Six reasons to use a dishwasher

November 1st, 2013

Appliance Talk Dishwashers

Who loves washing the dishes?

*crickets chirp*

I’m not surprised.  It’s notoriously difficult to motivate yourself to do the washing up.  That’s that’s just one of the reasons why dishwashers are so popular.

Seriously, this is not a very inspirational image.

But if you’re not yet a dishwasher owner, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about.  Are dishwashers really worth it?  Isn’t hand-washing faster and better than using a dishwasher?

Here’s our short list of reasons to think about using a dishwasher:

1.    Convenience

Let’s get this this blatantly obvious one out of the way first – with a dishwasher, you don’t have to do the washing up.

Once you’ve loaded it up (there is an art to it), you can just turn it on and let an efficent, unfeeling machine do the hard work for you, giving you more time to do whatever you like.  Forget about those domestic arguments over whose turn it is to wash the dishes – it’s always the machine’s job!  It’s perfect, even for idiots like us!

Choosing a dishwasher with an inverter motor, such as the DirectDrive motor in LG’s LD1482T4 above (also available in white) also means that your dishwasher will run more quietly, making it even more unobtrusive in your home.

Dishwashers that include a drying cycle, such as the ActiveDry system of the ESF6700ROX and ESF6700ROW (above) models from Electrolux, can even do most of the work drying your dishes for you, saving you time and effort with a tea towel when it comes time to put everything back on the shelves.  Though these modes can use a bit more electricity than a typical cycle.

2.    Saves water

Did you know that many dishwashers actually use less water than kitchen sinks?

It doesn’t sound plausible when you first hear it.  After all, dishwashers are huge hollow boxes – WAY bigger than the average kitchen sink!  How could they possibly use less water?

The thing to remember is that dishwashers do not completely fill with water during their operation – instead, they spray a relatively small amount of water all over your dishes, and don’t come close to filling completely up.

A dishwasher’s hefty capacity is meant to hold dishes (just don’t overstuff them with plates), not litres and lites of water.  While it depends on the dishwasher model and your own style of dishwashing by hand, but according to our Dishwasher Buying Guide, many dishwashers use around 11L of water in a typical wash, while a kitchen sink can hold up to 20L!

3.    Increased hygiene

Washing by hand is all well and good, but if you really need to annihilate germs from your dishes (such as when there’s an allergy sufferer in the house), it’s hard to beat the results from a dishwasher.

Hot water, detergent and scrubbing do a decent job of getting rid of bacteria, but dishwashers heat water and steam to the kinds of temperatures that even the toughest of pink rubber gloves couldn’t stand, which completely annihilates microbes, even when cleaning some really bizarre stuff (which we would NOT recommend).

Dishwashers that make good use of hot steam, such as the above LD1484T4 from LG (also available in white) with TrueSteam technology aren’t just hygenic, but they leave the dishes sparkling as well!

4.    Softer skin!

Yes, avoiding “dishpan hands” is a pretty superficial reason to opt for a dishwasher, and one that dates back to those fairly patronising ads of the 50s and 60s.

So painfully retro

But if you’re someone who values the time and effort that goes into a really rad-looking manicure, letting a machine do the hard labour rather than exposing your cuticles to hot water and detergent would certainly be handy.

Though we agree that buying a pricey new kitchen appliance SOLELY to protect your hands is probably a bit much.

5.    Clutter-free kitchen!

If you’re super-organised and disciplined, you might wash up your dishes and plates as soon as you’ve finished using them, leaving your kitchen spotless every day.

But if you’re anything like me, doing the dishes is the last thing you feel like after cooking and eating a meal – personally, I’d much rather put my feet up and leave the dishes for another day.

The problem is, if you keep this up for a few days, you’ll soon find yourself faced with tackling a teetering stack of filthy plates, which can put further stress on your already-frayed nerves if you’ve already got a bunch of other stuff to do.

To deal with this, you either need a servant, or a dishwasher.  And since servants can be clumsy, a dishwasher is probably a better bet.

With a dishwasher, it doesn’t take much more effort to put a dish on its rack than it does to leave it next to the sink, and it’s just one step further to add detergent and turn the machine on.  It also helps to sing a jaunty dishwasher-loading song while you work.

You’ll still need a bit of self-discipline to adjust your routine to do this and always remember to always turn the dishwasher on (dishwashers aren’t magic, after all), but it’ll still keep the dishes out of sight and out of mind, which in turn helps keep your kitchen and your nerves in a state of pristine clarity.

6.    Saves time

It’s often argued that dishwashing by hand is superior to using the dishwasher as hand-washing a few plates can be completed in a fraction of the time it takes to run a complete dishwasher cycle.  And people also say that since you need to rinse off your plates before they go into the dishwasher anyway, you may as well just go the whole hog and wash up the things.

The important distinction though is that dishwashers also save effort – while it may only take a short time to wash and rinse a bowl, you and your beefy arms need to be there, in person, doing the work.

Make sure you’ve got plenty of this stuff!

With a dishwasher, it may be a little longer before you’ll have a clean bowl, but you can go off and look after other matters while the dishwasher does its thing.  Models that include a timer can be scheduled to run at a time that’s more convenient to you, and you can even use off-peak energy for further electricity savings.  If you’re clever about it, you’ll be able to use time wisely and get even more things done during the day, even while the dishwasher is taking its time to lovingly spray your crockery.

And as for that having to rinse your plates first thing, it’s a myth.  Pre-rinsing dishes before stacking the dishwasher is not just unnecessary, but wasteful.

If you’re worried that your dishwasher might not be up to the task, a powerful model such as the Electrolux ESF6800ROX above with its XtraPower mode can use high-pressure water to really get your dishes clean.

If you’re now convinced that a dishwasher is for you, order one today from Appliances Online!  Not only can we deliver and install it for you, we can remove any snakes from the packaging before you get it!