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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think hand washing dishes is so uneconomic?

109 replies

MrsKeithRichards · 01/09/2012 10:14

Bloody dishwasher broke. It's seven years old, used daily so I'm guessing it's gone to the white good home in the sky.

So for 3 days now I've gone back in time and am hand washing. I wash up about 4 times a day, hot water on all the time, a couple of basins of water at a time not to mention the rinsing, a few tea towels in the wash a day. Soaking wet work tops, dishes lying about. arrrgh!!!!!

I can't wait until my new one comes on Wednesday. How did I cope before!?!?

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsKeithRichards · 01/09/2012 10:17

Not just uneconomic but ineffective, messy, nail ruining, time wasting and bloody frustrating!

OP posts:
NoComet · 01/09/2012 10:18

I feel your pain.

I dread dishwashers dying. I used to wash up as part of a holiday job, I hate it!

I hate it even more when no one is paying meGrin

Original poster
MrsKeithRichards · 01/09/2012 10:20

Would I be unreasonable to purchase paper plates for the foreseeable?!

OP posts:
OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 01/09/2012 10:22

YANBU. Hand washing is very uneconomical if you do it properly.

I had to do it for six weeks over Christmas two years go because our dishwasher caught fire and it took forever for the insurers to gve us a new one. It was a complete pain in the arse. I hate havng dirty dishes around so I spent the majority of the time chained to the kitchen sink.

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 01/09/2012 10:23

Paper plates until Wednesday would be perfectly acceptable.

gordyslovesheep · 01/09/2012 10:27

YABU I refuse to own a dishwasher because I prefer handwashing - I am odd!

Gentleness · 01/09/2012 10:31

Yabu, it is possible to hand wash economically and when you factor in the cost of the machine, economics isn't the biggest reason for buying a decent dishwasher.

fluffygal · 01/09/2012 10:33

I don't get how a dishwasher is more economical- for starters it uses electricity! We do washing up once a day, only need one bowl of water. People say that dishwashers use less water but if it uses less then one bowl of water for twice the amount of dishes then the dishes would still be dirty! we have just bought a dishwasher but don't plan on using it every day, only when I am really busy.

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 01/09/2012 10:34

I would still use my dishwasher even if it was 100% proven to be less economical than hand washing.

I doubt it is less economical though. It uses less water for a start.

butisthismyname · 01/09/2012 10:35

We have never had a dishwasher so I am finding your assumption that everyone has one VU. Nor do we have a tumble dryer

SmellsLikeTeenStrop · 01/09/2012 10:38

Heating hot water to wash dishes by hand uses gas fluffygal.

marquesas · 01/09/2012 10:40

Smells - A dishwasher doesn't wash with cold water, in fact it heats water hotter than you get from a tap I think, it still has to be heated up.

AlmostAGoldHipster · 01/09/2012 10:42

I have never had a dishwasher. Ever. It feels as if I spend half my life washing the bastard dishes and I use loads of hot water as I have to rinse everything under the tap.

I'd gladly sell my soul to Beelzebub to have a machine that took away this drudgery from my pathetic little life :)

MrsHerculePoirot · 01/09/2012 10:42

I feel your pain. We came back from holiday and ours no longer works. New one being delivered tomorrow and fitted next week. I have HATED hand washing this week.

Interestingly when looking up dishwashers they do use less water to wash than had washing. Cost of running one per year was less than £30 per year. Our old one lasted over 15 years.

Original poster
MrsKeithRichards · 01/09/2012 10:45

How on earth do you manage to wash up only once a day using just one basin of water? Isn't it rank?!

OP posts:
SirBoobAlot · 01/09/2012 10:46

Use paper plates!

cantthinkofadadsname · 01/09/2012 10:47

When we got our new kitchen designed, I really had to convince my ex that we should have a dishwasher. Even though she was very much against using it (she was convinced that it used more water and was more expensive than handwashing - despite me showing her the figures in the manual), I managed to convince her that anyone who wanted to buy the house in the future would probably appreciate a dishwasher.

Her new house has one. I know it will remain unused - but she still spends loads of time washing up.

StormGlass · 01/09/2012 10:52

I love my dishwasher. Yes, if you're washing up properly by hand it takes lots of hot water and time. And it's very hard on the hands, my skin gets very dry if I have to wash things by hand too often.

I think you need more than one basin of water too. My in-laws have no dishwasher, and only use one basin of water. The glasses and dishes in the cupboards in their house are frequently slightly dirty and smudged.

wonderingagain · 01/09/2012 10:53

The tablets are probably the least environmentally friendly part of dishwashing, but you can get eco-friendly ones.

SausageSmuggler · 01/09/2012 10:56

We've never had a dishwasher but my parents always have. I HATE hand washing but it's not going to change anytime soon because our kitchen is too small for one Sad.

Cloudbase · 01/09/2012 10:59

I live in a rented flat with a tiny kitchen. I would kill for a dishwasher...(sob!)

Shakey1500 · 01/09/2012 10:59

Ours is temporarily out of action due to a small leak elsewhere in the kitchen and I've had to.....gulp........wash the dishes by hand this morning Shock

Thymeout · 01/09/2012 11:07

Well, all I can say is when I gave up using my dishwasher, my electricity bill went down by a third.

flow4 · 01/09/2012 11:16

I resisted a dishwasher for years basically cos I had some kind of odd idea that I was a Bad Person and definitely a Bad Mother if I couldn't cope without one Hmm
Then my Very Green friend told me that A rated dishwashers are MORE environmentally friendly than hand-dishwashing... They use less water and less heat , providing you only ever run them full. My life is now transformed! Grin >Does a dance around the kitchen

perfectstorm · 01/09/2012 11:18

Thymeout, is your hot water heated by gas, though? And is your water metered?

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