Although we had lots of willing volunteers Christmas lunch alone took an an hour and a half to wash up. What a total waste of time, that in the non Christmas period, I simply do not have!

That time – that quiet washing up time on Xmas day is bliss. Gives me an excuse to leave the lounge and get away from everyone. ‘You need a hand?’, ‘No, I’m fine thanks!’ (Now sod off and leave me with my bottle of beer!) 🙂

If your dishes are cleaner in one than hand washing you were doing it wrong.

There was a thread not so long ago that started a small international incident when I mentioned that I don’t fill the sink and instead use a running tap, let’s not go there again.

Washing up by hand?

Maybe sharp knives, some pans, and crystal glasses. For everything else there is the dishwasher. Dirty plates and cutlery go in, clean and dry plates and cutlery come out.

As essential as a machine to wash your clothes. Unless folks are advocating a return to coppers, wash dollies, and scrubbing boards?

@the-mudffin-man TBH pal, I quite like my family. You’re not into canal fishing as well are you?

I live alone, I don’t have enough stuff to run a dishwasher.L, I can’t afford to run a stock of Snow Peak Ti flasks (UK RRP £180!). I have autistic tendencies and have ‘favourite’ items (said flask, particular plates and cutlery). So I can’t really see how it wouldn’t work for me. I’m happy enough hand washing.

I remember one Mother’s Day us kids (4 in number) clubbed together to get one for my mum. She loved that. A family of six is a different can of worms though.

Had dishwashers in places I’ve lived but can’t say I’ve ever used one personally. When I didn’t live alone we had friends over and one of them, trying to be helpful, put some stuff in the dishwasher… it took me three months to find that out…

I am also not a fan of tumble driers. I live in the Highlands and managing to get my weekly laundry runs (esp. bedding) line dried is, well, challenging (and that is just me). My dehumidification is wiping the condensation off the windows of a morning. For a family though I can see the difficulties…

Oh, I also haven’t had a tv in well over a decade. Just so you all know that i am one of those…

We had a new kitchen 2 years ago. I wanted 2 (slimline) one dirty, other clean (effectively a cupboard). Mrs was not having it, no way. We’ve got one slimline and would not be without it. Still think 2 would be nice.

This. If I ever get to put a new kitchen in (I’m tight so unlikely), then I will have 2 dishwashers. Makes total sense.

@the-mudffin-man TBH pal, I quite like my family. You’re not into canal fishing as well are you?

No – but there’s a few members of my family I’d gladly push into a canal! 🙂

When I put in my kitchen, I kept the old dishwasher & plumbed it in where I had a space, so now have 2. For big family dinners and Xmas, it’s a godsend.

It’s cheaper to run a dishwasher than run the hot water for hand washing.

They cause more house fires that deep fat friers for instance-

By percentage or overall numbers? I’d guess there are a lot more houses with dishwashers that fryers.

No – but there’s a few members of my family I’d gladly push into a canal! 🙂

Ha ha, those ones don’t get an invite! My house my rules.

where on earth do you propose the 2 washes a day end up drying?

In your drying cupboard?  I have a load of racking carefully arranged in the cupboard my boiler is in.  Airflow is controlled thru it using convection.  It takes 2 machine fulls and drys clothes in under 12 hours.

We have one, have done since we became a family if 4. It’s far easier, they are much cleaner, especially glass. Totally pointless for one person though.

have a load of racking carefully arranged in the cupboard my boiler is in.

My boilers in the back garden…..

In terms of energy use our condenser drier uses less to dry a load than the dehumidifier….. But we still use the dehumidifier unless in a rush as it doesn’t need such a high peak load – which costs us money.

Well there is your first mistake then trailrat. 🙂

I’m using waste heat to dry clothes

Obviously I’m being flippant but better designed houses means no need for tumble dryers

I could wash up three times a day to avoid my kitchen looking like a tip. Or I could bung everything in the dishwasher and put it on in the evening. It’s not a difficult choice.

It’s not a mistake. It’s by design. Barely ever on anyway – and soon to be used even less.

Tumble driers pretty much essential for down care anyway.

I’m totally with @tjagain on this subject – except for

No need with beautiful edinburgh water

I find we don’t need Rinse Aid with the beautiful Surrey Hills Water either, but I suspect it isn’t so much the careful filtration through hundreds of feet of chalk so much as most tablets seem to have rinse aid included these days.

Apparently its true that dishwashers (the machine type) are more eco friendly than doing it by hand…. or would it be the same people trying to sell them that have done that bit of research ?

Family of four here.

I am clearly doing something wrong. as I still end up with a full draining board of pots to do, even after filling the dishwasher. My wife is an excellent cook and like most excellent cooks, she is incapable of preparing a meal without using every pot pan and utensil at her disposal.

For some reason it is also imperative to cover every surface with ingredients, but that’s a whole other hill to die on.

If I had space for a dishwasher in my kitchen plan I would put one in even if I rarely used it. If nothing else it could be used for storage and then just used when entertaining.

Apparently its true that dishwashers (the machine type) are more eco friendly than doing it by hand…. or would it be the same people trying to sell them that have done that bit of research ?

I haven’t looked into this claim but I am very dubious especially if you take into account the carbon penalty in building and disposing of the machine.  I suspect careful picking of data

Our kitchen is too small. We had a tabletop one for a while which was OK, but got rid as we wanted space. I’m chief chef and washer upper unfortunately. Fairy original is the only one, or Aldi Magnum Original. Any ‘fragrance’ ones are pants.

