LOL stacy, the spots that the dishwasher leave don't bother me at all, as long as the dishes are washed it's just fine. There are days when I have the feeling I do nothing other than washing dishes and buying food, I guess that two small kids give a lot of work...
I have a dishwasher and it's my favourite appliance! I don't know how they compare in the US, but here in the UK all the tests I've seen show dishwashers to be more economical with electricity and water than hand-washing (they only use a relatively small amount of water, not so much rinsing and only heat as much water as they need rather than using a tank etc.) and I find washing by hand properly to ensure everything is really clean takes a long time. Plus, I have a very small kitchen with very limited space for the pots to drain. I'd rather wash clothes by hand than crockery lol.
Come on, I just might buy that washing dishes with a machine might be more water efficient, but more electricity efficient it's impossible because the water is not heated with electricity (at least mine) and electricity is way more expensive than water (or gas).
I read once that using a dishwasher is more water and energy efficient than handwashing, provided you use the air dry cycle. Speaking of airdrying, I also read that is what you should do when you hand wash. If you wash the dishes and then immediately dry them, you are leaving germs behind. Dishwashers reach a temp high enough and long enough to actually sterilize the dishes.
Well, that is the second person on this thread claiming that, so I'm starting to wonder that it might be true! As for drying the dishes, I always leave mine drying for a few time, I don't dry them manually, so possibly those germs are not my concern, I think that germs are everywhere!
My family has always had a habit of hand washing the dishes, even with a dishwasher at home. Now I don't have a dishwasher and don't plan on getting one. I don't like putting plastic on dishwashers, and as I use way more plastic than glass it wouldn't be worth it. Plus, I don't mind doing the dishes, it's the one house chore aside from ironing I don't dislike doing. To me it's almost easier to wash the dishes than to put them all in the washer, put on the soap, wait for them to get washed, take them off and put them in the cabinets.
LOL, that's funny, so your family actually prefers to hand-wash the dishes rather than putting them in the dishwasher? Why do they got it in the first place? As for plastic in the dish-washer there's no problem at all with that, we put there plastic all the time and it washes fine.
I don't have an dishwasher but we have one in my house i am living in an hostel right now so don't have an dishwasher right now but will go for an dishwasher tough because it is really simple to wash with it and really saves our time as well!
There are 6 of us in our house and my husband and I have both commented how we feel like we are constantly washing dishes. I couldn't afford a dishwasher at the moment as we have quite a few things that need paying for and we have hands, a sink and washing up liquid at the moment that will have to do. A dishwasher would be a complete luxury for us, although where it would go, I am unsure. We are not on a water meter either, so hand washing is cheaper at the moment. If we were on a water meter, I'd go for a dishwasher as I've heard they use less water.I feel it is much of a muchness and the good and the bad can be evenly weighed, so just personal choice.
I know what you mean Cariad, we are four at my place and sometimes I feel that I do nothing, but to wash dishes. If we were six I could not even imagine, we have have dishes in the morning, afternoon and at night, it's a lot of work! I'm looking forward for my kids to grow so that they start washing them too!
My very first apartment didn't have a dishwasher, and I remembered hating washing all of my dishes by hand. I would avoid cooking many recipes because they made too many pots and pans for me to wind up cleaning at the end. Also, I never felt like I was getting stuff that came in contact with raw meat fully cleaned, I was always worried the stuff was still contaminated. I much prefer to let my dishwasher just get full throughout the course of day or two then running it. Honestly, I think I would be using much more water if I were to keep washing all of that stuff by hand little by little. Especially when I can clean a whole bunch of stuff with just one cycle of the dishwasher, vs. filling my sink up several times to wash a little here and there as I go. I also use the dishwasher to clean and sterilize all my cleaning utensils too - so I throw all the scrub brushes and pads in there too before I run it.
Sometimes it is just good to wash the dishes by hand and scrub all the dirt. But if you are a busy person and sees that washing dishes will take a lot of time, you can get yourself a dish washer. But it is inevitable that once in a while you will need to wash with your hands at some point.
I prefer to hand wash. I do not think using the Dish Washer is worth the spike in my electric bill. That is why i never use it. I think it is easy to wash the dishes with my hands. It only takes about 10 minutes. I find that Dish Washers do not the clean my dishes thoroughly enough. I grew tired of opening the dish washer only to find food still on the dishes. Then i would have to wash them on my hands. I should have done it that way the first time.
I've been noticing though, that I wash my dishes with running water and I know that I shouldn't do it because I spend a whole lot more of water and gas dong it, but to be honest I don't like the other scheme in which I have water with detergent, it all seems greasy.
