Who Cleans Dishes Better: You or Your Dishwasher?
If you've ever wondered about that old or busted dishwasher being worthy of repair or replacement, keep reading. In our experience, most people use their dishwashers while at home and step in with handwashing when there's a particularly tough dish to clean. A smaller percentage of people handwash all of their dishes. An old or broken dishwasher may have you using the human handcycle on your dishes, but at what expense?
We didn't find many health or energy-saving benefits of handwashing dishes over using the dishwasher. In actuality, dishwashers not only clean dishes better, but they also conserve more water when running a cycle. With a heavier emphasis on at-home health and conservation, we wanted to provide some insight into why your dishwasher is your new best friend.
They clean dishes better
Something so often overlooked is the household sponge. One of the most germ-ridden ick magnets of the household sits soggy on the sink after touching the drain, old food particles, and who knows what else and with a dollop of soap is expected to sanitize your utensils?
In addition to having questionable cleaning tools, hand washing dishes cannot get to the temperatures required to clean dishes thoroughly. Most dishwashers heat water between 120 and 170 degrees. Unless you want to continually change your water heater's temperature and avoid scalding someone, then it's best to leave the cleaning to the machine.
They waste less
Misinformation and keeping old dishwashers too long have led to the misconception that they take up more water and energy than hand washing, making handwashing a greener alternative in the minds of many. In actuality, modern-day dishwashing manufacturers have felt the high heat in making their products much more water-efficient, with many standard energy-saving models using under 5 gallons of water per wash.
Since the average faucet blasts out two gallons of water per minute, every 10-minute handwash you do is already 4x the amount a dishwasher will use. Water-saving math says: Unless you can clean a full load of dishes in less than 90 seconds, then the dishwasher is the best water-conserving solution.
If you still have an old dishwasher that smells or gives you hassles, consider a repair or replacement with a newer, more efficient model that can save you time and money in the long run.
Ways to make the best use of a dishwasher-less cleaning
Not every family has a working dishwasher. Maybe they haven't looked into a dishwasher repair or replacement. That's ok! There are some tips on how to get the greenest and cleanest handwash possible.
Fill both sides of the sink halfway with hot, hot water. The water needs to be as hot as you can stand. Please use caution.
Add a small quantity of dish soap to one side of the sink to get it sudsy. Try earth-friendly dish soap if you want to go green. Leave the other side of the sink with only clean, hot water.
Scrub your dishes on the soapy side and rinse on the clean side.
Dry with a dish towel or air dry on the counter. Staying away from paper towels helps keep the process green, as well.
From the energy-savings to sanitation, washing dishes in a modern, energy-efficient dishwasher is the clear and healthier choice.
Freedom Appliance of Tampa Bay has 13 years of experience in professional repair and installation of all laundry and kitchen appliances and dryer duct cleaning. Call 813-302-7672 today!