Contrary to popular belief, it might actually make more ecological sense to use that handy dishwasher than to wash and dry those dinner remains by hand. That’s what a recent survey by researchers at Bonn University in Germany have concluded.
Their official finding was that firing up the appliance saves energy, time, and money. How about them apples? Technology that’s good for the environment. Don’t let word get out to the tree-huggers.
Of course, we’re not talking about just any dishwasher here. The tested brand was Energy Star certified and estimated to have a nine year life span. When compared to the appliance, washing dishes by hand cost $431 more per year, used 5,000 more gallons of water, and costs about 231 hours of your personal time. The bottom line is that a dishwasher is about 37% more efficient compared to human hands.
Hmm, if that’s true then what the heck are you doing standing there at the sink, washing dishes, thinking your doing something environmentally friendly? You’re part of the problem! And don’t even think about pre-rinsing the dishes under the faucet before loading the dishwasher. That wastes another 20 gallons of water per load. Modern soaps and detergents are perfectly capable of cleaning even the hardened clumps.
And remember, it uses the same amount of water whether it’s a full or partial load, so you might as well load it up to get more bang for your buck.
The Holistic Survival Team