The great dishwashing dilemma - does hand washing dishes save energy?
There may be some kind of emotional barrier that causes the average UK householder to feel guilty about using their dishwasher when energy costs are rising all of the time. For that reason they are inclined to quickly hand wash a few dishes every time, instead of switching on the dishwasher.
While there are those who will argue that the cost of electricity to heat the water used in a dish washer is a lot more expensive than the gas used to heat the water coming out of the tap, statistics show that the amount of almost boiling water needed to wash just a few cups and dishes will be almost the same as that used to wash a whole dishwasher load.
Surveys have shown that in the majority of cases, the hot water tap is kept running while the dishes are being done, and really switched off during washing and rinsing. Another major aspect that cannot be ignored is the certain fact that hand washing is far less hygienic, estimated to leave 400 times more bacteria on dishes than a dishwasher, no matter how hard you scrub. Add that to the fact that the time stacking dishes and cutlery after hand washing is so much more than loading and unloading a dishwasher.
Many dishwashers are also under the impression that pre-rinsing dishes in the sink before loading the dishwasher will save energy and water, but there is nothing to substantiate the fact, and what is sure that valuable energy and water is being used, and probably for little added effect. Many energy experts speculate that the pre-rinse habit in a lot of people stems from some kind of guilt about using a dishwasher, which not that long ago was regarded as a real luxury item.
Nowadays dish washers have become a feature in most British homes and if used wisely can become a very cost effective, environmentally friendly and hygienic home aid. Many families wait till their machine is full before operating it; even it takes a few days. They have discovered that in the long term it saves a lot of money to have an extra set of dishes rather than constantly hand washing or operating a half empty dishwasher.
In the next few years, gas powered dishwashers are expected to become more readily available, their arrival will help to take a lot of the sting out of the hand-wash/dish-wash debate.
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