This year we're on a quest to lower our expenses, and one way we're doing that is by doing a lot of little things that we hope will add up to some bigger savings.
I'm not sure why but I don't have a lot of luck with dishwashers. I end up rinsing the dishes until they're almost clean and then having to run them on the heavy cycle anyway in order to have them all come out clean at the end. I recently realized (again!) how absurd this was when I timed my dishwasher as it ran for over two-and-a-half hours, using scalding water to boot.
I decided then and there that I was going to do my best to wash all of our dishes by hand, the way our mothers and grandmothers have been doing it for ages. Of course, I do still have a dishwasher, and when my kids are sick or we have an especially busy week, I'm not going to be so legalistic about it that I refuse to use it. But on most days, I just think about that dishwasher running for two-and-a-half (several times a week) and happily take a few minutes to wash my dishes by hand.
Here's my step-by-step guide to the lost art of washing dishes by hand:
::Rinse all of the dishes until they are mostly clean and set them aside (it helps to have a double sink, but that's obviously not a luxury most of our grandmothers had either!).
::Soap up your sponge. Make sure it's really wet and soapy.
::Turn OFF your water.
::Begin washing the dishes using your soapy sponge. Rewet and/or resoap it as necessary.
::Once all of the dishes are soapy in the sink, turn on your cold water and rinse them all off.
::It's okay if you don't have a drying rack. Simply lay out a couple thick kitchen towels and stack the dishes so that they can air dry.
And that's it! I think it probably use a tenth of the amount of water and energy that the dishwasher uses, and that's enough motivation for me!
Photo Sources: ninjapoodles and flickrjunkie
Mandi Ehman is a WAHM to three little girls (4, almost-3 and 1). She can be found sharing her organizational and time management tips at Organizing Your Way and making the most of every moment with her girls at Doodles' Place
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We use our dishwasher as a drying rack. Works great and saves us money (less water and electricity).
Our dishwasher leaves streaks all over our plates. The solution: my HUSBAND washes all the dishes. Isn't that sweet? He acts "mad" when I try to do them. He's a saint.
Dishwashers when not in use make great drying racks!
Oh, I don't think I could live without my dishwasher. I want to save money but really there is nothing I dislike more than washing dishes. I have a weak stomache and the food literally makes me gag. The funny thing is that I have family members who wash before using the dishwasher. I always just put mine straight in and have good results. I wonder if it is the type of dishwasher tablets I use or that I alway use Pots/Pans cycle. There are a lot of areas I try to conserve money and be more environmentally friendly–but I really, really, really hate washing dishes by hand.
I will make my meals in a rice cooker. I will make all my biscuits and bread products from scratch. I will live without a DVD player and watch movies on the computer so I don't have to spend the money on one. I will be a one car family so I don't have a car payment.
I am committed to being frugal.
But you will not now, or ever, catch me washing a dish by hand. I mean, even I have a limit.
On the other hand, I totally respect you for doing it. It's just … that's *my* line in the sand. (I probably wouldn't feel the same way but I just got done growing my nails out … if I hand wash I swear they'll all break off!)
When we bought a house 3.5 years ago I told hubby that a dishwasher was not a must have, if we found the perfect house. Well the found the perfect house with the not so perfect kitchen. So we will always be forced to wash dishes by hand because there is no room for a dishwasher in my tiny kitchen. While I am glad that I am saving energy and money, I would like the option to stick it in and just forget about the dishes, yet have a clean kitchen every once in a while.
oh. my. conviction. my dishwasher is broken and i'm about to die. here you are washing by hand ON PURPOSE. *sigh*
Actually, I love this idea. I'm not sure I'm up to doing it everyday. But you've got me wondering just how much hot water and electricity I'm wasting using my ancient leaky dishwasher.