Water consumption in dishwashers

If there is no doubt about the need for a washing machine, then the issue is debatable with a dishwasher. Some housewives happily listen to the advertisement “I am a woman, not a dishwasher,” while others consider this unit an expensive toy of spoiled lazy people. As always in such cases, the truth is somewhere in between. “Opponents” of dishwashing equipment put forward such “reinforced concrete” arguments as high consumption of water in dishwashers, the high cost of electricity and special detergents. At the same time, inveterate perfectionists add that it is possible to wash dishes really well only by hand. Such a definite plus as saving time, they do not take into account. Let’s try to figure out if this is so by setting up a simple experiment and comparing the costs associated with ordinary and “machine-washing” dishwashing. Let's start with the obvious.

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Save time - make cost calculations

The duty cycle (washing and drying) in the dishwasher is two hours. During this time, the machine can wash (optional):

• 9 sets of utensils.
• 4 sets of utensils plus kitchen utensils that were used for cooking.

Important! If a person performs this work manually, then he will cope with it in 30-60 minutes, depending on the speed of his movements. When using the dishwasher, while the machine is working, you are resting or doing some other work. Of course, you will have to spend time cleaning the plates of leftover food and putting things in their places. However, compared with hand washing, rinsing and grinding the cup-plates, these are insignificant trifles.

So, the simplest calculation.

If you wash the dishes once a day (in fact, much more often), you spend at the sink: 60 minutes x 365 days = 21900 minutes.

This is 365 hours, or 15 days.

Two weeks of saved time during the year - not so little. Should I buy a dishwasher? Probably a rhetorical question. Without even knowing how much water a dishwasher consumes, you can think about buying it. And if you have already looked at a model that is suitable for your characteristics or just planning it, read about what you will probably find useful -how to arrange dishes in the dishwasher.

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Quality dishwashing - simple conclusions from practice:

1. As a rule, you wash cups and spoons at a water temperature not exceeding 50 degrees. Is this temperature optimal? Of course not. Sometimes fat remains on the dishes, and microbes at this temperature feel quite tolerably. Is it possible to wash dishes by hand at a temperature of 70 degrees? It is impossible, since you risk getting burns. A “smart” technique copes with this task perfectly.
2. Add to this the effect of detergents on the skin of the hands. The acquisition of expensive natural remedies only partially solves the problem. And the use of mustard powder and other "grandmother" funds significantly reduces the quality of washing. Using a dishwasher, you do not come into contact with detergents.You only need to select high-quality ones and upload them to a special compartment, which you can easily handle if you follow the link to dishwasher rating.
3. Now about water treatment. Everyone knows that hard water launders dirt much worse than soft water on dishes and utensils. When washing dishes manually, you can not influence the situation. The dishwasher is a completely different matter. Before being used for washing dishes, water passes through a softener.

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Energy Consumption - How Global is the Consumption Problem?

Here, the “dishwasher", sadly, most often, fails. When washing dishes manually, you constantly spend electricity only on lighting the workplace. Given the availability of energy-saving light bulbs, the costs will be minimal.

Important! All other electricity costs will depend on the method of heating the water:

• Costs increase significantly when used. electric boiler.
• If water is heated with gas, it all depends on its price.

Now about the energy costs using dishwashers.

In accordance with European standards, there are 7 classes of energy consumption, which are marked with Latin letters: from A to G.

Important! The most economical are classes from A to C.

The amount of energy consumption per working cycle for the most economical classes is:

• A - 0.80-1.05 kW / h.
• B - 1.06-1.09 kW / h.
• C - 1.10-1.49 kW / h.

Important! As you can see, the energy consumption of class C dishwashers is one third higher than for the most economical class A. Plus, we take into account the particularities of the principle of operation of household appliances from different manufacturers. That is, for example, the energy consumption in the dishwashers Bosch, Indesit and little-known manufacturers from China, with the same marking “A”, will differ. Therefore, it is impossible to give a definite answer about energy consumption.

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Water Consumption - Finding the Truth

Find out how much water a dishwasher consumes. If the apartment has a water consumption meter, then you can compare two operating modes - “manual” and “machine”, according to the counter indicators (before and after washing dishes). The results are, to put it mildly, stunning.

