Dishwasher or washing up???

RedOnRed

We've had a dishwasher since April and the one benefit I can see over washing up is that you don't have loads of dirty or drying dishes sitting about. Other then that, after i've rinsed every thing to go in it and washed by hand all the things that can't go in it...i'm sure there's not that much difference economy wise.

JulieR

theres only me in the house, but i have a small dishwasher and use it 3 -4 times a week - i like to use it HOT for those greasy pans, i could never get the water that hot to hand wash up!
as far as i can see as long as i dont use it silly, make it efficient then it is hygenic and time saving!

johnjp

Dishwasher rules. It uses less water, saves time, arguments with the family, just about autoclaves everything and nowadays you don`t have to rinse the plates before they go in. Mine, an old hotpoint which I got free in the `Friday Ad`, uses 17 litres, about 1 bowl of water! I have it plumbed into the hot water supply (which is an economy 7 immersion heater) which should save on the machine heating the water and the length of the cycle. As my, then, 5yr old would say "This is the modern age!"
It seems to me that all the people I know who still handwash always have a perpetual pile of dirty dishes. When I am on my own I only use the machine once each 3 to 4 days so that must save alot of all round energy.

shitefourbrains

hb1444 wrote:

Wrooooonnnng! You'd be wasting a lot of water, Thames Water said that people waste SIX LITRES of water by leaving the tap on while brushing, and I think it is every time you brush

I thought we were talking about washing dishes not teeth?

We could take the discussion a step further and talk about the impact to the environment the actual production of dishwashers make. For instance the manufacturing of the materials use for production, the chemicals and energy spent but this could be going a bit far?

My advice would be..

Make sure you thoroughly scrape off all the loose food before you wash.
If you have one basin half fill the bowl and wash the worst off (for instance greasy curry plates) then wash them with soap after.
If you have two basins (split basin) use one to wash and one to rinse.
If you wash them in a dish washer make sure you hit the economy button and always fill it.

Or just wash like me... One bowl of hot soapy water, elbow grease. - does all the dishes. If need be pots and pans in a second bowl.

For all those doing the elbow grease method. Top tip of the day... Don't burn your food whilst cooking it. For starters it'll taste a lot better and secondly you don't have to put so much effort into the cleaning.

I never leave the tap running washing dishes (it washes the soap away for a start) or brushing my teeth.

tawnyowls

RedOnRed wrote:

We've had a dishwasher since April and the one benefit I can see over washing up is that you don't have loads of dirty or drying dishes sitting about. Other then that, after i've rinsed every thing to go in it and washed by hand all the things that can't go in it...i'm sure there's not that much difference economy wise.

Oh, surely you don't rinse stuff? I thought that myth had died out by now - there is no need to rinse before using modern dishwashers. Anfea pointed this out in the last series, and there was a long-running thread on it here several months ago. I never, ever rinse anything other than pans/dishes with mashed potato or tomato-based sauces - on the (very odd) occasions there's stuff left after it goes through then I'll use a small amount of water to remove the remains. As for the stuff that can't go in it - what stuff?? If it can't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't get used!

I'm sure my DW saves loads of water - it only gets used every other day and is packed to the gills when it's run.

hilary1

I like my dishwasher and it definately saves work. I dont buy anything that isnt dishwasher proof.

On the downside - you need more of everything as half of its in the dishwasher. And my OH doesnt even want to wash a mug so they all end up in it aswell. plus they soon smell if you dont run them every couple of days.

Just bung everything in and its out of sight. And I would never rinse anything, mine gets it all clean even after a few days.:T

consultant31

tawnyowls wrote:

As for the stuff that can't go in it - what stuff?? If it can't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't get used!

The only thing I can think of which doesn't go in is lead crystal which I only use rarely anyway!

RedOnRed

tawnyowls wrote:

Oh, surely you don't rinse stuff? I thought that myth had died out by now - there is no need to rinse before using modern dishwashers. Anfea pointed this out in the last series, and there was a long-running thread on it here several months ago. I never, ever rinse anything other than pans/dishes with mashed potato or tomato-based sauces - on the (very odd) occasions there's stuff left after it goes through then I'll use a small amount of water to remove the remains. As for the stuff that can't go in it - what stuff?? If it can't go in the dishwasher, it doesn't get used!

I'm sure my DW saves loads of water - it only gets used every other day and is packed to the gills when it's run.

Yes I do rinse the stuff, otherwise it would be absolutely filthy inside and i'd only be making work for myself having to clean filters out. Besides, the manufacturers say you should rinse everything first - so what does Anthea know? Do you think she watches her domestic helpers do it anyway? She's probably never been near a dishwasher in her life.

As for stuff you shouldn't put in...how about wooden things and perishable rubber?

hb1444

RedOnRed wrote:

As for stuff you shouldn't put in...how about wooden things and perishable rubber?

Sometimes I rinse stuff like ketchup, and I put wooden things in but they seem a little worn after being placed in

RedOnRed

hb1444 wrote:

and I put wooden things in but they seem a little worn after being placed in

I'd imagine they would look worn as you're not supposed to put wood or non-dishwasher safe rubber in them.