Not got one in my new place. I don’t mind, I like washing up – and contrary to an early comment in this thread, Fairy is still bloody great.

Only downside is my mugs are getting a bit brown inside, the dishwasher in the old place used to keep them shiny white.

I haven’t looked into this claim but I am very dubious

I think it’s reasonable. They use very little water, which consequently needs not much heating up. If I do a full load of plates, pans dishes etc (as I did when our dishwasher broke) it needed at least two sinks of water.

Our new(er) dishwasher has an eco mode that can tell how dirty the dishes are and vary the length and temperature of the programme which might negate the ‘as long as it’s full’ caveat.

my sink is a similar volume to the amount of water the dishwasher uses – but hand dish washing is at a much lower temperature and uses a far lower amount of detergents.

also handwashing is done using water heated by gas not electric so its certainly cheaper

You also said you still handwash pans so thats a dishwasherfull and a sinkful

Dishwashers are far more hygienic than hand washing, as longs as you use a decent temperature.

I’ve always had one, even in my first flat when I lived alone. It was a slimline one and it tended to be on every other day. If you cook from scratch, even for one, you still use a number of dishes.

If you hand wash then most of your stuff is washed in dirty water. Minging.

Grew up with a dishwasher but when I moved out I’ve never missed it. Helps that I live alone and it takes me no longer than it does to make a mug of tea (boil while filling the bowl, let it brew while washing up, remove tea bag and add milk while they drip dry) so it’s no waste of my time. The hot water is even essentially free as I’m on Economy 7 and having the immersion heater on for the minimum amount each night gives me more than enough for a decent shower and two loads of washing up. Which all surprised me as I thought I’d really miss the convenience but when there’s no inconvenience anyway it’s fine, quite therapeutic really.

What’s this about tumble dryers ruining your clothes? I’ve been thinking of getting one but not so sure now.

Two adults.

Dishwasher goes on every couple of days, unless we’ve had guests round.

Pots and pans are washed in a basin though – as are a few glasses that have logos as the dishwasher causes these to fade.

On general the crockery comes out much cleaner than handwashed and doesn’t need rinsing. It’s horrendous seeing how much soapy residue some folk leave on.

Only downside is my mugs are getting a bit brown inside, the dishwasher in the old place used to keep them shiny white.

Bicarbonate of soda (or cream cleanser and a bit of scrubbing!)

my sink is a similar volume to the amount of water the dishwasher uses – but hand dish washing is at a much lower temperature and uses a far lower amount of detergents.

OTOH, I can get three meals worth of dishes into the dishwasher, so that’s three sinks of water and three lots of detergent. Plus the carbon intensity of electrically heated water is slightly lower than gas (accounting for boiler and pipework losses).

We have a fairly small kitchen so having a dishwasher means dirty plates etc aren’t littering the place. And to not have dirty plates everywhere means constant washing up (both of us wfh). the washing up also trashes my skin and i end up with dry skin, cracks etc. The sink is also slightly too low for me and I’m not even 6ft.

No idea why anyone would purposely not have a dishwasher if they have the space.

Our old one died last week. Bought a new one after trying to fix it but it was 15 years old and I was pretty grumpy we didnt have a working one.

I hate tumble dryers they are for lazy disorganized people, wreck your clothes and are noisy and wasteful. A washing line, hoist or clothes airer with dehumidifier works fine and keeps things in better condition.

Tumble-dryers are for lazy people…? Ha ha ha. How about a family, all doing different sports every day, plus school clothes, in winter… where on earth do you propose the 2 washes a day end up drying? We dry as much as we can in the house or on the line but living in the wintry pennies, outside drying is not practical (weeks of 100% RH) and there’s only so much space to dry stuff inside. Sadly, we do have to use the tumble-dryer a few times during the week.

See also west coast of Scotland. East coast maybe but over here it’s too wet. I also live in a 2 bed ex-council house, there’s enough room for a horse and hanging airer but that’s it. At that rate I’d never be able to keep up.

Underwear and towels go in the dryer, everything else gets hung, works fine for us and never wrecked anything. On whatever day we have summer I give the dryer a rest.

What’s this about tumble dryers ruining your clothes? I’ve been thinking of getting one but not so sure now.

Any T-shirts with transfers or vinyl will get wrecked, as will wool unless you have a special cold cycle.

(slimline) dishwasher, combined washer and tumble dryer – wouldn’t be without either, in my single person household.

Life’s too short for doing the dishes and hanging out the washing (which, you still have to put away after hanging dry anyway, contrary to some previous comment).

I offset the apparent environmental criminality of both by not having kids – the most environmentally damaging life choice one can make 😇

(also, my heating is set to 20 degrees all day 😘 )

dishwasher, combined washer and tumble dryer

Now thats really good.  One unit to do 3 functions.  Eco to the max

If you hand wash then most of your stuff is washed in dirty water. Minging.

No you’re not, that’s not how mycella work! And FWIW a dishwasher does exactly the same, it doesn’t just run straight out.

Totally pointless for one person though.

Stated so boldly for something that is simply wrong.

Yup – I only got a dishwasher when I became a single person household

In the report done by Which last month they said “Our tests show even the least water-efficient dishwasher still only uses half the amount of water compared to washing by hand”. And they found the most efficient dishwasher was 19 times less water than hand washing.

mycella

???
I find dishes hand washed in my household generally need to go in the dishwasher because they are visibly not clean.

I find dishes hand washed in my household generally need to go in the dishwasher because they are visibly not clean.

So, obviously washed by either an inept oaf or a child on crap/no pocket money then.
In cold water, with no detergent.