Thrifty Mommy

Frugal Friday #5: Use Your Dishwasher

by Karen on April 27th, 2007

I’ve talked to several people lately that wash their dishes by hand because they believe they’re saving energy.  Actually, doing less work can save you more money and it also helps the environment.

According to Consumer Reports, an efficient dishwasher can use less water than washing dishes by hand, no matter how frugal you are at the faucet.  

Here are some other tips to lower your bill while using your dishwasher:

1.  Only run your dishwasher when it is full.
2.  Turn it on the energy saver cycle.
3.  Don’t prerinse your load.
4.  Use an enzyme based detergent to get your dishes completely clean. See Frugal Friday #2 for more information.
5.  If your dishwasher has a booster heater, turn it down. Most booster heaters can raise the water temperature 20 F.
6.  Turn off the heated drying option. If you don’t have this option on your dishwasher, then after the cycle finishes, open the door and allow it to air dry. (I try to run my dishwasher at night after the kids are in bed. When the dishes are clean, I sometimes open the door to allow them to air dry.)
7.  Use the shortest cycle that will get your dishes clean.

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POSTED IN: frugal friday, frugal living, money saving idea, time saving