Do you have a dishwasher and how often do you turn it on?

I used to have a Miele dishwasher and actually Xarah, Miele explained to me that a dishwasher uses far less water/power than hand washing dishes by hand. They told me not to rinse dishes as if you do this, it will use more, just to scrape off loose dirt.

I LOVE my dishwasher but do not put pots in it.
I turn it on every third day or whenever it is full -my current one is a Neff and it has a normal cycle which is very long however my electricity has not gone up as nowadays and especially with the more expensive ones, they are power saving.

Sometimes I have to turn mine on more often as it can get smelly or I do a short rinse programme.

by Finy

Nope, and I'm glad I don't - those things spike up the electricity bill!

Handwashing dishes is my way of getting the dishes done. Plus, it's weirdly therapeutic - like vacuuming!

by Xarah

I totally agree with you.

I have never had a dishwasher,so do not know if I would like to have one as I am on my own and I generally just wash things as I use them! I am very organised with this sort of thing!

by Jules

Yes. We put everything into it and turn it on once daily.

by Vee

Yes - I turn it on every second day usually. I never put pots in

by AJ

No I don't need one

by Fran

No, I haven't got one. I'm not a big fan of them.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I fully agree Jennifer :)

I hate the things.
My daughter-in-law has one, and even when it was new, and she washed the plates before loading....the smell after even a week. was to me yucky.
They have a hot temp water smell, of ''I don't know what'?
Sure they clean the plates ect, but even if I had a very big family....no way would I get one.

by jonaja

There's something wrong with her machine. It needs being checked by company technician!

I've had dishwashing machines, various types for the last 42 years' & at no time did I have a smelly one!
Does she leave the door slightly ajar after using it to allow air circulation?
Even with mobile & inbuilt ones' with door closed, NEVER had a smell!
Have a benchtop one now. Same.

Once a day, usually. I just wait til it's full.

by Lydia C. Lee

I am our DIY hand dish washer.

by Lucy

Mine is in the garage. I found it was just as much work to load and unload as it was to just wash them, so I opt to wash by hand instead.

by Sarah Bell

Yes, but the temperature of the hot water & drying cycle is higher than what human hands can stand. This is where the 'sterilization' process comes in with machines.
Have had use of dishwashers' for 42 years! Got packing them down to a fine art, & unpacking is just a few minutes'. At no time would I NOT have a dishwasher!

Yes, and when ever it is full. used to wash dishes in the basin but then realised I was using less water and getting a better clean letting the machine do it.

by annlu

Love my d/washer would not be without it. I wash everything I can get in it !!
I even put the shelves from the fridge in it and they come up sparkling !! which
i love. Would not be without it !! I multitask so I often unpack the d/washer while talking on the phone, that's not a problem. It does take less water than hand washing and yes! can be therapeutic gazing out of my kitchen window at the garden which I do sometimes. Some frypans take up too much spare so I do hand wash those. As one comment I read any d/washer would be yucky after sitting there for a week, so it's a big YES!! from me :)

by julzy

I also love my dishwasher. I use it every day, sometimes twice a day. It's a Miele and has never let me down since we put it in 7 years ago. I put my pots in as well if they fit. My dishes are always shiny and clean. I try to get the dishes into the washer throughout the day, and not have a mess around the sink, then when it is full, I put it on before bed. It uses less water than handwashing. I have friends and family who are soooo stubborn, they have a machine but refuse to use it. The wife wants to but the husband wont let her.....Ignorance. Once you've tried it and get used to it and know how to really stack everything and get the most of your washer, you won't go back. Although, I have noticed when on holidays at resorts, some brands of dishwashers are not that good or reliable. Therefore, I can only recommend Miele, since that is what I use.

by jojom

Mine is a mIele and I would not be without one. Great after diner parties! They do use less water and wash at a much higher temperature then "we" can handle. Loading is easy and one can do other things whilst the dishes are being washed. I switch it on when full, can rinse if not full so no smell or hard to clean surfaces. And yes, I too empty the dishwasher and talk on the phone, time saver, another job done without noticing it. yay!

by brigi

In a well brought up family washing up time - all together -is family time - you actually TALK to each other as you do not have a free hand to press an infernal screen!!

by juneg

On the weekends, as by then I'm just bored of all the housework. I like how the dishes feel warm and 'sterilized' when washed in a dishwasher. However, sometimes its double work, to remove all the food scraps, load, unload. Faster to hand wash

by Smita

Yes everyday & can't imagine a life without it now!

by mild7

I have a kitchen maid that is 18 yrs old. I have a large family and cook a lot so sometimes wash 2 to 3 times a day. It is my old faithful and I will be sad when I have to replace it. My family laugh and say I have resorted to threats to make it go because I have to stick a knife in the start button to make it start. I wash everything I can in it pots, knobs from my stove, scissors and scrubbing brush regularly.

by karen

Yes I do. I turn it on maybe once a day

by Maria

yes

by m.boo

Had a few over forty years! Love them for the sterilisation process. Then moved house & had to wait awhile til my benchtop one arrived. It's half size, works well. Felt strange after so many years' to do manual 'dish-washing'. Even had to buy a pair of gloves & w/u liquid!

by donjo

Since I live alone every other day is enough. Sometimes it is not full but I run it anyway so the food does not dry on the dishes. I do my pans in the dishwasher unless something is burned on the bottom.

by ginge

We had our first dishwasher when the girls were young. One would stack and the other unload after washing. It finally packed up after a small cockroach decided to investigate but as all the girls had left home it was a number of years before it was replaced, and then only because someone at work didn't want the one in the house they bought so I took it. We use it now when the family is together or when it is full enough every 3 days or so. I don't put pots in as there usually isn't room and I prefer to polish them myself. As for other dishwashers smelling, it's possibly because the filter isn't cleaned regularly. Also you can get deodorisers to hang in them if you prefer a smell like citrus. We dont fully close the door on ours while waiting for a load to build up and there definitely is no smell.

by helga

I'm in my late 60's & have NEVER owned a dishwasher, & my parents also never had 1. I have 2 daughters. The eldest 1 has one, & it took me a while to load it properly when we visit, (from another state) The younger daughter who's a cook, has had 3, ( in different houses) but never used them!. She just washes by hand, under running water.

by Miro

Yes I do, but we use it only for washing when we host guests at home.

by omkar

I don't have one, but it would be nice to.

by dwatk

I don't have a dishwasher in this house. There was one in my previous house. I don't miss it but there are only two of us so not a lot of dishes.

by Marie Vonow