A dishwasher or hand washing? Just wondering if any of you guys knew.

I read somewhere that actually a dishwasher did. Don't know if I truely believe it or not, but I sure prefer the dishwasher!!

__________________
~Happiness is a large family~

I have heard- not sure- but it sounds right...Older dishwashers do not energy efficiant at all and it's better to wash by hand than use an older dishwasher. The newer ones though are starting to be VERY energy efficiant, so it's actually better to use the newer dishwasher than to wash by hand...when I say "Newer" I mean 5 years old or less. We have an "energy star" on ours, which is always nice to see.

__________________
One happy wife and mommy!!!

Our dishwasher went out and we had to order a new one so we went without a dishwasher for about 2 months because Home Depot can't seem to get their orders together. Anyway, I noticed a difference in our ultilities bill, it went up, and the only difference I am aware of is I was washing dishes by hand and probably heating up water with our old water heater which isn't the enegery efficient. Now we have a new dishwasher, installed two nights ago, and I'll have to see if there is a difference -- though I probably won't either way as we've started using our furnance a bit here and there.

Depends on how you handwash and the age of the dishwasher.

If you run hot water for the entire time you're handwashing, then that isn't very efficient. If you handwash with the 'double dip' system, it's very efficient.

If you have an older dishwasher and need to hand rinse everythng before loading it, then that's not very efficient. If you only run your dishwasher when it is full and loaded correctly and you don't use it to wash really messy, large items, plus you let the dishes air dry, then that is more efficient.

__________________
"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

I agree..and just wanted to add that it also depends at what temperature your hot water heater is set at. I believe I read that the best temp. to have it set at - to kill germs on dishes, and prevent having to rewash dishes that didn't get clean the first time - is 115 degrees. (Don't quote me on this, though.) This could mean more money spent for hotter water, but at least your dishes would be clean and germ-free.

Loading correctly is also important, as is using a quality detergent (of which "green" and "homemade" both qualify) so as not to have to re-wash. I also read that opening the dishwasher during the "dry time" to let dishes air dry saves a ton of energy.

I guess it would depend on a number of things, including your lifestyle, as to whether or not owning one would serve to be more energy efficient for you in the long run.

__________________
Whoever said "Ain't nothin' in life for free"
had obviously never visited
The MommySavers Samples & Freebies Forum!!



Come on over...to the "FREE side"!!
http://mommysavers.com/boards/sample...eebies-offers/

When I hand wash dishes, I put in the plug and fill one sink with hot soapy water and one sink with regular temp water straight from the faucet, but I add a little bleach to kill any germs the may pass that way. I may, if the amount of dishes is large enough, have to have a second sink of hot soapy water(you know let out the old water, let in the new). I do have to soak some dishes before loading them in the dishwasher. We are in a severe drought right now and so I am trying to be as conservative as possible. If I use less water hand washing, then that will be what I need.

I'm not giving up my dishwasher

__________________

This is something I found on a Green Parenting website Green parenting: 20 small steps that make a big difference - BabyCenter

Use dishwasher smarts
"A lot of people think washing by hand is more environmentally friendly than running a dishwasher," says Yarrow. Not necessarily so. You can save up to 20 gallons of water a day by waiting till your dishwasher's full to switch it on. You'll save even more energy by letting dishes air dry on the racks instead of using the heat dry cycle. Plus, most new dishwashers don't need you to prerinse. Simply scrape off food and load, and you'll conserve another 20 gallons.

And if you're in the market for a new dishwasher (or any appliance), look for the Energy Star label. It'll save you more than $40 a year in utility bills, and many power companies offer rebates as well

A dishwasher, used with a full load saves more money then hand washing. I've run calculations on how much each save and a dishwasher comes out saving more money.