When it comes to dishwashers, there is always that debate whether hand washing or dishwashers is better. We even have a blog about which one sanitizes your dishes better. But, which option is the best for saving water and energy?
Water usage is a big factor in which choice is better. It looks like the dishwasher may lose, as it is continually spraying water but, hand washing might waste more water. However, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, new Energy Star-qualified dishwashers can use only 3 gallons per load, while the average dishwasher uses 6 gallons per load. This saves plenty of water, as a sink runs about 2 gallons of water per minute.
Energy usage is also a large aspect to help decide which is alternative is greener. Part of this energy use has to do with how they heat up water. You have to wait for your water heater to heat up the water flowing from your sink, and most dishwashers have a heater that are more efficient in heating up water to clean dishes. Additionally, using an Energy Star-qualified dishwasher can use about half the energy of hand washing, according to cnet.com.
How to keep your dishwasher greener; you need to follow a few steps so that your dishwasher actually stays efficient and environmentally friendly. First, make sure you have a full load every time you start your dishwasher to prevent doing several small cycles that will waste water. Also, avoid rinsing your dishes in the sink beforehand, to also save water. Instead on rinsing them, just scrape off excess food into the garbage. This single tip could save you 60,000 gallons of water a year!
So, by using your dishwasher and not using your sink to hand wash or pre-rinse, you can be environmentally-friendly and cut down on your water usage!
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