Which Saves More Money, Handwashing or Dishwasher?

June 3rd, 2008

Hand Washing Benefits vs. Dishwasher Benefits

On the heels of my Go Green Save Money article, I got a couple of remarks from friends of mine about suggestion number 4, which recommended the use of a dishwasher over hand washing dishes. I cited a study in the article, but since then I found out it was commissioned by (among others) dishwasher manufacturers. So I decided to dig into the subject a bit more and find a more conclusive answer to the handwashing vs. dishwasher benefits debate.

First of all, judging by the amount of websites that devote articles to the subject, it is an unbelievably heated debate. Proponents of both methods come up with valid arguments but they tend to overlook what the other side has to say. My understanding of the whole thing is that it depends. Hand washing can be incredibly efficient; a dishwasher can also prove to be the best choice. It’s very personal. If you wanted a definitive answer, I’m sorry to disappoint you: the jury is out even among experts!

Advantages of hand washing your dishes

Power. Most of the energy used by an automatic dishwasher is in heating the water. The same obviously is also true of hand-washing. Obviously, the dishwasher uses some electricity on top of that, so hand-washing wins this battle. Mastering the various settings on your machine, which control temperatures and cycle lengths, will help cut back on energy use, but the machine is still pulling electrical power. The kitchen sink is not.

Environmental impact. There are a number of relatively Earth-friendly, phosphate-free soaps available for both automatic and hand-washing, so that contest is a wash (pun intended). The process of manufacturing, selling and distributing an automatic dishwasher, which contains both metal and plastic parts and cotton for noise insulation, and, basically, is a nonessential item, probably tips the scale slightly toward the more old-fashioned method.

Advantages of using the dishwasher

Time. This, and fears about servants manhandling fine china, led to the invention of the automatic dishwasher, which debuted at the 1893 World’s Fair. The machine, which didn’t come into widespread use until the 1950s, still offers the labor savings it always has: You load it, you fire it up, you’re free to go. But sometimes you open the dishwasher when it’s done, and some of the pans and dishes are still dirty. The more that happens, the smaller the time advantage that dishwashers have.

Water use. You’ll use up to 35 percent less water by doing a full load of dishes, which haven’t been pre-rinsed, in your dishwasher instead of by hand. Furthermore, most people (including myself) don’t like leaving a mess in the sink, and will do dishes several times a day. Assuming you don’t use too much water pre-rinsing while loading the machine — and you shouldn’t — running the dishwasher once a day wins hands down on saving water.

Most dishwashers manufactured since 1994 use seven to 10 gallons of water per cycle, while older machines use eight to 15 gallons. Newer designs have also improved dishwasher efficiency immensely. Hot water can now be heated in the dishwasher itself, not in the household hot water heater, where heat gets lost in transit. Dishwashers also heat only as much water as needed. A standard 24-inch-wide household dishwasher is designed to hold eight place settings, but some newer models will wash the same amount of dishes inside an 18-inch frame, using less water in the process.

Bottom Line

New dishwashers meet strict energy and water-saving efficiency standards and can qualify for an Energy Star label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Besides being more efficient and getting the dishes cleaner, qualifying newer models will save the average household about $25 per year in energy costs.

A modern dishwasher will use less water than you would if you hand-washed your dishes. But this is assuming that you hand wash your dishes several times a day instead of leaving them in the sink for a “big wash”. This also assumes that you don’t use too much water pre-rinsing the dishes. So basically, it all boils down to efficiency of scale (doing a large load is more efficient than doing many smaller loads of dishes). If you only do large loads and moderate your water use, hand-washing is more efficient. But the smaller your loads are and the more water you use, the bigger the advantage of using a dishwasher.

The right dishwasher, used the right way, uses less energy and creates less pollution than doing dishes by hand. This means, of course, that the wrong dishwasher used poorly won’t save you energy - so if you’re using a dishwasher, make sure you’re doing it right:

Stop pre-rinsing. If there’s food left on the plate, scrape it off instead of using water, and you can avoid using up to twenty-five gallons of water when you clean your dishes. Your dishes will get just as clean.
Get an EnergyStar dishwasher! These dishwashers are almost 50% more efficient that the minimum federal energy consumption standards, which save you money on water and electricity.
Only run a full dishwasher.
And, finally, skip the heat-dry and air-dry your dishes. This can cut your dishwasher’s energy use by up to 50%.

Hand Washing Benefits vs. Dishwasher Benefits

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