Some people can’t imagine life without their dishwasher. While others couldn’t imagine using one. They prefer washing dishes by hand. So which method is better or are they both the same?
There are advantages to both, along with some disadvantages. Before you switch your dishwashing method or defend it to others, you must have all the pertinent information.
Dishwasher vs Handwashing: The Cost
If you think you’re saving water by handwashing your dishes, you’d be wrong. On average, washing dishes by hand uses 5 times more water than a dishwasher. An informal study found on average it takes 12 gallons of water to clean four place settings by hand.
A standard dishwasher used 2.36 gallons to clean the same number of dishes. The amount of water used goes down even further with an Energy Star rated appliance. The difference in gallons of water used will be apparent on your next water bill.
Hand washing dishes doesn’t use any electricity, except for the kitchen light. Dishwashers do use electricity for the majority of their cycles. However, the amount of power used will barely be noticeable on your electric bill.
On average, it only costs 50 cents per day to run a full load of dishes. You can keep electricity usage down if your dishwasher is rated for energy efficiency.
Detergent isn’t a cost that most people think about, but it can add up. On average, a container of dishwashing pods can cost between $9 and $16 depending on the count. Powders are priced lower but are often not as effective as pods. In comparison, dishwashing detergent is extremely inexpensive.
You can find some brands as low as 99 cents. The downside is that it’s easy to use too much. Just because you have lots of bubbles, doesn’t mean that your dishes will be sparkling and clean.
Bubbles signify that you’re using too much soap. Unlike pods, it’s easy to waste detergent. This can add up over the year.
Here is a very interesting video comparing the different types of handwashing vs dishwasher costs.
Dishwasher or Handwashing: Which is Faster
It might seem at first glance that hand washing dishes is faster, but this isn’t necessarily true. The average cycle on a dishwasher is 2 – 4 hours. This can include drying time.
When comparing how long each method takes, the number of dishes being washed needs to be established. Imagine washing 54 pieces of dishes by hand. This will include 6 serving dishes and 6 complete place settings. In 2 – 4 hours the appliance will have washed and dried all 54 pieces, this includes any stuck-on food.
Just to keep even with water usage, you’ll have only 4.4 seconds to wash and rinse each dish.
Even if you managed to scrub and rinse all the dishes in a couple of hours, you still have to dry each one. This can include removing spots that were left behind when they were drying in the rack. That can be another time-consuming problem. Where do you dry 54 dishes?
The same amount of time will probably be spent putting dishes away. Regardless if you’re getting them out of the dishwasher or drying rack. Some people point out that you spend time putting dishes into the dishwasher, however, it’s not nearly as long as what you spend pre-rinsing by hand.
On a short cycle, you can load, wash, dry, and put dishes away in a little over two hours. It can take 10 minutes just to thoroughly scrub one large serving dish, and there are a total of 54 to wash, dry, and put away.
Dishwasher vs Hand Washing: Cleanliness
With a lot of scrubbing with sponges and brushes, it is possible to get dishes as clean by hand as a dishwasher. However, washing your dishes in the sink takes a lot of time and effort.
Then you have to carefully wipe each plate, glass, and utensil down to remove unsightly water spots. Even if you have soft water, it’ll still be difficult to get hand-washed dishes as clean as a dishwasher.
A dishwasher has several advantages over handwashing when it comes to cleanliness. First of all, the water in a dishwasher is between 120 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, stuck-on food is easily removed. Especially when it’s combined with the cleaning power of the dishwashing detergent.
Most consumers have switched to pods, and for a good reason. The concentrated detergent can even dissolve burned-on food on the first cycle.
Water spots can seem like they’ve always been a problem. No matter how thoroughly you rinse and dry your dishes. The detergent used in dishwashers typically comes with an anti-spotting agent.
It works to prevent spots by encouraging the water droplets to drip off of the dish, instead of drying in place. This can save you a lot of time that would’ve been spent polishing dishes.
Dishwasher vs Hand Washing: Which is Eco-Friendly
It’s a common misconception that washing dishes in the sink is better for the environment than using a dishwasher. The truth is that running your dishwasher leaves a smaller carbon footprint.
Water Usage
On average a dishwasher uses between 4 to 6 gallons of water per cycle. Energy Star rated models do use less water (4g) than standard ones (6g). In comparison, washing the same number of dishes in the sink – using an equal amount of water – would give you 9.5 ounces of water per dish.
Unless the dish doesn’t have any stuck-on food, it’s impossible to get it clean with that low amount of water. You will use several more gallons of water handwashing dishes. If you’re worried about waste and water consumption, it is more eco-friendly to run the dishwasher when it’s full.
Electricity
Hand washing dishes doesn’t require any electricity, except for the kitchen light. A dishwasher does need electricity to power the cycle and heat water. Even if you have a gas water heater, the dishwasher still uses electricity.
The cost of the power is minimal, even if you use the dishwasher every day.
The energy used for a cycle ranges from 1.59 kWh to 0.87 kWh on models rated for efficiency. This is a small carbon footprint and the usage is barely noticeable on your energy bill.
Detergent
Some dishwashing detergents can be considered a pollutant, though this is primarily due to packaging. Some liquid detergents are even used to rescue and clean oil-soaked wildlife and the same cannot be said about pods.
While never liquids, powders or pods contain chemicals that are considered environmentally harmful, it’s how the product is contained that makes a difference.
The liquid detergent used for handwashing dishes comes in a single plastic bottle that can often be recycled. Each pod is packaged separately and dissolves during the cycle. It’s the container the pods come in that adds to the growing problem with overflowing landfills.
Even though a dishwasher uses power and containers that often aren’t recyclable, the convenient appliance is still an environmentally friendly option over hand washing all your dishes.
Dishwasher vs Hand Washing: Hygiene
One of the main reasons people prefer dishwashers over washing dishes by hand, other than convenience, is hygiene. No matter how long you let the water run in the sink, it’ll never be at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
This temperature is also too hot for your hands. It might not cause severe burns but your hands will probably be too painful to scrub any dish. However, it will kill germs and bacteria that can linger on dishes after a meal.
Germs can be a problem when you’re drying the dishes. Even a fresh towel will start collecting bacteria after a few dishes. You can change the towels out frequently but then you’re wasting water by having to do a load of laundry.
You can also let the dishes air dry but this is also leaving them open to germs. This isn’t a problem with a dishwasher.
The hot air effectively evaporates water droplets preventing spots and bacteria from forming on the wet surface. You’re also handling the dishes less when the appliance dries them for you. This cuts down on the transfer of germs and bacteria, something that’s important to everyone.
Dishwasher vs Handwashing: The Verdict
Surprisingly, an appliance can leave a smaller carbon footprint than manpower, but it’s true when you’re comparing a dishwasher vs hand washing dishes. The small amount of energy used does not compare to the gallons of water that are wasted washing dishes in the sink.
Another advantage of using a dishwasher is how clean and spot-free your dishes are. You don’t have to spend hours wiping water spots off glasses and utensils. You’ll have time to do something else. The final benefit concerns your health. Dishes are more sanitary after a cycle in the dishwasher.
This doesn’t mean that you should run the dishwasher every time there’s a place setting in it. To leave a small carbon footprint and be cost-efficient, only run the appliance when it’s full.