Do You Wash Dishes By Hand or Machine?
 

There are so many changes I'm making to our lifestyle since embarking on homesteading, that I just take things one step at a time. I'm actually curious as to how many of the homesteaders here dont own a dishwasher, or own one but never use it?
While looking into this subject I found a few tidbits I wanted to share. Hope something is useful and hope if you have a good tidbit, you will toss it back my way.
Do You Wash Dishes By Hand or Machine?
:)

Tidbits found:

Wash only full loads in the dishwasher.

When washing dishes by hand, use a filled dishpan or sink for washing and one for rinsing: don't let the faucet run.

Scrape, don't rinse off most dishes before washing.

Dishwashers use hotter water than you would use if you were washing the dishes by hand, so they can do a better job of killing germs.

Overall washing dishes by hand does not save that much money, but does make a difference in energy used.


Homemade Dishwasher Soap: 1 part borax and 1 part washing soda. Mix the washing soda snd borax. Store in a plastic covered container. To use, add 2 tablespoons to the dishasher soap compartment.

Homemade Dishwashing Liquid: (For hand washing, not dishwasher. Not alot of suds, but cleans very well I read) 1/4 cup soap flakes, 2 cups hot water, 1/4 cup glycerin, 1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil. 1)Combine soap flakes & water, stir until dissolved. Cool to luke warm. 2) Add glycerin & the oil, leave to cool. As it cools it will form a loose gel. Stir with a fork, break up the gel. Pour into a narrow-necked bottle. An old shampoo bottle container, or something like it, works well. 3) To use, squirt 3 teaspoonfuls into hot running water

I love my dishwasher! I usually end up washing the pots and pans by hand, and any good china we happen to use. When I was growing up, dishwashing was my least favorite chore. My mother's sink faces nothing but an avacado green wall (still the same color that it was in 1976!). Now, I have a window in front of the sink that faces the back property. I have a birdfeeder nearby too. Washing dishes is much more pleasant when there is something nice to look at!

I wash by hand during the week and use the dishwasher on the weekends when we're ususally busier. I have to run it at least once a week otherwise minerals build up in the plumbing because of our hard water.

I only fill the sink about 1/3 full of water and then run water into the washing water to rinse the dishes. I would have to disagree that its cheaper to run the dishwasher. Our dishwasher cycle is at least 45 minutes. It ususally takes me less than 10 minutes to wash the dishes for the two of us.

I stuff anything that will possibly fit into the dishwasher. I loathe hand washing dishes. I use it to heat canning jars to prior to filling them too. I only run it when it's full, plus I run it during off peak hours as we get a cheaper rate on electricity.

Stacy in NY

Call me weird but I find dishwashing by hand very restful, but Im one of those folks that washes as I cook so I dont have a huge pile. I especially love washing dishes in the early morning or at dusk. I have a huge window over the sink with a great view and I love watching the birds and such with my hands in a sink of hot water and suds. I generally turn on the radio or some old record and just have a good old time. :p

I prefer the dishwasher, but in our current house the dishwasher is ancient and does a lousy job so I'm back to washing them by hand. I would like a new dishwasher someday but it's not high on the priority list.

Washing the dishes was always my job when I was growing up, and I hated every minute of it. If my mom could only see me now! :D

Dishwashing seems to be my job since I retired but I only mind once in awhile. I use both, normally by hand in the sink unless there is a lot like when my youngest daughter cooks or the cold/flu is going around the house. I think the dishwasher does a better job of killing the germs, don't know for sure but think it is the dry cycle that does the deed on them. I find washing them by hand is somewhat relaxing, gives me a feeling of accomplishment and gets my hands really clean at the same time.

We use dishwasher
 

I don't mind washing by hand but DH hates it; we use our dishwasher all the
time. It's especially good for milking stuff (both pots I milk into and strainers
and milk jars and cheese/yogurt making stuff) and all the pots and measuring
cups for canning (when the kitchen is full of blackberry pulp and everywhere
I look I see purple containers, what I relief to just put it all in the dishwasher).
We only run it when it's completely full.

Well DH usually does the dishes. He sometimes uses the dish washer. When I wash I almost always use the dish washer. I hate doing dishes and if it wasn't horrible for the environment I'd use disposible and throw everything away. We run the washer full and just open the door to dry. The heat from the hot water is usually enough to at least have them half dried.

