Dishwasher vs. Washing by Hand
I hate washing dishes. My husband hates washing dishes. And as soon as they are old enough, our two children will likely hate washing dishes too. Yet for years, I dutifully hand-washed our dishes, believing it to be more energy- and water-efficient.
Then I came across The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen, which suggested that new energy-efficient dishwashers beat hand-washing dishes, well, hands down.
For me, this was a revelatory moment, akin to when Woody Allen’s character in Sleeper awakens in the future only to learn that chocolate is good for you and exercise bad! Still, I was skeptical, so I researched the debate myself. Here’s how you can make the dishwasher come out ahead:
Old Dishwashers Bad, New Dishwashers Good
If your dishwasher is more than 10 years old, you might be better off hand-washing. But according to Energy Star’s downloadable guide (PDF), a new Energy Star-rated dishwasher, can save you an average of $40 in utility costs and 4,945 gallons of water a year over doing dishes by hand.
Run Only Full Loads
Your dishwasher uses the same amount of water and energy whether it’s full or not, so maximize your resources.
Scrape before You Load
We run our dishwasher every other day. To avoid crusted-on food that requires (ugh!) rewashing, we wipe them rather than rinsing, which wastes water.
Skip the Heated Dry Cycle
The dishwasher water is hot enough to evaporate quickly—about 15 minutes in our house—and you’ll save on electricity usage and costs, too.
Use Eco-Friendly Detergent
Seventh Generation and Trader Joe’s, among others, offer automatic dishwasher detergent free of phosphates that can cause algae blooms in lakes that can suffocate acquatic plants and animals; free of chlorine bleach, which creates dangerous toxins that are linked to (scary!) cancer, birth defects, and developmental and reproductive disorders; and free of dyes and artificial fragrances that can irritate children and sensitive adults. While they might not save you energy, you’ll get bonus eco points for choosing them.
November 16th, 2010 at 10:57 am
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December 1st, 2011 at 1:02 pm
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