Handwashing vs. The Dishwasher - Which is more economical?

The May, 2006 issue of Family Circle Magazine has a full page article on How to Buy a Dishwasher. It says " Save Money and water. Running a full load of dishes uses 9 to 12 gallons of water, washing and rinsing the same load by hand takes 20 gallons, according to the American Water Works Association. Keep your dishes and conscience clean by selecting an Energy Star-qualified model (look for the blue sticker with the 'energy star' logo.) Bonus: You'll also save $25 a year in energy costs."

I wanted to add - Another bonus - Your dishes will be cleaner and disinfected or perhaps I should say sanitized.
Best wishes

It seems to me one fact remains little science has been used to test which method is more energy efficient. With the premise of a full dishwasher it does seem more practical and less costly, however when using a small amount of dishes doing them manually seems more practical.

A friend who is a plumber told me this.

"If you wash dishes by hand three times a day, breakfast, lunch, supper with a full sink of hot soapy water you will use more water then using your dishwasher once a day".

"Your electricity will be about the same as you are using less hot water from the tank and if you don't need to heat the water for the dishwasher it is equivilant. However, this is with most newer dishwashers".

The other thing is you should always run your water in the kitchen sink until is hot before you turn your dishwasher so it will be hot, and use air dry if at all possible.

Hope this helps you out!

A

I suppose it would depend upon how many in your family, how big of meals you eat, how often, etc. However, when I bought my new dishwasher last year, the brochure with it said that the dishwasher uses about 8 to 10 gallons of water each washing. Do you let the HOT water run when handwashing your dishes, do you drain out your water, then refill the sink with clean water for a big load of dishes?

There is no contest if you do what I do. I have a divided sink and use a tub in each, one washing one rinsing. When I'm done with washing dishes I pour the water into a big bucket which I then take out to my flower and vegetable gardens and use it on whatever plants need it. It waters the plants, the soap in the water hinders pests, and the food in the water fertilizes. I wouldn't do it any other way.

There are two of us, unless we have company, it is more economical to wash by hand. We minimize the dishes we use, since we dish up in the kitchen and bring plates to table.

It takes days to fill the dishwasher for a full load and in the meantime, I keep taking out my favorite items, washing and using them. I use a dishpan in the sink.

This works for us.

I do both. I load glasses, cups, and soup bowls in dishwasher only. (can get alot more in, plus sanitize where people drink), Then I wash plates by hand, in a dishpan of hot soapy water. It goes quickly. (I use Oxy dishliquid for this, a little soak works wonders!) That only leaves the pots and pans. I do those by hand, (with Oxy dishliquid), while the dishwasher runs with the cups, glasses , and soup bowls. I have a large family, and even when company comes, we can move quickly working together with this technique.

Cindy

April 18, 20060 found this helpful

I also do both. We are a family of 4 and I load the dishwasher with the plates, bowls, mugs and glasses and silverware. I hand wash the pots and pans and anything that cannot go in the dishwasher. I dont let the water run while I hand wash- I fill up the sink. I know some people wash each thing seperately under running water with a fresh squirt of soap-what a waste! I run the dishwasher sometimes every day and sometimes every other.

I just want to know which method correctly sanitizes your dishes.

Can hot water spraying around in the dishwasher, effectively get germs off the rims of cups and crevices of silverware?
I just want to know which method correctly sanitizes your dishes.

Can hot water spraying around in the dishwasher, effectively get germs off the rims of cups and crevices of silverware?

We have been washing dishes by hand lately (thoroughly) and I am feeling sick. Does the dishwasher get the dishes cleaner? More sanitary? Kill more germs? I know I can't get the water as hot as the DW for the hand washing. Any facts put there?

Does everyone know about 1/2 size dishwasher? They are wonderful and efficient. for small families and a couple for larger families.
People like myself who don't have a dishwasher for various reasons, usually have a counter full of dishes throughout the day. When I visit my friend with 3 lively, busy boys, her kitchen is always so clean, its because they all can keep control of the dish clutter with a dishwasher: use, rinse, store in DW until its full to run.

CS

There is a study done on this by Bonn University in Germany:

www.treehugger.com/.../dishwasher_vs_h.php

J-Kat

May 2, 20161 found this helpful

I realize this is an old post, but I believe that handwashing, if done correctly, wastes a lot more water than a dishwasher does. We fill our dishwasher up about every 2 days, sometimes 1 1/2 days, and it probably uses about as much water for 2 days worth of dishes as handwashing one meal's worth.

My dishwasher is 16 years old, and other than routine maintenance which my husband has done, we've never had any work done on it. We don't get streaks or spots, and even a lasagna pan comes out perfectly clean.

I got my first dishwasher in 1971, and I've never been without one since. I'd give up my oven before I'd give up the dishwasher.

susanmajp

May 6, 20160 found this helpful

I called the manufacturer of my dishwasher to find out exactly how much water my dishwasher uses. I loaded my dishwasher to make sure it was full, then took the dishes out and put them in the sink. I measured our the water I used in the sink to wash the dishes. I put a plastic dishpan in the other sink that I used to rinse the dishes, then measured the water when I had finished. I did this six times. I used less water washing my dishes by hand than my energy efficient dishwasher used five out of the six times. The last time, I had a lot of really greasy pans and had to change the water, so I used more than my dishwasher would have; in this case, I'm not sure that my dishwasher would have gotten the pans totally clean either.

I've read the experiments of people who claim that washing by hand uses more water than their dishwasher did, but they ran the water for rinsing continuously and with a strong current. I don't know anyone who washes dishes by hand and does that.

Dish soap for hand washing is also cheaper than (machine)dishwasher soap is. I also plan my menu for the following day, get a little exercise, save some electricity, and use the rinse water to water my houseplants. Truth be told, my dishwasher is brand new and rarely used--no wait, I use it for a large drying rack when I wash my dishes by hand.