How to Save Money on Dishwashing

Saving money on dishwashing does not necessarily mean having to do the dishes by hand. Depending on the quantity and dirtiness of the dishes, sometimes using the dishwasher can actually be more cost-effective than hand washing. Here are some recommendations on how to save dollars on washing dishes and dining accessories.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dish detergent
• Soft sponge
• Food scraper
• Dish drying rack
• Dishwasher detergent
• Rubber mat
• Dishtowel

1. Attend to dishwashing immediately after a meal. This will prevent caking of food particles and staining of china, glassware and flatware, which require more effort and resources to clean.

2. Use a food scraper to scrape leftover food from the dishes and serving plates. With a scraper, you can remove most of the food particles without having to turn on the faucet.

3. Safeguard your delicate china and glassware by laying down a rubber mat on the bottom of the sink and a dishtowel over the edge of the sink. Don't lose an heirloom piece through careless dishwashing.

4. When washing only a few dishes and dining accessories, use the three-tub hand washing method. Place warm water and dish detergent in the first tub, regular tap water in the second tub and water with a teaspoon of vinegar in the last tub. Soak and soap the dishes in the first tub, rinse them in the second and shine them in the last tub. Air-dry them on a drying rack or wipe them dry with a dishtowel.

5. When faced with a large volume of soiled dishes, glasses, flatware and serving plates (for example, after a party or gathering), use the dishwasher. When the dishwasher is run with a full load, the amount of water, energy and detergent used is less than if the same number of soiled items were hand washed. Use the spare time to do something productive.

6. Run the dishwasher only at non-peak hours. During warm days, run the dishwasher at night to save on cooling costs.

7. Load the dishwasher properly (follow manufacturer's instructions), making sure the water jets are not blocked or hindered from doing their job efficiently. Improper loading causes poor washing and the need to rewash some items.

8. Be sure that you only load dishwasher-safe items in the dishwasher to avoid breakage.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only dishwasher detergent for the dishwasher. Regular dish detergent and laundry detergent will generate bubbles that will flood the dishwasher and require you to empty the appliance, tediously rinse out the bubbles, mop up the spills and rewash the dishes.
• Use the "light wash" (unless dishes are terribly dirty) and the "energy saver" options on the dishwasher as much as possible. Air-dry instead of heat-dry.
• Soak heavily caked and burnt-on pots, pans and servers for several hours (or overnight) to soften the dirt and require less energy and resources for cleaning.

Resources

• GreenHome: Dishwashers

[smfrick]

on 12/2/2008 I've found that using cold water to rinse the dishes will remove any soap quicker than warm or hot water, which tends to cause more bubbles. This will also save hot water. Also for a small set of dishes consider air drying on a dish rack, which is actually more sterile than using a dish towel to dry.

[Foto45steve]

on 12/1/2008 Great ideas. If hand washing remember to use the cool water for something else (like water plants) before you fill up the sink with hot water for washing.

[bronzakles]

on 11/30/2008 Variation on number 4: No water in second tub, just stack dishes there until full, then use the spray to rinse. I think this uses even less water.

[GLeeBourquin]

on 11/30/2008 I turned off the dryer setting on my dishwasher and I use detergent from the dollar store.

[vernalea]

on 11/30/2008 what a wonderful and useful article! Thanks