Dishwasher versus washing up bowl

morg_monster

There's two of us, we don't have a dishwasher, yes we leave piles of dirty plates etc in the kitchen! After about 3-4 days we have used up all the crockery and most of the surface space, so we usually wash up twice a week, it IS disgusting I agree, but my bf has dragged me down to his level!
Some stuff usually has to soak for a while doing it this way but thats fine too (run the sink full of hot water and fairy, dump the crusty things in, go watch tv, come back during first ad break and things hardly need scrubbing!)

No-ones caught salmonella or e-coli yet! If we had kids I would be more careful (but then I'd also have a dishwasher!)

When there were 4 of us at home, we'd cram the dishwasher as full as possible, so we'd always hand wash anything bulky that would take up space - saucepans, mixing bowls etc. So if I did some baking there'd usually be a big load of handwashing to do!

SusanCarter

I can't remember where I read it but apparently a study was done of typical handwashing methods throughout Europe and it was found that modern dishwashers are more efficient if they are only run when full.

Cardew

cazrobinson wrote: »

eeeuuuww - only dishwashing once a week, that's yucky whether handwashing or in a machine!

Why?

The dishes are out of sight in the dishwasher - no smell etc.

The very hot water temperatures the dishwasher uses plus the rinses, make it far more hygenic than handwashing.

nomoneytoday

Ours is a AAA rated one and uses 13 litres of hot water per load, less than a bowl of hot water - plus you don't have to run the water to heat it up etc

scope

For years we lived without a dishwasher due to lack of space in the kitchen, we have now moved and bought a dishwasher, and Im telling you, its the best thing since sliced bread. No more standing in the kitchen doing dishes.

But back to topic, ours use 16 litres and runs every 2 days (more if we have visitors), I am fairly sure that is less than if I kept the tap running whilst doing the dishes..