Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Ethical living

Discover eco friendly brands and sustainable fashion on our Ethical Living forum.

Flip

Original poster

dishwashers vs hand washing dishes

25 replies

crazycanuck · 15/12/2006 14:09

hello all

does anyone know if that factoid about dishwashers actually being more environmentally sound than hand washing dishes is true? I seem to recall reading that when that comparison was made, they only looked at the instances where people have the tap running continuously as they wash up as opposed to just filling up the sink. I just can't see how running a dishwasher would be more eco-friendly than hand washing without the tap running....

any thoughts?

OP posts:

LieselVonGiftwrapp · 15/12/2006 14:18

I think also because you wash dishes i.e fill the sink 3/4 times a day whereas you probably only put the dishwasher on once a day.

Original poster

crazycanuck · 18/12/2006 20:33

ah but I am so lazy I only do the dishes once a day....

OP posts:

snorkle · 18/12/2006 20:36

Message withdrawn

DingdongMegaLegsonhigh · 18/12/2006 20:37

Also the impact of disposing of the dishwasher when it breaks too.

Kelly1978GotRunOverByAReindeer · 18/12/2006 20:44

but surely you don't do a whole days dishes in one sinkful of water? Washing up in the sink is disgusting. I agree with megalegs, because you really do have to take into consideration manufacture and disposal, but I think I save water by having a dwasher.

charliecat · 18/12/2006 20:47

I have hand washed dishes for years. I got a dishwasher 3/4 months ago. Now I hardly ever use the sink, running water. And put the dishwasjer on once a day. I also think I save money.
IIRC my dishwasher uses 14 litres of water per run. Im sure as hell I used more than that, rinsing sometimes, soaking, refilling bowl, cleaning bowl.

trying2bgood · 18/12/2006 20:52

I have a lot of dishes, cups etc so I tend to put absolutely everything into the dishwasher and run it every 2-3 days. I hardly wash anything in the sink so I think overall I save water, but not sure on the energy consumption. As when I open it up, the thing is very hot!

Original poster

crazycanuck · 19/12/2006 07:05

has anyone done the switch fromn 'manual' to machine recently and noticed a drop in their water bill? (maybe you have, charliecat) I guess that would be the ultimate measure, barring measuring how much water was used in the sink and comparing it to the dwasher specs. but I would have to agree that manufacturing and sourcing of materials for the dwasher would be a large strike against it. plus energy to run it.

OP posts:

charliecat · 19/12/2006 10:13

I am on a water meter, bill due soon. Will let you know

DominiConnor · 08/01/2007 17:17

I'm 95% sure that the washing part of DWers is vastly more efficient.
What I'm less sure of is the drying since that's pretty much boiling it off.

I don't think the environmental impact of a well made dishwasher is such an important part of the equation. In it's life it will have gone through thousands of cycles, whose impact (postive or negative) ought to swamp it.

magicfarawaytree · 08/01/2007 17:58

silly question how can you wash the dishes with out the tap running?

ruty · 09/01/2007 16:15

i have just inherited [wouldn't buy one] a small bosch dishwasher in our new flat. Never had one before. I make sure it is totally full and only use it once a day. I have a feeling it might be more efficient in terms of how much water and scrubbing i used to use to wash up, but only a feeling. bloody brilliant invention tho i have to say.

lizziemun · 09/01/2007 16:57

For me a having dishwsher is more environmentally sound because i can not bear having dish full of sinks without washing them up so i would be doing it all day a opposed to once a day.

I have to say i didn't want a dishwasher dh ordered it the day after we moved in as it was his job to do the washing up.

lizziemun · 09/01/2007 17:10

Sorry

For all that speak english that should be if i cannot bear a sink full of dishes.

cece · 09/01/2007 17:16

silly question but how can you do a sinkful of washing up with a tap running? and why would you have it running?

Maybe I am a bit disgusting as I do one sinkful a day. I find that is enough to do all of our washing up during the week (when half of us are out at work/school) At weekends I may do two bowlfuls of water during the day.

LazycowLyinginaManger · 09/01/2007 17:22

The running tap is to rinse the soapsuds off I think. I try not to leave the water running but I do wash up several times a day and rinse after washing in yet another bowl of water. My sink is also so small I have trouble fitting in one of my pans at a time so I certainly use more than one bowl of water a day (though it is a very small bowl)

God I hate washing up - must get a dishwasher - this thread is helping me justify it as I've always thought dishwashers were wasteful but it seems I am wrong - yipeee!!!!

cece · 09/01/2007 17:32

"The running tap is to rinse the soapsuds off"

OMG I have never done that!!! Didn't know you had to!

uptomyeyes · 09/01/2007 17:39

Dishwashers definitely use less water than handwashing a typical days worth of dishes.

Our new house wasn't initially plumbed for the dishwasher we brought with us, so DH rigged up a waste water system into a bucket. Our slimline bosch only produced about three quarters of a bucket of dirty water per cycle.

Good to know as we are water metered. I imagine the energy use is high though to create all that steam at the end!

magicfarawaytree · 09/01/2007 20:46

yes the whole reason that soap works is that it attacts the grease and dirt attaches to it. if you leave the soap suds on you leave on food /bacteria / soap residue. dishes should be rinsed clear of suds in cold water and left to air dry in non dishwasher environments. one of the biggest harbourers of germs is the common tea towel. I want a spray for my kitchen tap so I can wash all the dishers pop them in a rack and then spray suds of with cold water in one go. it would be more efficient than running the cold water tap every time I had finshed washing a plate etc. the acceptability of leaving suds on the plate would also seem to differ between culture it would seem to me.

Original poster

crazycanuck · 09/01/2007 23:03

I think you can skip the energy-hungry drying cycle at the end and just open the dw door slightly so the dishes air dry. at least that's what we did in the shared house I lived in yonks ago

OP posts:

Furball · 10/01/2007 06:19

My dishwasher has a 'quick' cycle which only takes 30 mins and no dry.

eidsvold · 10/01/2007 07:04

dishwasher here - it is far more efficient than the sinks full that dh and I used to do. As to the life of dishwashers - when we rented in the UK the house we were in had a dishwashers that died - turned out it was over 16 years old... think it more than paid for its manufacture and disposal in terms of water and power savings.

earlgrey · 10/01/2007 07:17

Bit envioronmentally unsound, but I would be blinkin' energy hungry without mine

drosophila · 10/01/2007 07:58

I have a dishwasher but still do a lot of handwashing. I always run the hot tap.. What I do is fill the sink a little and then turn the tap down really low (water gets hotter as it is a combi boiler) and then wash really quickly and rince in the trickling tap. When the sick is about three quarters full I am usually finished and then use the water to soak anything that really needs it. I am a super speedy washer now.

DP fill the sink washes them and then fills the sink with cold water and dips them. I don't theink this is as effective at removing soap.

ruty · 10/01/2007 10:34

skipping the dry cycle seems like a good idea. Not sure if i can do that on mine. Ours is a slimline version to fit in a small kitchen. Wonder if a full size dishwasher is more efficient?

Flip