[SustainableTompkins] Dishwashers

[Tony Del Plato]

Corvia (aka Fern),
I agree with you. I do dishes with 1/3 to 1/2 sink of hot soapy water and
spray rinse kitchenware. Intuitively, without having checked the stats on my
dishwasher which is now used as a storing unit, I believe that handwashing
dishes, etc, uses far less water with a lot less noise for much less time.
The first few times I used my dishwasher I was amazed and annoyed how much
noise it made seeming to spray endless amounts of water for about 45
minutes. Nuff of that stuff. My double sink does the trick. and besides, my
dish rack becomes a daily sculpture.
Tony

On 9/18/06, Corvia Ballefuocco <paleocorvus at myrealbox.com> wrote:
>
> Found this one hard to believe ~> depending on how one washes dishes by
> hand.  IF the soapy sponge with constantly running water method is used,
> then I would believe the premise is likely TRUE.  Terribly wasteful of
> dishsoap, too, to wash like that.
>
> Put 3/4 of a gallon of hot water in a dishpan and a water restrictor and
> spray hose on your sink and DON'T rinse those dishes one at a time .... and
> you'll use considerably less water.  Grandmother (who had to cart water
> uphill when she was first married) could wash the dishes and pots & pans
> from a dinner for five with 3 gallons of water ~> one pan of soapy water,
> one pan to  "rinse", and then a large kettle of boiling water for a final
> rinse and sterilization.  Glasses first, then the flatware, then plates and
> so on in increasing order of greasiness finishing up with the filthiest
> pots.
>
> Being lazier than Grandmother, but still needing to be water concious due
> to a low flow well in B'dale which was prone to going dry ~ I'd guestimate
> that it took me about 4 gallons of water to wash 3 days dishes from two
> people.  Hmmm.... need I mention that dishes should always be "scraped"
> BEFORE washing?
>
> I note and agree with Robin Harper's (the Green MSP) comments noting the
> electricity used by dishwashers - and my mind turns to the energy used in
> the manufacture and transport of the appliances.
>
> And the Welsh newspaper's article states:
>    "Ken Humphrey, brand manager at Bosch, who commissioned the study,
> said, 'Many people think that dishwashers actually use more water than
> washing up by hand but this is simply not the case.'"
>
> My prejudices cause me to question a study by a dishwasher manufacturer
> that shows they are more water efficient than washing by hand.  Seems to me
> "setting the fox to watch the henhouse..."
>
> Ciao~
> fern
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:42:50 -0400
>
> LAZY PEOPLE CAN SAVE THE PLANET
> Use the dishwasher if you want to save water, U.K. study concludes
>
> We know your type: Your dirty dishes are piling up as you sit immobilized
> by the question of whether it's more enviro-friendly to use the dishwasher
> or wash them by hand. But live in squalor no more -- a study by U.K.
> nonprofit Waterwise found that the average dishwasher uses between 3 and
> 4.5 gallons of water per load, while hand dishwashing can use over 16
> gallons.  . . . .
> "Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can make a
> difference.  Indeed, it's the only thing that ever really has." --Margaret
> Mead
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