Boiling kettle vs running hot tap.

darbs9172

So given the prices of gas and electric these days, I do wonder what will be cheaper to use in regards to adding warm water to your sink to do the washing up?
Putting on the gas and heating the water that way?
Boiling a kettle?

I'm far from a mathematic or scientist so I'd appreciate peoples comments.
And no, I do not have a dishwasher. never have, never will.

Gerry1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5326406/what-is-more-efficent-boiling-a-kettle-for-a-few-things-or-hot-tap-water-cleaning

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5896930/boiling-kettle-vs-running-hot

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discuss

Alnat1

According to the latest TV ad for a popular brand of washing up liquid, you can use cool/cold water and still get great results. 

thriftytracey

Run a full dishwasher once a day.  Use cold water for rinsing pots and plates and washing hands.  Use any left over water in electric kettle to wipe down worktops.  Also boil kettle of water on log burning stove use for cleaning up.

Hot tap on once a day for morning wash.

Occasional hot tap use for washing dogs - can't put them in cold water!

Astria

Depends how you "use gas".

Heating a huge hot water cylinder for a bowl of dishes is wasteful, but if you are always going to use it for showers/baths then it becomes efficient.

As my shower is electric, I use an instant hot water heater (no tank) for doing the washing up - its set to output 40C water which is perfect for dishes and similar things.

Magnitio

Do the washing up with cold water unless it is particularly greasy. Washing up liquid does most of the work rather than the heat.

Alnat1

Magnitio said:

Do the washing up with cold water unless it is particularly greasy. Washing up liquid does most of the work rather than the heat.

The new TV adverts tell you that but in reality hotter water cleans dishes much quicker and with less effort.

I work in a kitchen which had a recent boiler problem. Trying to wash pans and serving dishes in tepid water was a pain and didn't give the same results as hot water.

k_man

Remember, any oil/grease that needs the heat from the water to be cleaned from pots, then just congeals/ solidifies in the drains when the water then cools.

Fatberg anyone?

Astria

k_man said:

Remember, any oil/grease that needs the heat from the water to be cleaned from pots, then just congeals/ solidifies in the drains when the water then cools.

Isn't that the idea of detergent/washing up liquid? It binds to the fat and the water and helps to carry it away.

Washing dishes in just warm water without detergent ends up just coating your pipes in grease/fat until they are too small to get anything down, then they become blocked.

When I'm cooking fatty foods, I store the generated fat and bin it rather than washing it down the drain.

k_man

Astria said:

k_man said:

Remember, any oil/grease that needs the heat from the water to be cleaned from pots, then just congeals/ solidifies in the drains when the water then cools.

Isn't that the idea of detergent/washing up liquid? It binds to the fat and the water and helps to carry it away.

Washing dishes in just warm water without detergent ends up just coating your pipes in grease/fat until they are too small to get anything down, then they become blocked.

When I'm cooking fatty foods, I store the generated fat and bin it rather than washing it down the drain.

Yes, that is what detergent is for. But if hot water (with washing up liquid, wasn't suggesting just using hot water!) needs to be used rather than cold, then the heat of the water is also melting some of the fat/oil/grease.

This is reversed when the water then cools. Either down the drain, or in a washing up bowl.

The latter is something most of us have seen, after putting something to soak in warm with with washing up liquid, and letting the water then cool.
That scum occurs down the drain too.

Magnitio

Alnat1 said:

Magnitio said:

Do the washing up with cold water unless it is particularly greasy. Washing up liquid does most of the work rather than the heat.

The new TV adverts tell you that but in reality hotter water cleans dishes much quicker and with less effort.

I work in a kitchen which had a recent boiler problem. Trying to wash pans and serving dishes in tepid water was a pain and didn't give the same results as hot water.

Normally, I use cold water for dishes, plates and cups that have been used for breakfast/lunch and warm water for dinner plates and pots/pans. Seems to work ok.