The age old question brought up by many a reluctant teenager griping about having to do their chores finally has a definitive answer.
A study done by the University of Bonn in Germany found that washing a load of dishes (12 place settings) by hand uses on average 27 gallons of water and 2.5 kilowatt-hours of energy to heat the water — equivalent to running a hair dryer for two and a half hours.
By comparison, an energy-efficient dishwasher uses about 4 gallons of water and 1 kWh of energy per load. Researchers also found that dishwashers cleaned better, as half of the hand-washers failed to reach an “acceptable level” of cleanliness. So yes, the dishwasher is the more eco-friendly way to do the dishes. Teenagers worldwide rejoice.
Follow these simple steps to ensure an even more green dish-washing experience:
- Only run full loads
- Scrape food off plates (into a compost bin if you’ve got one) – but don’t pre-rinse
- If you don’t have a dishwasher, make sure you hand wash your dishes right away so they don’t get sticky and require more water and energy to clean later
Source: Huffington Post
If I don’t rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher they do not come out clean. I use the energy wash setting.