Dishwasher vs. Handwashing Dishes?

Question

Which one uses less water and energy?

my boyfriends parents REFUSE to use the dishwasher stating that it uses so much more energy and water than handwashing dishes and is very wasteful. Instead they stand there for an hour or more a day handwashing dishes for their family of 5.

I feel like the dishwasher is the way to go, saves time energy and water.

so what do you think?

thanks!

Answer 1

handwashing dishes

Answer 2

Dishwasher...less energy and water usage. People save their energy and time that can be used for other things that can benefit them.  There're dishwasher designed to save you time, energy, and water.  Most of these diswasher have a star label on them.  Dishwasher is the way to go.

hand washing...more energy and water usage. Some people leave the water on while they do dishes. Others fill up the sink with water just to rinse. The human energy is wasted in this. The person could do more things/activities that benefit them.

Answer 3

depends on how you rinse.

handwashing with one sinkful of sudsy water is better than the DW. running the tap constantly to rinse while soapy dishes are cleaned is worse than a DW. towel drying is better as is drip drying than heated DW drying.

also good family time.

however, if the DW is jam packed, plumb full, DW is probably the way to go.

Answer 4

I agree with you. Tell them that they are wasting even more water than a dishwasher. Come on, a faucet running for an hour or more, compaired to a dishwasher, which can clean dishes in less than an hour. Give me a break.

Hand washing wastes energy.... your own bodily energy. Save time, that hour could of been spent with the family instead of doing all that work. Tell them that they are living in the 21st century, not the 18th century.  

Answer 5

I hand-wash. The dishwasher doesn't do as good of a job cleaning our dishes, and it doesn't wash everything (ie pots & pans). Using the dishwasher might save a little water, but I doubt it saves electricity. Also, the time spent washing the dishes can be used for meditation (if you are doing it by yourself) or conversation (with a drying partner). Plus, doing dishes by hand is exercise, of a sort.

Answer 6

I use a dishwasher but it is better to handwash

Answer 7

Modern dishwashers with EPA Energy Star ratings are extremely efficient (and need to be to obtain the Energy Star rating).  Most also have an air dry function to save even more energy.

That said, it is possible that hand washing the dishes may require less energy, but probably not less water when you consider rinsing.  Plus, you need to account for washing and drying the washcloths and towels used in the process.  Additionally, reusing the washcloths and towels increases the possibility (granted it is not very high) that you could spread germs on the dishes when compared to the dishwasher.

An additional consideration is, the waste of time.  Using a dishwasher increases the amount of time available for performing more beneficial actions to help the planet, educate yourself, or other helpful actions.

Answer 8

It's more sanitary to use the dish washer, but when you're worried about the environment, handwashing is the way to go. Actually, the dishwasher uses more water than handwashing. How? There's the washing cycle, the rinse cycle, and who-knows-how-many more cycles. And if you want to use as less water as possible, fill up the sink about 3/4 way up (with the dishes in it). Use the water to both clean and rinse. When it comes to energy, the dishwasher uses more. Handwashing is something that we barely have to do, just once or twice a day. And time, true, handwashing wastes time, but if it's for the environment, I think it's worth...