Using Your Dishwasher More Often Can Save You Water
The rising cost of water in the US has many of us thinking about saving money, and washing dishes is a good place to start. Washing dishes, which is a daily chore, can require quite a lot of water, so doing it correctly can make a difference in your score. Surprisingly, running the dishwasher more and washing your hands less is often a good way to save money.
The Dishwasher Waste Myth
Dishwashers, until 1994, were not subject to any regulations regarding the amount of water they could use per load. However, after the Energy Star program and other incentives were introduced to control the amount of water a dishwasher used per load, the amount of water used was reduced by at least 10 gallons per load. Newer dishwashers built in the last 10 years or so use even less water, consuming no more than five gallons of water per load. The idea that dishwashers are extremely inefficient machines persists, although for that to be true you’d have to be using a 30-year-old dishwasher.
Hand wash vs machine wash
According to EnergyStar.gov , it only costs about $50 per year to operate an Energy Star-labeled dishwasher. A new dishwasher uses less than five gallons of water per load and can reduce the amount of energy you use to heat water for washing dishes because they have internal water heaters that can be turned on on demand. By comparison, washing a sink full of dishes uses about 27 gallons of water per load. This means that over the course of a year, your dishwasher can save you over 8,000 gallons of water if you run it once a day, compared to washing one full dishwasher per day by hand.
How to make your dishwasher even more efficient
If you decide to use the dishwasher instead of washing your hands, you can save more water by scraping dishes rather than rinsing them before loading the machine. Washing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher uses up to 2.5 gallons of water per minute from the tap; No water is used to clean dishes at all. The dishwasher uses about half a gallon of water during the rinse cycle, and this can be useful when you need to remove food that is too sticky. Running the dishwasher when it’s full rather than part-loading can also save water.
Choose a smaller dishwasher
While even a full-size Energy Star dishwasher uses less than five gallons of water per load, a compact dishwasher uses even less, about two gallons per load. If you don’t have a lot of dishes, a countertop dishwasher can save you even more water. Compact dishwashers are also easier to install.
How to make washing dishes by hand more efficient
Instead of pouring water on your dishes the entire time you’re cleaning them, try filling a large pot or basin with soapy water and washing all the dishes in there first, then rinsing. This will reduce the amount of time you spend draining the water, thereby reducing the amount of water needed to wash the dishes. You can also soak dishes with burnt or stuck food before washing to prevent water from leaking while cleaning. Soaking utensils, such as wooden spoons, that should not be put in the dishwasher will speed up cleaning and rinsing and will also save water. In general, whenever you don’t need to open a faucet, you should turn it off.