We used to use a dishwasher but when it finally gave out we decided that we really don't need one. Hubby and I both do the dishes depending on who feels like doing them. There is only the two of us so we don't collect a lot of dishes anyway. It would take us a few days to fill up the dishwasher and I didn't really like the idea of dirty dishes sitting in the dishwasher for a few days waiting for enough to run it. We are both fine with handwashing and expect we will continue to do it. Neither one of us really minds doing them and it has pretty much worked out to 50/50 split between who is doing them.
Colleen

We have a dishwasher but we have never used it here in the country. In the city we used it all the time but now that we are retired the dish washing is my job and my wife does the cooking baking etc.

The deal we made: she cooks I wash. Works great for us and saves water at the same time. Now if I could just find a cream for dishpan hands hummmmmmm>LOL

I do the pots and big bowls by hand, the rest go in the dishwasher--we run it every one or two days. I turn it off right after the final rinse cycle and pull out the trays to let them air dry overnight, then put the dishes away in the morning. Ours is older, but it still works fine, and we run it on the low energy setting, which means that most plastics can go on the bottom tray as well as the top.

The newer dishwashers and clothes washers can heat their own water, so you can leave your water heater at 120 degrees or whatever they recommend for families with children. Since our dishwasher does not heat its own water, I do the pots, etc. first to "preheat" the water, then toss the brush and sponge in the dishwasher.

What helps with dishpan hands is a good set of gloves and some hand cream. I have a pair of Bluette gloves, and I put cream or lotion on my hands, then put on the gloves to do the dishes in. The hot water in the sink helps the lotion penetrate the skin better. You can also buy the rubber gloves one size larger, and wear cotton gloves over your hands after you put the lotion on, then wash the cotton gloves out every so often.

As to whether it saves money/energy to do them by hand or in the dishwasher, it depends. I still see people with top of the line dishwashers scraping and rinsing before they put the dishes in the dishwasher. You're not supposed to need to do that anymore. One of my friends does this to the point that the dishes are clean before they go in the dishwasher, and to me it's like you may as well just wash them by hand..... I don't rinse and I rarely even scrape, even with our old dishwasher, and 99% of the time the dishes come out clean. They are nice if you are sterilizing a bunch of jars.

We use it because we have it, and there's no way to pull it out and be able to match the old kitchen cabinets. Would I miss it? No.

I prewash by dog and cat, then sterile soak in cold bleach water, then handwash in antibacterial dish soap and 190 degree water. Unles I have people always setting down on me at dinner. Then I let them see me dog and cat wash, cold water wash and put em in the strainer ( I wash em right after the moochers leave ) :)

FolioMark, I too like to wash my dishes by hand. There are 7 of of and I don't think it takes much longer to do them by hand than it takes to use a dishwasher. The only reason I would like one is to hide the dirty dishes when someone somes over without notice.

Well, you'all sure flabbergasted me! A dishwasher????!!! in a homestead?! :D

You sure must be living a different lifestyle than I do....except for the dog prewash.
Isn't anyone else on a well, with septic? Where do you fit a dishwasher in a less than 900 sq foot cabin? Does the on-demand propane hot water allow enough water flow for a dishwasher. Gee, I still have trouble taking showers!

It is true that dishwashers get things cleaner, though...but I can't get over the idea that some people actually have one in a homestead....

live and learn! :D

lucky here I suppose
 

I guess I do have it a lot different. I have a nice house on little over 4 acres. I have it pretty easy in that respect. I guess homesteading to me, is the inner need to be self reliant and independent. The older I get, the less I like society as a whole. (I'm 45 now and figure by the time I am 55 I will be darn right anti-social to a degree.)
I dont want to be dependent on society for a great deal of life's needs.
On septic but so is about everyone else out here. I am not on well water. I get a plain old water bill every month, along with other utility bills.
Sounds like your life is a lot different from mine, and even though they are different, I do hope that the "meeting of the minds" so to speak, crosses over those differences, in the pursuit of similiar goals.

I use both, the dishwasher and hand wash. I also think Penny (the dog) is a super pre-rinse girl. (comments about the dog and all yall said, made me smile)

By hand during the week and by dishwasher on the weekends if we are busy. I don't mind it much anymore but I use to loathe washing dishes and always used the dishwasher in the burbs. Now my kitchen sink overlooks the pond out back and I can see one of the goat pens too. It is relaxing now. I always wanted a window over the kitchen sink and I was finally able to get one with this house (and actually have a view too!) :)

I guess I'm in the minority. I do not own a dishwasher. I do, however, have children who could pass for one :)

I used to hate the dishes when I was a kid. I finally got a dishwasher when I was 20. I haven't had one in the last 6 years though. There was none with the houses I've had and I got the kids, so why buy one?

