Asking: Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing

[rsadelle]

I read this interesting post on Unclutterer about how the choices about convenience and simplicity are different for different people. The specific example is that one person prefers to use the dishwasher because it frees up time, where another one likes the family ritual of washing dishes by hand.

I grew up with a dishwasher, but I've been washing dishes by hand ever since I've lived in my apartment. I do have a dishwasher, but I only use it very occasionally. I use it so occasionally that the box of detergent I had ended up in clumps by the time I used the last of it. I've always figured that I don't have that many dishes, and it doesn't take that much time to do them by hand. I've read the claim that using the dishwasher with a full load is more environmentally friendly, but I don't always have that many dirty dishes, and I've also read the counter-claim that that's only true with super high-efficient dishwashers, which I most definitely do not have.

But the Unclutterer post has me thinking. I've started resenting the time I spend washing dishes. I also love having clean dishes because it means my counter is clear of stacks of whatever's dirty (not that said stack takes up that much space; I really don't have that many dishes). If I ran the dishwasher every other day, I could use my dishwashing time for more interesting things, and I could have clear counters by putting dirty dishes straight into the dishwasher. The big disadvantage to using the dishwasher is that I pretty much always have plastic containers to be washed, and they do not dry unless I shake the water off of them and put them back on the rack and leave it open.

I'm tempted to just start trying it, but I'm out of dishwasher detergent. I'm asking for opinions about hand washing versus dishwashing, but I'm also asking for opinions about dishwasher detergent. Safeway apparently has one in their "green" line; anyone tried it? Anyone have other suggestions? Powder versus liquid? (I bought the one I had before because it's what my parents use, but I don't have to continue on with that.) I am sensitive to scent, so I don't want anything that smells too strongly of anything. And do I really need a rinse agent, or is that just a scam to get you to buy more stuff? If it makes any difference for any of these answers, in addition to my plastic containers, my plates are glass, I have a couple of flexible cutting boards, and my silverware is cheap (and technically probably shouldn't be called silverware because it certainly isn't silver).

Comments

[lakeeffectgirl.livejournal.com]

I have a dishwasher and I love my dishwasher! It was one of the things on my list of things any possible place I bought had to have. I hate washing dishes by hand, mostly because I'm lazy, even if it is sort of a zone-out activity. I don't run it every day, or even every other day - sometimes it's only once a week, depending on if I'm cooking a lot or whatever. I don't run it until it's full.

Right now I am using the lemon-scent liquid from Up & Up (Target's new house brand), but really I use whatever's cheapest - Cascade will be next when this is gone, because it was on sale. My dishes don't smell like lemon or anything after, but the steam from the dishwasher can be sort of lemon-y while it's going if I actually am close enough to smell it.

[rsadelle]

I would have to run it every other day. I run out of spoons. And small plates. And I only have two of the dosage spoons I use for flaxseed oil.

My parents use Cascade, which is what I had before. Maybe I'll just go buy whatever environmentally friendly thing is on sale.

Oooh, I just googled rinse aids and found something that said you can use vinegar. I like that much better than miscellaneous chemicals.

[icanbreakthesky.livejournal.com]

I live with three other people and I'm the only one out of us who cooks regularly; I'm pretty sure if we didn't have a dishwasher, I would end up killing them all. Make sure you check the bottom of your plastic stuff, some of the containers we've had lately say they're top rack safe.

I prefer the tabs--we have some a massive tub from Sam's Club that has the Electrosol ball in the middle which I think is a rinse agent. I don't notice a difference. It makes life easier because we don't have to measure something out. I guarantee I would manage to overfill the other kind and screw something up. I don't think it's green, though. My parents always used liquid soap but I don't really know why.

I just got some flexible cutting boards, the package on mine said they were top rack safe but it's really cumbersome, I still wind up hand washing it.

[rsadelle]

I have run my plastic stuff through the dishwasher. I put it on the top rack, but I've put the lids, and my flexible cutting boards, on the bottom rack. I guess I should read up on why they should be on the top rack to see if I would actually be doing damage with continuing with that.

[allegram.livejournal.com]

There are many items I don't dishwash like anything fragile or wood, but for everything else the dishwasher is a must for me. I use the dtergent I get at Costco, but have been cosidering switching to seventh genration detergent. I've heard some good things about it and it's degree of eco friendliness and their dish soap is one of only 3 brands I've ever found that doesn't give me a skin allergy (the other 2 being ivory and the local store's knock-of seventh generation). Part of the lack of allergies is the extreme mildness of the scent (I use their 'fresh and clear' scent).

With glass I'm afraid I do find a rinse agent to be necessary but that is in part because of the water here, my parents use their well water and never use a rinse agent. If I run out of rinse agent in there I can tell though right away, the glasses are coated by a foggy mineral layer that just doesn't occur when I use jet dry. Do keep in mind a regular size bottle of rinse agent lasts me a year, so it's not a huge additional expense.

[rsadelle]

I bought Safeway's "green" stuff, which is a gel rather than a liquid. It seems to work well! And I put vinegar in as a rinse agent - I was more concerned with chemicals than cost, and I have a whole thing of Jet Dry that came as a sample with my new dishwasher.

Did you read the Unclutterer post? She talks about how washing dishes by hand was her chore as a child, which is why she vowed to have a dishwasher as an adult. I wonder how common that is.