Eco-Tip: Dishwasher

I have an 18" Kenmore portable model. It does a good job, but using it on "light" doesn't work well - I tried this for a while and wound up having to run the load twice (and yes, I do rinse my dishes first). Not very Treehugger. Also, I tried using the 7th Generation detergent, but also wound up running the load twice. So, in the end I am using Cascade on "normal" with air dry and everything is great (and it only uses 4 gallons - 1 sink full - of water - per load). I suspect if you have a nicer model dishwasher the "light" wash might work well though.

Ah, that's too bad Jen.

Still, I encourage people to try it with their dishwasher. If it doesn't work well, not much that can be done. But if it does, I imagine that it can save quite a bit of water and energy over the years...

I do want to add that even though I have to use evil Cascade on "normal" mode, my dishwasher only costs an estimated $45/yr to run based on 6 loads per week (twice as much as I use it!). Plus, being an 18" model it uses 2/3 the water as a full-sized. Next week I am moving to a place with a newer dishwasher and I hope to run it on "light". Thank you for the tip Treehugger! I didn't want to sound down on your tip!!

According to these energy tips (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everyday/greenhouse/tips.html) from National Geographic, it actually wastes less water not to pre-rinse. I guess it makes sense, if you consider all the extra water that runs down the drain while hand rinsing.

No problem Jen. You seem to be doing pretty good. Only improvement would be to see if there's another brand of "good" soap (since 7th G. didn't work for you) that could do the job.

Another follow up tip: Try not to use too much water if you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Best way is of course not to rinse them at all, if possible. I mention this because I've seen some people use more water for that (cummulatively) than what the dishwasher uses.

edit: I hadn't seen the comment above when I posted (it was in the "to approve" queue..). Sorry for the redundance.

I have never pre-rinsed dishes, and it always works for me, on a couple different dishwashers. I always wonder if the people who pre-rinse, really need to, or if that is just their habit.

And now, a funny story about my great-aunt, when she first got a dishwasher, and why she to this day, always basically washes the dishes completely before putting them in the dishwasher: she didn't/doesn't know you have to turn it on...

So, sometimes after she put the dishes in, someone would come along and turn it on, other times not, so then she would take all the dishes out and wash them by hand, and eventually gave up on the machine that only worked some of the time.

(:

Funny story, Jon!

I've had good results with 7th Gen. dishwasher soap, so it's probably just a specific set of conditions that have made it unusable for you. For a while, I did have dirty dishes, but it turned out to be the fact that the new dishes I have are bigger than the old ones and as a result the rotating sprayer was getting stuck on them. You could check that out to see if it might be part of the problem. Another energy saving trick - turn down the thermostat on your hot water heater. Most people have it set too high. I mention that trick here, because the only negative outcome that I'm aware of is that the dishwasher may not clean as well at the lower temps. That didn't happen in my case though - again, it might be different in your case.

Erik,

Good tip on the water-heater. In fact, many dishwasher can heat the water directly, so you can turn the water heater at a very low temp and the dishwasher will heat the water it uses to the proper temp, saving electricity.

Great thread. My own parents, who are children of the Great Depressoini and ought therefore to be as conservative in dishwashing as they are in everything else, also "pre-wash" the dishes in the sink using soap and "elbow grease" and then they put them in the dishwasher and run it with soap. I have seen other elderly people do the same. Having brought it up a few times I now realize that they are repeating a comforting ritual of working together in the kitchen and no longer bother to point out the waste in the practice.

Many others I know who are much younger have no clue that their dishwasher has a direct discharge hose to the top of their garbage "disposal" and which enables them to put dishes in with sauce and food particles: so they do the pre-wash in the sink. Again, having pointed it out as gently as I could the result was to ignore me.

The greatest cause of "wasted runs" on the dishwasher is when the spray nossles become clogged with bits of paper or plastic from labels, especially the little ones they put on fruits. It pays to inspect these nossles from time to time and clean them with a toothpick. I have found it is also a savings in soap to use the tablets. It puts in just the right amount every time and its fast to use without risk of spillage.

Also check to see if "Hot Dry" is turned off. It wastes an amazing amount of electricity. I think air drying, which is what it will do otherwise, works just fine. And running the washer at night will keep your home cooler and possibly save you money.

The tip on turning down your water heater is great. I set mine to the perfect point where you don't have to add cold water in the shower but still get a perfectly hot shower, it's really convenient to just hop in and turn it on to the perfect temp.

You can also save money and power by draining the sediment from your hot water heater. It'll take just a couple of minutes. Simply turn off the gas or electricity and connect a garden hose or bucket to the drain at the bottom. Collect a little in a cup if you'd like to see how much sediment you are letting out (and not drinking). Reconnect the power and you're done! Might as well check your AC and heat filters while you're at it. A totally efficient house, just like that!

Hello. I'm after some ecological info about dishwashers and wondered if anyone could help.
I am renovating my kitchen and although I have never had a dishwasher and always wash by hand, my peers are unanimous in suggesting I should get one.
I have concerns about water use (I still use only 1-2 sink's of water for any wash-up) although I know modern dishwashers are better; ability to clean cooking pots etc (as these make up a lot of my washing up and it seems pointless to wash up in the sink and dishwasher);the need to rinse first - surely not??;and the use of phosphates and other nasties in the detergent. I'm interested that most people are discussing how to make their dishwasher 'better' rather than discussing not having one at all, or am I behind the times.
any suggestions welcome

you don't always need to buy energy star, sometimes, at least for many washing machines, it is the same just to run it on a cooler shorter cycle. Some energy star appliances are just like the normal ones except they just do not offer the higher settings.

Does anyone know of a brand of eco-friendly dishwashing detergent that actually works? I've tried every kind I could find--7th Generation, Method, etc.--but they always leave the dishes half dirty. I've resigned myself to using Cascade tabs. (I figure it's less packaging than a bottle of liquid detergent.)

I keep a spatula in the dishwasher, and scrape the dishes instead of rinsing them. No extra water, light cycle always works, and it's pretty quick - big spatula.

In response to water usage, I am also remodeling and have never had a dishwasher, I was completely surprised when I learned I often use more water handwashing.
Anyway, a really good way to compare water usage on almost every model is to go to Sears. They have a book there with all the models and it will tell you everything.
We found ourselves looking for better prices and then asking about water usage other places and no one knew, so we would go back to Sears and ask for their little book and look it all up. We ended up with a maytag model that uses less energy to heat the water and alot less water than other models, I only wish that we could inquire about recycling this dishwasher when it is no longer any good. Hope this helps. The people at sears were really friendly and didn't mind us coming in for almost a week, comparing water and energy specs.