I do like doing dishes now. Everyone leaves you alone. It is one of the few times I can be in the house without someone wanting something from me. They all disappear when the suds break out.

I will do the dishes when I have the chance, but usually I do not have time so the kids do them.

Jena

A dishwasher NO! I prefer to do them by hand. We had a dishwasher given to us as a wedding present, but I found our hard water was turning them brown. And besides that I always had the pots & pans & casserole dishes that had to be hand washed anyway. We have a well & septic system. But we are careful by scraping the dishes first, then washing them in one sink & have a small dishpan to rinse them in, in the other sink. One of lifes simple pleasures, right along with hanging laundry out on my clothesline. I don't like using the drier. We just love the smell of fresh laundry that is line dried outdoors.

Yep prewash by dog, or she gets her nose outta joint for the day/night..... then the big potrs get it in the sink.... and the plates, glasses and flatware get the treatment of the dishwasher.

WE have a "greywater" hole where there is 2 15 yards truck loads of base rock for drainage, and a septic for the toilet.... the shower goes to the greywater..... if I had built this place i woulda put the greywater into a holding bin for gardening, but with 32 gallon a minute well it really isnt needed [pump only handles 11 but i could go larger pump if needed]

My wife doesnt like doing the dishes either by hand nor by dishwasher and doesnt fit the dishes in tight enough for me.... so i do em..... maybe i just figgered out how she gets me to do em......hmmmmmmmm

the dog and cold water rinse for awhile........

Life Lesson #?
 

We had always had a dishwasher until we moved to our small farm. The dishwasher here was destroyed by the water and looked worse than the best greased and cooked in pot! So, we decided that we'd put one on our wish list and proceed by hand. Well, not really we, DH and I, the kids were to become the new dishwashers. What a surprise to discover that they had no idea about cleaning dishware!!! They're not that old (12, 11, 8, 4) but to them, sticking all the dirty dishes in a machine and voila! clean! was just the way things were. Needless to say, DH and I resolved to teach these cherubs another life lesson and they took turns each week between washing and drying. This led us into many discussions about bacteria, cleaniness, chores, the "old ways", and more.

I don't think we saved much on water, or soap for that matter - most dishes needed to be rewashed. And it certainly extended our meal times (I hate seeing dishes piled up in the sink all day!). But now the kids can add dishwashing to their list of life skills.

Oh yeah, after two years of this, the wishlist finally hit dishwasher and now we have one, which probably runs every 1.5 days. But, we still wash all pots and pans by hand. And occasionally a dish or two. And now I know when my children are grown and invite us to dinner, which one I'll check the silverware before I use it! :D

I have a dishwasher smack in the middle of my kitchen. I have to move it to cook, use the sink, sit down at the table, open some of my cupboards, etc. You have to turn sideways to walk through the kitchen.

I handwashed dishes for years, with 5 homeschooled kids (read: at least 3 meals a day). I probably spent 3-4 hours a day, washing dishes, while stairing at a plain wall or the cabinets overhead (and bumping my head on them). The dishwasher usually gets run once a day, taking 1 1/2 hours and using 9.3 gallons of hot water- much less than I used to handwash. I can do something else while the dishes are getting clean. I hope I never have to handwash again!!!

You can put the dishwasher on a countertop. Heartland america sells a 6 place setting counter top washer for under $150 and the size of a breadbox.

If the dishwasher thing messes with your mind, you better sit down for this one. Some of the wierder homesteaders even have electricity, air conditioning and internet connected personal computers :haha:

I don't like dishwashers -- they always leave crud on the dishes and glasses, unless you basically fully wash them before they go in, so why bother? I don't have one at home. Don't want one.

I used to be the type of person who would let the sink fill up with dirty dishes until there was nothing clean left to eat on, and then I'd do them. Then I started a teahouse, and washing dishes was part of the job description. The dishwasher I'd scrounged was made in August of 1958 (it is only 4 months younger than I am!) and while it is monstrously heavy and parts can't even be had anymore, it is still in use today (though I have sold the teahouse.) BUT...it really only sanitizes -- we had to pretty much fully wash the dishes before they went in.

One day, about five years into the tea biz, I was washing yet another rack of dishes, and hearing my mother's voice in my head telling me I was a slob, and I began to calculate approximately how many dishes I probably had washed at the teahouse. Something like 10 pieces per customer (teapot, lid, cup, saucer, spoon, teastrainer, strainer cup, creamer, plate, fork, knife, etc), x 50 customers a day, 5 days a week = 2,500 per week, or 10,000 per month, or 120,000 per year, x 5 years...well, something like half a million pieces. And I calculated how many dishes my mother probably had done in her lifetime (family members x meals x years of active service and marriage...) and I figured out that I had done more dishes in 5 years than she had done in her WHOLE LIFETIME! After that I realized that doing dishes no longer fazed me. I owned the teahouse for another 6 years...

