.

It depends on whether you wash under running water (a terrible waste of water), rinse under running water, if you fill the sink and wash in that, how large your sink is and how full you fill it…

The average person probably uses more water to handwash than you.

 

[JAS_OH1]

Do you dishwasher or hand wash?
It’s something people seem to have quite entrenched views on.
This is an interesting podcast from the BBC for those of you who can access BBC sound.

I don’t think it really covers all the angles but it certainly shows there are a lot of variables and it’s entertaining all the same!

Sliced Bread - Dishwashers - Dishwashers - BBC Sounds

I chose handwash though it's really about equal. I run glassware, flatware, everyday plates/bowls, and vinyl lids for pyrex and both tops and bottoms for plastic containers in the dishwasher. I wash all pots, pans, and knives by hand...and sometimes if it's just a few plates and forks I won't bother with the dishwasher. Also if it's a dish that had cheese in it I handwash because my dishwasher turns it into glue. And my good plates/bowls get handwashed.

 

[Windigo]

Everything goes in the dishwasher. I mean everything. Even with just two of us, I can more or less fill it in a day. I put it on overnight however much is in it and unload first thing next morning so everything is clean and ready to start cooking again. At the moment I am on my own at home and have been running the dishwasher every other night. I don't rinse dishes, there is really no need. I just scrape any obvious large clumps or bits of food straight into the kitchen waste bin.

Same, except for very valuable things like my Wedgwood tea set.