Important! Let us consider in more detail the water flow in the dishwasher and manually, based on the recorded data:

• On average, a housewife manually launches 12 sets of dishes per day and spends about 60 liters on it.
• The dishwasher spends, ceteris paribus, 15 liters.

Conclusion: The annual water savings will be: (60-15) x 365 days = 16.4 thousand liters.

The savings were pretty impressive. Multiply the figure by the cost of a liter of water and be impressed with the result. The water consumption of the dishwasher is many times less than with a manual wash.

Important! We do not take into account the consumption of detergents, since it is simply impossible to formalize this factor:

1. On the one hand, when washing dishes, you can use various means: from expensive drugs to mustard powder.
2. The dishwasher can do just fine with little dirt without any detergents.

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Additional advantages of dishwasher technology:

1. In modern models of machines it is possible to wash dishes at a temperature of 90 degrees, which in fact means its sterilization. This is especially true for families with small children.
2. Like washing machines, “dishwashers” have an advantageous ratio of the cost of the work cycle in relation to the amount of dirty dishes. For a large family, it is more profitable to purchase a unit of a larger capacity. It is much more profitable.
3. If you use dishwashing equipment in regions with hard water, this is the only chance to wash glassware without streaks and lime stains.

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Secrets of Real Savings

These tips will help you achieve real savings from using this far device:

• Choose a device that is suitable for your family size. Storing dirty dishes in a dishwasher is not the best option. The same goes for energy consumption.
• Take the time to read the instructions for the device. There are many drawings with the correct placement of dishes, information on how much water a dishwasher consumes in one sink. If you follow all the recommendations, you will get clean dishes, without water and streaks.
• Powder for dishwashers much more economical than capsules. Of course, marketing is a great force, but judge for yourself. Detergent in capsules should not be separated and dosed according to the unit capacity or the degree of contamination of the dishes. The powder can be dosed, which is much more reasonable and economical.
• If you are allergic to detergents, you can use baking soda instead of powder, and six percent vinegar instead of conditioner. Of course, these products will not be able to fully compare with detergents, but if you wash the dishes at high temperatures, you get a pretty good result.
• Is your dishwasher equipped with a polyphosphate salt container? Remember to keep it filled. These salts are useful in that they extend the working life of the machine and improve the quality of washing dishes.
• Do you have a multi-mode electric meter? In this case, not using the “delayed start” function is simply a sin.

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Dishwasher: myths and reality

Like everything new, the “dishwasher” managed to acquire a large number of conjectures and myths. Let's try to debunk the most stubborn and tenacious of them.

Dishwasher is not essential

It's not like that at all. In the West, they have long thought completely different. In addition, the machine allows you to save not only time but also money. Water consumption in dishwashers is small, detergents are used sparingly.

A man washes dishes better than any machine

This is a myth without any foundation. The machine launders dishes to a characteristic creak. It is only important to choose the right regimen and detergents. Manual washing of dishes is carried out at relatively low temperatures, so there is no need to speak of better results than the machine.

The operation of the machine is associated with high energy consumption.

It all depends on the selected mode and energy class of the device. With a 50-degree program, the power consumption of the “dishwasher” is comparable to electric kettle.

It is necessary to accumulate dirty dishes in the car

Not at all necessary. Especially if you choose a car that is suitable in capacity for the size of the family. Modern models are equipped with sensors that monitor the load and control the water flow of the dishwasher.

Important! You can do it in another way: with the help of the rinse program, wash away the main dirt from the dishes. Now she can wait until the unit is fully loaded. No unpleasant odors threaten you.

The machine is noisy and rattles at work

This is not to say that this is a completely silent device. However, the noise level cannot be called high - it is about 42-52 dB.

Hard water will quickly damage the machine.

The working life of a dishwasher depends on the manufacturer and is 3-20 years. In order for the kitchen assistant to serve longer, the water system is installed special filter. To soften the water, many models are equipped with ion exchangers.

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Stock footage

The purchase of a dishwasher helps to save not only time and nerves, but also money. Of course, subject to proper operation. You should not doubt - such a kitchen technique is really worth attention and involvement in your home.