washing dishes: by hand vs. dishwasher

[paul wheaton]

Three times in the last 24 hours I was told that it is absolute fact that dishwashers use less water. And when I try to explain how I think I use less water than a dishwasher .... well, my message doesn't get though.

So I made this video in a feeble attempt to express myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9kVsnTQh-g

 

[patandchickens]

Well, it *is* true that in a few published studies, dishwasher has come out more water-miser-ly than hand washing.

But I totally agree that it depends entirely on HOW you are hand-washing dishes.

I too am convinced that my handwashing uses less water. I just drool a little hot water into the largest item to be washed, with a drop or three of detergent in it, and swish each item clean real quick, let the drool quickly rinse it, then move onto the next. None of this "fill two sinks full of water" stuff that some people do. I don't have youtube access (dialup) but I expect your method is something like mine?

And I'm still alive and so are my husband and kids, so it can't be THAT bad a method


Pat

 

[paul wheaton]

That's pretty much it. Rinse water helps to fill the wash tub.

 

[SKR8PN]

That's the very same way I wash our dishes. I do use just a bit more water than you did, but then, I also use a dishpan set into the sink to catch that water so we can use it to water other stuff, like the garden.

 

[Iceblink]

I don't have a dishwasher, so I do all my dishes by hand, and I do use quite a bit of water. I usually have to fill my dish pan once or twice, and I estimate it takes 3-4 gallons each time. I have a method to my washing, so I don't have to replace the water even more often, but we do eat a lot of foods that dirty up the water fast, like tomato sauce and curry. I also milk my goats, and am pretty obsessive about the cleanliness of my milk jars and utensils.

I do also rinse with hot running water, again, I am anal about the cleanliness of certain things.

However, I cook almost everything we eat from scratch, so I would have to be running the dishwasher at least once a day, if not twice, so overall I guess I do save water over a dishwasher.

 

[TanksHill]

I use my dishwasher a lot. I kind of justify it by thinking of all the stuff I can get done while it's doing the job for me. I am not sure it is using more water than I would but... I just can't help myself.

Great video by the way. Maybe I will give it a try!!

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We use exactly 3 gallons of water to wash our dishes. The water is in wash tubs in our sink, and then the dirty dish water is used to flush our toilet.

Now that we have a well, I think not having to use our dish water for flushing is going to seem weird....and I might still recycle that dish water for toilet water.

 

[freemotion]

Wow, you wash dishes fast, Paul!

I admit that I LOOOVE my dishwasher.

I do use a scythe to mow my field by hand, does that buy me a pass?

 

[Beekissed]

I have a well, so I can use all the water I wish but it does use electricity to pump it....as it does to run a dishwasher. More to run the dishwasher, I imagine.

Let's see....the money to actually buy and install a dishwasher, the specialized type soaps used IN the dishwasher, the dryer/heater using even more electricity vs. airdrying in a rack, the immense waste generated by trying to dispose of an old and broken dishwasher...something that can rarely be recycled, and the fact that most people rinse their dishes in the sink before putting them in the dishwasher......

I think reason would dictate that less money/energy is spent washing by hand.

 

[abifae]

I use my dishwasher because we're in an apartment and if we go more than four days, dirty water backs up into it from neighbors using theirs >.>

However, I've done dishes by hands for years. lol.