Dishwasher verses Washing-up

tallulah_beaulah

I read an article the other day that said it depended totally on the habits of the person washing up/using the dishwasher. It seems impossible to do an exact like by like comparison.

Apparently some people wash up by hand under hot running water (without a plug), and some people run a dishwasher cycle with not much in the machine. The least economical are people who rinse everything then put it in the dishwasher, I have to admit I do that when I use the machine.

The article ended up by saying that if you do a lot of cooking and only run full loads it is more economical to use the dishwasher. If you only use a few dishes and utensils then its more economical to wash up by hand.

ScorpioLady_2

Wow they were interesting answers!

Yes, you do have to have lots of dishes and no, none of mine match either!! So I think I would run a full load every one and a half days.

Chameleon: Snap, I do exactly the same!!!

Next question: Where is the cheapest/best place to get dishwasher tablets??!!

buxtonrabbitgreen

The Co Op and Wilkos ofter have the dishwashing tabs on BOGOF and yes I gave up a cupboard in a very small kitchen for the dishwasher and yes I had to buy a load more cutlery. But it is so worth it to me as the only member of the family whoever did any washing up. And OH who had the disgusting habit of leaving things to soak which I then had to fish out of dirty greasy cold water.

odds-n-sods

we now have a dishwasher and yes it does use less water than washing by hand. If you live by yourself, then I'd say no, it doesn't work out cheaper. But it does fro us.

JillD_2

thriftlady, I know what you mean, we are 4 soon to become 5 and I don't see how our dishes will ast til tea! At the minute we run the dishwasher once a day and if there is anything left it is washed in the sink, although I am a master at loading the dishwasher and almost always fit everything in.
I am a terrible washer of dishes, seem to never get them clen withour running under the tap each time after washing so use way too much water so for us I am sure dishwasher uses less water.
Plus as other ave said it has benefit of hiding dirty dishes. Hubby calls it the "self cleaning crockery cupboard" LOL

Nickynockynoonoo_2

Dishwasher tablets can be broken in half and still get everything clean. I buy mine from Aldi, they are better than Finish IMO

Mr_Proctalgia

odds-n-sods wrote: »

we now have a dishwasher and yes it does use less water than washing by hand. If you live by yourself, then I'd say no, it doesn't work out cheaper. But it does fro us.

Erm.... Why?

I live alone and even so Miss Dishy definitely saves me money. It runs about 1.5 times per week, only uses the hot water it needs (cold fill only) and uses the used water to preheat the rinse water. I generally find that a set of 6 of everything works for me but I also have some spare crockery anyway. The only thing I would do differently is to get a full sized model (mine is slimline) as when I use the BIG pans they don't fit.

In fact after a bit of head scratching I am shortly to remove the Hot Water Cylinder and stop storing any water in the house. The shower is electric. I have fitted a mains pressure water heater under the sink (10 litre Ariston thingie) and now have got an instantaneous heater for the bathroom sink. Once you realise that water only starts to cool the moment you stop heating it and it is very wasteful to run it through pipes then you cannot lose IMHO

HTH

Garnet_Gem

I live on my own and run a slimline dishwasher every 2 days. I wouldn't be without it. It keeps the kitchen so tidy. I buy dishwasher stuff only when it's on offer, not full price.

recovering_spendaholic

I couldn't be without my dishwasher. It keeps the kitchen clean and tidy and I switch it on every night before I go to bed. I know what Thriftlady means about having to have extras of cutlery and so on but I just bought a load of cheap SS cutlery and so now we always have enough. I have loads of plates and mugs so they aren't an issue. I never rinse the stuff before I put it in the DW - even really manky casseroles and roasting tins and they always come out sparkling clean. I only use fairy DW capsule thingies though (buy them whenever they are on offer) as I don't think anything else cleans as well.

hilstep2000

I always said I didn;t need one, now I couldn't do without it!