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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that most people who have a dishwasher run it once a day?

346 replies

SomethingNastyInTheBallPool · 01/10/2020 10:29

We bought a new dishwasher recently. It was heavily promoted as coming with six months' supply of Fairy dishwasher tablets. The tablets arrived yesterday and there are 120 of them. That's not six months' supply in this household, as we run the dishwasher every day. AIBU to think that wouldn't be half a year's worth in most other households?

I rang the manufacturer to query it and was told that it was six months' worth based on "data and surveys". Hmmmm. I'm not going to take this to the highest court in the land, obviously, but it does seem a bit crap. AIBU?

OP posts:
pilautalk · 01/10/2020 11:14

Every other day here, family of 4. We're all at home during the day. We wash pans by hand though.

plantfolk · 01/10/2020 11:14

Household of two and eat all our meals at home. Probably run the dishwasher every 3 days.

AlwaysLatte · 01/10/2020 11:15

@Wincher I'm glad my kids aren't the only ones who have a bedtime snack. Not sure how that crept in but it seems to be a routine to have milk and biscuits at bedtime now!

Hazelmazel · 01/10/2020 11:15

There are 5 in our household, cook from scratch most days plus do a fair bit of baking. Ours is on at least twice a day, most days it's 3 times. We don't wash anything by hand - what's the point of a dishwasher otherwise? I just don't buy things that are not dishwasher proof.

LividLaughLovely · 01/10/2020 11:16

Getting the ick at how many people wash their pans by hand.

Why???

Sometimes the base of my frying pans goes funny. I buy different frying pans.

As for hand washing cutlery Envy not envy.

Brefugee · 01/10/2020 11:16

i always assume they under-estimate these things and am just happy for some freebies.

We run ours at least once a day. It's relatively new (remodelled the kitchen) and it doesn't seem to take as much as the old one did which we usually ran once every other day.

inappropriateraspberry · 01/10/2020 11:17

[quote AlwaysLatte]@Wincher I'm glad my kids aren't the only ones who have a bedtime snack. Not sure how that crept in but it seems to be a routine to have milk and biscuits at bedtime now! [/quote]
Same here!

ErrolTheDragon · 01/10/2020 11:17

Every day, and that's with just DH and me. When DD and her BF were staying it was twice a day, more often than not.
Obviously pans etc go in, as many as will fit - there's usually something left which needs hand washing which is annoying as that wastes hot water, fairy and my time. Hand washing is inefficient and less hygienic.

RubixMania · 01/10/2020 11:17

Family of 5, full size dishwasher run twice a day with the odd bit hand washed in between.

FiveShelties · 01/10/2020 11:19

@AlwaysLatte

Why don't people put pans in? I hate hand washing them!
Doesn't the dishwasher ruin pans? I have never put mine in, but I could be completely wrong and they would be ok??
SchrodingersImmigrant · 01/10/2020 11:19

@LividLaughLovely

Getting the ick at how many people wash their pans by hand.

Why???

Sometimes the base of my frying pans goes funny. I buy different frying pans.

As for hand washing cutlery Envy not envy.

Only here someone could "get the ick" from people handwadlshing pans. You realise many people even don't have a dishwasher. Hmm

These "I am so special you are all pigs" competitions are getting embarrassing. And not for the "pigs"

AngusThermopyle · 01/10/2020 11:19

Two of us here, use it at least once a day, unless we have a takeaway then we generally skip a day as there's only plates and cutlery so less pots and pans for that day.

BrieAndChilli · 01/10/2020 11:19

@mrsbyers

About twice a week for us , I think once a day is terribly wasteful and a man must be stacking
why is putting a dishwasher on once a day when it is full (and i am an expert stacker, i always have to rearrange it when dH has down it to get the maximum load in) Dishwashers use less water than hand washing and rinsing in the same way that having a shower uses less water than having a bath.
GreyishDays · 01/10/2020 11:21

@DieSchottin93

There's 3 adults in the house and we only put it on every 3 days or so Confused are people actually filling their dishwashers every day or just putting it on even when it's not full?
I can’t work out how you do this. Do you eat most meals at home or out I wonder.
FiveShelties · 01/10/2020 11:21

@LividLaughLovely

Getting the ick at how many people wash their pans by hand.

Why???

Sometimes the base of my frying pans goes funny. I buy different frying pans.

As for hand washing cutlery Envy not envy.

What, you get the ick???

What would you do with them if you did not have a dishwasher, throw them away?

nikkylou · 01/10/2020 11:21

Ours I suppose ends up as the perfect average of every other day... Much to my disapproval.

I cook, and deemed it fair my partner should do the dishwasher....and with glasses, breakfast bowls etc., all bar the simplest of one pot meals should generate enough crockery etc. for a efficient load, daily. I'd say a happy average of about 80% full.

Except....although food is expected daily.... my need for pots and pans apparently is not. So what ends up happening is the dishwasher is packed full every 2/3 days, with inevitably the ONE pan I want not making it in the dishwasher to either be begrudgingly hand washed or left to languish another day or so in the sink...

Occasionally I do it 2/3 days in a row which allows us to "catch up".

Plus working from home I do end up doing it on my lunch hour.

CornedBeef451 · 01/10/2020 11:22

Ours is on twice a day at the moment. Four people, cook from scratch each day and everything goes in it apart from DH's favourite oven tray which annoyingly doesn't fit.

GreyishDays · 01/10/2020 11:22

@FiveShelties
Most pans are fine.

NastyBlouse · 01/10/2020 11:23

Three times a day here minimum. But it’s one of those dish-drawer things — utterly useless — and I cook all meals from scratch.

mam0918 · 01/10/2020 11:23

survays probably take into account everything from large familys to single person bacholer lifestyles/students and possibly even people like me who dont have one which will skew results

I would argue 183 would be logical and 'fair' as thats 1 per day for half the year

MrsElf · 01/10/2020 11:23

I’m a bit surprised by how often you are all using them! Two of us manage about once a week! We do have a lot of plates and bowls, reuse mugs several times (both have a coffee on hand when we’re at home) and I hand wash wooden utensils/chopping board as I cook, and wipe out the pans after every use, so that might explain a lot, but I still have to put a pan or two in to make up a load!

OneFiveFour · 01/10/2020 11:24

You realise many people even don't have a dishwasher

But, but, but - how on earth do they poach their whole salmon???

www.thekitchn.com/can-you-really-cook-salmon-in-a-dishwasher-putting-tips-to-the-test-in-the-kitchn-218048

Figgygal · 01/10/2020 11:24

When it was just husband and I we never used our dishwasher literally months could go by even now with two kids we might use it a couple times a week.

If it moves into three times a week I’m horrified and worried about the electricity bill we keep thinking how much more economical are they from a water usage perspective than doing all the dishes I need to make myself feel better about using it more often

briebuiltthiscity · 01/10/2020 11:24

Two of us and a slim dishwasher and still pretty much once a day, or at least every other.

nikkylou · 01/10/2020 11:25

I think the main thing is while breakfast only fills it say 10/20% Dinner and its cooking equipment can take 60/70% of the space.

So while you can do 2 days of breakfast, you can't quite do 2 dinners, so you either have to wait and cram it - leading to some handwashing.... or put it on at 80/90% full