The main thing is to have a nice view out the kitchen window over the sink. I chose eastern exposure because I like to do the dishes in the morning while I wait for my teawater to boil.

I have had my Maytag for 9 years and use it everyday or everyother and it gets things clean 99% of the time. I even put in pots if they are not fried on and it works great. I think the wash cycle I use takes 9 gallons, it also preheats water as my hot water heater is turned down, so not hot enough. Prior to this one I had a portable from my mother, but didn't use it much. Dishwasher is nothing like the 55 gallons my washer takes for an extra large load. I know I would use more water washing by hand, or at least I did previously. It will be replaced when it goes.

Well, this post may be a little "different".

Until 3 or 4 years ago, I used dishwasher. My '50's kitchen idea, has been a blast! (And my dishwasher broke down about then, as well!!:):)

My oldest son actually ended up as his fraternity president and was accepted 3 yrs ago.. (partly) BECAUSE..... he had MISSED having a kitchen his Freshman year and the frat house NEEDED a kitchen guy!!! LOL!! (He had kitchen duty -dishwasher loading and/or unloading- his years at home/homeschooling!) :eek:

However, my counters were not clean enough when there was no nice hot, soapy, dishwater to use! (I love that part!!:)

Never know HOW this dishwashing is gonna turn out!! When I was about 7 or 8, my mom would always try to get me to wash dishes.. BUT they were smokers.. in the '50's and you MIGHT know what THAT means (or maybe my mom was just from a family of pigs???) ANYWAY... they put their cigarettes out on the plates... didn't scrape to MY satisfaction.. and EEEEEEEEEEwWWWWWW... To this day I have a THOROUGH SCRAPE RULE!! I HATE when something is floating around the dish water!!

I wash by hand.

I run a sink full of hot soapy water before I start cooking. Then I wash things as I go. When supper is over there isn't much to wash ....also everyone walks by the sink and washes their own plate, glass and silverware.
Lets me get out of the kitchen sooner.
:)

We use the dishwasher at home but it takes 3-4 days for the 2 of us to fill it up. My FIL had installed a huge dishwasher at the cabin when he remodelled, (1984) but since we never used it and always washed by hand, we had it yanked and installed an Equator combo clothes wash/dryer in its footprint. We are still waiting for the warrenty repairs to be done after 3 1/2 months. I had my eye on an Equator counter top dishwasher, but after sampling their customer service am very dubious to say the least. Haier, Danbury and Carocelle all make counter dishwashers but the Carocelle is non electric. See www.walmart.com under appliances, www.compactappliances.com, and www.carocelle.com.

Chickflick, in college, I worked in the cafeteria dish room, and I was stunned at the number of plates with cigarettes put out on them! (My parents don't smoke). Your parents must not be the only ones! All of the comments about the dog pre-wash made me laugh! Almost every night my husband lets the dog do this and then feels compelled to yell, "Honey, I washed the dishes for you!"

I wash the dishes by hand all the time as we don't own a dishwasher. I use little tubs that fit down in my sinks so I can then take the wash and rinse waters out and water my plants with it. Good nutrients for the plants as well as kills most bugs.

Since DH does not do dishes, or house, or clothes, I am the one who always does the dishes. With just the two of us and very few meals at home during the week. I usually start the dishwasher at 5am. It will have all the dishes from the day before and the morning of -plus the dog's bowls (her very own , I have two sets. So they get washed everyday.) On weekends I wash at least one load a day sometimes two.... I love my dishwasher.

LOL!! I've never HAD a dishwasher... and the microwave is usually just an expensive big bread box. I even use a manual can-opener - though would love a crank model that mounts on the wall...... Its not that I don't like conveniences, or have anything against using electric - just never bothered! It IS cheap...

Dryer tends to be a storage bin from March through October, too, sometimes even in the dead of winter. I just don't use em - never bothered wasting my time to figure out why - just never think of it, I guess. Probably because normally its just the two of us, so would be a waste to do the dishwasher thing (or I'd have to buy more dishes just to fill it up over time), and the dryer is noisy, lol!

Sue

There are machines that wash dishes? :worship: :worship: What a wonderfull world we live in! :haha: Around here,dishwashing has always been a form of punishment that is reserved for the worst offenders, or if there are no offenders, we take turns.