Saving Money While Doing Your Dishes

Here are a couple of great ways to save money while doing your dishes.

If you have a dishwasher in your home, use it. Dishwashers consume less water than washing the dishes by hand. And most of the time, they get the dishes cleaner than hand washing them does. If you don't believe me, listen to the dishwasher until it finishes filling. Stop it and open the door. You will see there is less water in the bottom of it than filling your kitchen sink. It uses this water repeatedly until it reaches the end of each wash and rinse cycle. Then it drains and fills again for the rinse. On a full cycle, it usually has 2 wash and 2 rinse. But it still uses less water than doing the dishes by hand. Don't run the dishwasher until you have a full load. With most of todays newer dishwashers, you don't have to rinse the dishes that throughly anymore. Most dishwashers have better power for getting the dishes clean. Most dishwashers work best with the water around 130 degrees. But don't turn your water heater up to get it. Most dishwashers have a feature on them that heats the water up to optimum temperature. On most of them, this feature is optional, So turn it on. The dishwasher uses less energy to heat the water up to optimum temperature than your water heater does. When the wash cycle is complete, stop the dishwasher and prop the door open a little to allow the dishes to air dry instead of using energy through the drying cycle. One thing you can do to help a dishwasher get the hot water right away for the first wash, especially if the water heater is a distance away from the dishwasher, turn on the hot water on your kitchen sink until the water comes out hot. This will minimize the amount of cold water entering the dishwasher on its first wash. Wrap the hot water pipe leading to the dishwasher with pipe insulation to help keep the water warmer longer between filling cycles. When using a dishwasher, try not to use water elsewhere in the home until the dishwasher finishes. If you must use water, try to use it between fills. If you use water while the dishwasher is filling, the dishwasher may not get enough water to wash or rinse the dishes properly. Dishwashers need a certain amount of water in the bottom to be affective. If they don't have it, it can starve the pump and prevent it from washing or rinsing properly. Also, use a good quality soap in the dishwasher. This will help to clean the dishes better also.

If you must wash your dishes by hand, fill up the sink with soapy water. Don't leave the water run constantly. Shut if off between rinses. You can wash a few dishes, place them in the other half of the sink, then rinse them all at once instead of rinsing them 1 at a time.