Should I Run My Dishwasher or Wash Dishes by Hand?

The dishes are piling up in the kitchen sink. Should you grab the sponge or load them in the dishwasher?

When it comes to washing dishes—believe it or not—as long as you have a newer model dishwasher, it’s better to run the dishwasher than to hand wash.

Even if you use hot water to hand wash those dishes, the water is nowhere near hot enough to make dishes truly bacteria free. Our hands can’t take the hot water temperatures—140 or 145 degrees Fahrenheit—that many dishwashers use to get stuff really clean.

Even though a dishwasher constantly sprays water, an Energy Star certified dishwasher can use as little as 3 gallons of water per load. An energy-efficient dishwasher can save almost 5,000 gallons of water per year, when compared to water consumption when you hand wash dishes.

When you wipe food remnants with your sponge, all that bacteria ends up filling those tiny holes, and then new bacteria grows at a rate of once every 20 minutes. People rinse their sponges, but they really need to sanitize them. However, not many people do.

Interested in Installing a New Dishwasher?

Save money on your water bills and deep-clean those dishes—the team at Legacy Mechanical would be happy to install a new dishwasher in your home. Just give us a call at (204) 452-9424 and we’ll schedule a time that works for you.