Dishwasher verses Washing-up

moggins

I wouldn't be without my dishwasher now. My sink is under my kitchen window which looks out onto a brick wall! I never used to have enough time to wash up after tea and I dreaded coming down to a sink full of dishes.

skysky69

I personally prefer the dishwasher and one of the biggest reasons is the cleanliness side of things. The things come out of the dishwasher practically sterilised, you can wash baby's bottles and teats in the dishwasher and everything. I find that the only time it doesn't get all the food off is if I overfill it and I find that the longer the food is caked on, the more stubborn it is to get off. I put the dishwasher on before I go to bed at night so it is mainly on the off peak tariff that I am on, I buy the tablets whenever they are on really cheap somewhere (at the moment they are 2 for 1 at the local co-op and they are co-op's own brand too) and wash on an eco 50 wash.

My hands are quite sensitive so to wash up, I have to wear gloves, it is time consuming and the cost of heating the water to wash up is probably not far off what I pay to run the dishwasher (this is what I tell myself anyway!).

lil_me

Haven't had a dishwasher since I lived with my parents 9 years ago, sometimes I really miss having one, especially like now I know there is dishes from our food, slow cooker pot, other cooking stuff, then stuff from making the kids food etc too, but have managed so far, so suppose I don't see the point. I would probably save a good half hour of my time each day on the washing up.

hollydays

I like that you put the dishes in it,and they are not sitting around cluttering up the worsurfaces.Leaves me more space and time for cooking Old- style.

vfairbrass

I believe the costings for dishwasher versus hand wash, for the modern economical machines, come out on the side of the dishwasher.
See this link

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:rbB26RnNBR4J:www.mtprog.com/ApprovedBriefingNotes/pdf.aspx%3FintBriefingNoteID%3D286+is+it+cheaper+to+use+a+dishwasher&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=13&gl=uk

which is a Government briefing note from DEFRA concluding that :

•Water consumption is much less in a dishwasher – around four times less than by hand.
•No strong conclusion can be made for energy consumption because comparisons depend on precise washing up habits, loading of the dishwasherand how the hot tap water is heated.
•Items cleaned in a dishwasher are cleaner than when washed by hand.

And a previous posting recommends using normal washing powder instead of buying special dishwasher powder.
On the odd occasion when our machine has conked out I have quite enjoyed washing up again - but have a miniscule kitchen and it certainly helps to keep it looking tidy if I can shove things in the machine.
Valerie

Roger_Dodger_2

vfairbrass wrote:

I believe the costings for dishwasher versus hand wash, for the modern economical machines, come out on the side of the dishwasher.
See this link

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:rbB26RnNBR4J:www.mtprog.com/ApprovedBriefingNotes/pdf.aspx%3FintBriefingNoteID%3D286+is+it+cheaper+to+use+a+dishwasher&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=13&gl=uk

which is a Government briefing note from DEFRA concluding that :

•Water consumption is much less in a dishwasher – around four times less than by hand.
•No strong conclusion can be made for energy consumption because comparisons depend on precise washing up habits, loading of the dishwasherand how the hot tap water is heated.
•Items cleaned in a dishwasher are cleaner than when washed by hand.

And a previous posting recommends using normal washing powder instead of buying special dishwasher powder.
On the odd occasion when our machine has conked out I have quite enjoyed washing up again - but have a miniscule kitchen and it certainly helps to keep it looking tidy if I can shove things in the machine.
Valerie

Thankyou for this post

belfastgirl23

It's easier to motivate myself to do a cook-up if I know I won't have a pile of washing up at the end. Also don't think I could cope with dishes sitting around waiting for the one wash up in the day I use Lidl dishwasher tabs broken in half and just the 30 degree wash - works fine!

I hear dishwashers are more environmentally friendly than handwashing and I think it probably makes v little difference cost-wise. But sometimes convenience is worth paying for and I think a dishwasher is one of those places where it is worth it.

love_lifer

ive never had a dish washer. washin up? well it can be quite therapeutic. and its easy. and i use the water before it gets hot for plants. so no waste. and it just seems right

rach

i would not be without my dishwasher. its a slimline one and i bought it second hand for about £100 a few years ago with a pack of about 100 tablets (it was less than a year old- someone had moved and had no room for it!). when i lived in a shared house it was a Godsend and saved arguments about the washing up etc...

now there's mainly just me, i wait til its full (every 2 days or so) and its on a timer so it comes on economy 7). I buy tabs on offer (last lot were 30 in poundland, exactly the same as the tesco ones) and break them in half.

i reckon its about the same cost, if not cheaper for me, as i'd want to wash up every day. this way i buy one lot of washing up liquid a year or something and i don;t have many teatowels etc to wash

johnjp

DW on during off peak is much more economical and alot less time consuming.
Would you wash your clothes by hand?
By the way, as long as your meter is correct, off peak in winter months (GMT) is between 10.30 pm and 7.30 am. In summer 11.30 pm to 8.30 am. I try to stick to using those times for all the machines.