Families of five with dishwasher

[SpawnChorus]

Do you run your dishwasher more than once a day? I'm fed up with having a small mountain of surplus washing up to do at the end of the day and have succumbed to doing two dishwasher loads instead.

I feel kind of guilty. Does anyone else do this?

Yes at the weekend when we're all eating at home I do at least two loads a day - three on Sunday if people are round for lunch. In the week we mostly get by with 1 but dh is often away and dd2 and dd3 have tea at nursery/ after school club so there is only breakfast stuff x4 and tea stuff x2.

nope only ran it once when there were 5 of us.

Yes, we need to do 2 loads every other day - not quite enough dishes for 2 loads everyday, but too many for just one load a day. I don't feel guilty about it, as it has to be done.

Am sure I read that a dishwasher load is more eco friendly than washing up....

No once a day here, maybe twice on a Sunday if we have had a roast

Once-a-dayers - do you do lots of washing up by hand?

Twice a day here. We cook from scratch every night and I do a lot of baking.

Uriel - me too!

once a day during the week, sometimes twice a day at the weekend.

my kids are all school aged and both dh and I work f/t so there are no dishes dirtied during the day.

Mine is run on the quickest setting, which isn't the 'eco' setting but is the most economical. The 'eco' setting is eco compared to the longer full wash programmes. I only use thoise if dishes are v dirty - big roasts etc.

bump

Hell no, some days mine is on 3 times.

twice a day here too. dont beat yourself up about it, there are bigger things to worry about other than dishwashing!

Mostly once, often twice, sometimes 3 at the weekends: We basically just fill it and put it on when needed...

I don't fit your "criteria" - we are a family of 4, but only have a 2/3 size dishwasher.

It usually runs at least once a day. However I find it easier not to have a set pattern of when it goes on. (I work shifts so this is possibly easier for me than some people)

I fill it up and switch it on when full. dh usually empties it then we immediately start filling it. If we have been out a lot,we might go a day and a half without switching it on. Or if we have visitors it might go on x3 in a day.

It's a similar thing with the washing machine. If I have slightly too much say for a white wash, I wouldn't hand wash a couple of white towels or whatever. I would just save them until the next white wash.

i wash up breakfast pots and babys morning bottle etc and then rest of day everything is pilled int dishwasher and put on overnight emptied in the morning!

Re the eco issue btw. Our eco programme only uses 13 litres of water. I find that incredible. There is no way I could handwash all that stuff properly in double that amount of water.

A modern dishwasher is definitely more eco-friendly than washing the same amount of dishes by hand. Don't feel guilty about running it twice!

5 in this household - once a day for the d/w, thats with me cooking from scratch, handwashing the biggest pans.

Sometimes lasts more than a day if we've used less cups, etc, sometimes need extra load at weekends.

To handwash I would use a sinkful of hot water for the average meal, two for a heavy meal.

Two adults a toddler and baby in my house and I find I am doing two loads a day most days. I put DDs bottles in there and as my dishwasher is intergrated it feels smaller.

Once a day if dh not at home or i'm baking.

DH uses a clean cup everytime he makes a cup of tea, where as i tend to use the same cup all day.