I used to think dishwashers were a waste of water until I actually measured it

My buddy in Denver dared me to put a meter on hand washing vs running the dishwasher for a week. Hand washing used 18 gallons a day for our household of 3. Dishwasher ran 6 gallons per load. I was wrong for years. Anyone else do the math and get surprised?

2 comments

2 Comments

amy9751mo ago

I used to think dishwashers were a waste of water until I actually measured it" - yeah, but did you really control for everything? Like, were you running the tap the whole time while hand washing? Because a lot of people do that without realizing it. I’ve seen those tests where hand washing uses less water if you’re smart about it, like filling one basin to scrub and another to rinse. Just saying, the numbers can shift depending on your method.

hugo_jones1mo ago

Wait, am I reading that right, @amy975? Because I used to be one of those people who swore by hand washing, thought dishwashers were just a lazy person's gadget. Then I actually did the water math myself, and man, it hit me hard. I filled up a bucket under the sink while hand washing a full load, and it came out to like 12 gallons when I timed my typical scrub and rinse routine. That's way more than my Energy Star dishwasher uses, even on a heavy cycle. I think a lot of us just don't realize how much water we're letting slip away while we're busy chatting or spacing out at the sink. The basin method you mentioned does help, but honestly, the dishwasher is just way more consistent for me now.