Dishwasher joy ? What have you discovered late to the party?

JackyB

Maggiemaybe were you sitting on the throne with the door open

Brilliant.. I recently read about a Robo Vac that was pre-programmed to do the "rounds" early in the morning. Apparently the pet Dog had been portly in the night and had the runs on the carpet the "Robo Vac" did its job..... Apparently poo everywhere!

I have just discovered the joy of having a second freezer. We bought it as we had such a glut of fruit from our trees in the summer. It's in the garage and well stocked with bread, basics and batch cooked things. I can buy things in bulk when they are in season or cheaper and it means I can shop less - it's like having my own shop out in the garage.

Maggiemaybe, I’m still laughing now! I find our dog visiting the bathroom bad enough, but at least I can tell her to get out. Did you lift your feet out of the way?

I actually thought it was the cat joining me at first! And yes, Jackie, I’d not locked the door. DH and the grandsons were busy downstairs playing a game. I thought I was safe to dash in and out quickly….

Maggiemaybe your post made me howl! I can just imagine the look of surprise on your face ?

Usually our dishwasher goes on once a day, but on Christmas Day the bliss of it washing pans and trays, mugs and mixing bowls while we ate and then washing plates, dishes, glasses and more mugs whilst we sat and chatted or played games made it well worthwhile. On Boxing Day, with 14 in the house and no dishwasher because she prefers to wash by hand, the washing up took forever.
Sago I have just sadly binned my 9 year old suede, sheepskin lined fit-flop slippers. I bought them in a factory outlet for about £15 and I loved them, but they finally died. I’ll go and look at the boots.

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Maggiemaybe were you sitting on the throne with the door open

I've just checked - a modern dishwasher uses about 10 litres per cycle. The 28 litres was my old dishwasher, bought about 20 years ago. I have a newer one now.

What I discovered late to the party was Fit Flops!
I hated the look of them and thought the price was outrageous!

Then I tried a pair on and I was walking on air, I even bit the bullet and splashed out on fur lined ankle boots, they kept my feet warm, dry and comfortable on a trip to Prague a few years ago, I walked about 10 miles in them around the City without any discomfort.

They still look like new.

When we are just the 2 of us, the dishwasher runs once a day (sometimes less) using about 28 litres of water. Possibly less because I always run the eco cycle. Our electricity comes from PV panels on the roof. If I washed by hand I would use nearly that for the washing, plus the rinsing water.

There are eco friendly dishwasher powders and tabs but I find they don't clean as well.

While the dishwasher is running, I do something else. I don't stand and watch it. Putting the clean dishes away afterwards surely takes just as long whether you have washed them by hand or machine.

What I learned really late in life was that you have to stand roast meat before cutting or carving. I always served straight away and ended up with stringy untidy pieces, even if the knife had been well sharpened.

The metal filters from my cooker extractor fan have just come out of the dishwasher as good as new.
I love my robot vac too.

I’ve had to wash some stuff by hand lately, the special old china that I brought out for Christmas. Thank goodness it’s only a couple of times a year.

I was very late to the party with my Hostess trolley, finally giving in and buying it at least 20 years after they fell out of favour. But I love it - it’s such a help at Christmas and other times when you’re catering for a crowd, and when it’s not in use it’s handy storage for extra dishes. Yes, I can stand the mockery!

I’m eyeing up one of those robo vacs now. Though I was a bit disconcerted the other day when DS’s zoomed into their bathroom and bustled round me as I sat on the toilet.

I love my dishwasher! I've had spells of not having one in previous houses. When I moved into my bungalow, I immediately ordered one. My kitchen is usually tidy with no dishes lying about and Christmas was spent with family, not hunched over a sink. I am inherently lazy so it suits me well. ?

I've had dishwashers in the past. Not a fan. So much faff, loading, arranging, unloading. Much easier just to wash them by hand.

Each to their own. My bloke loves his. But I can be washed up in the time it takes him just to load it and then he has to unload again later. Not for me.

Visgirl I agree with what you are saying but I do not need two because I am on my own. I love mine and wash all sorts in it, eg fridge shelves and they come out so clean.

The amount of electricity the dishwasher uses is the same or less than the amount of energy needed for hot water in a bowl. The only minus with a dishwasher is that you have to buy more crockery and cutlery as the one you want is always in the dishwasher!! You also don't need to buy as much washing up liquid or new tea towels and cloths.

I love that the sink is clear and the kitchen tidy when I stack the dishes in the machine , my dishes never need rinsed ? I seem to just about leave the pattern on the plate !
I can empty the clean dishes in minutes as all the cupboards and drawers are reachable from the where I got the dishwasher installed
An engineer told me that using the 60 temperature wasn’t any more expensive as the amount of water used is less than doing the dishes in the sink and the machine doesn’t get clogged up at that temperature, so my dishes are hygienically clean

I can't comprehend not having a Dishwasher .
To me it's like not having a washing machine. More hygienic,, water saving and keeps things tidy.
If I had a bigger kitchen I would have 2.

I agree with BlueBelle. Living on my own I do not understand how using a dishwasher is economical for the environment and my pocket.
I used to use it only when it was full, this used to take three days and as I couldn’t stand the idea food was stuck on the plates I used to wash them in cold water before stacking them. When the machine was switched on it used at least 90 minutes of electricity. (How much does this cost these days?)
I now hand wash every two days using two clean sinks, one hot water the other cold for rinsing, no running water and leaving everything to drain dry,

BlueBelle

Can’t bear dish washers and the faff of clearing, rinsing stacking waiting then unstacking I could have washed up in 6 houses by that time
How on earth can it use less water than two bowlfuls which I use for my hand wash up ….when I m at my daughters it’s whirring away for about an hour not to mention all there chemicals in the wash stuff I use a squirt of eco friendly in my bowl
Even when we were a family of five I never wanted a dish washer
But
If your happy that’s great and it’s a personal thing so didn’t mean to rain on your parade Enjoy it

Each to their own but there is no need to rinse dishes before you wash them in the dishwasher. Mine goes on every second day and uses about 13 litres per wash so probably no more than you use in your twice a day washes BlueBelle. The dishes are washed at a higher temperature and the detergents can be just as ecological friendly as hand washing ones and IMO there are many better things to do than stand and wash dishes.

As far as coming late to the party I’m a recent convert to anything cordless

I’m so glad you found your dishwasher can be your best friend Mamma66. Especially after entertaining.
My OH had always excused not having one saying he would do all the washing up.
He went to work abroad for a period and I grabbed the opportunity to buy a dishwasher and have it plumbed in situ before he returned home. He loves it now!
Another “trusty friend” is an electric carving knife which we bought just 2 years ago. I use it most weekends when we have a joint of meat. Brilliant.

Life’s too short to waste time, effort and water washing dishes less effectively by hand, so embrace it Mamma66, I don’t know anybody who has owned a dishwasher and not loved it.
One other newish device I love is my cordless vacuum cleaner, my house is definitely cleaner because it’s so easy to grab and clean, I still have my corded one as back up, but it’s heavier and more of an effort to use.

I live alone and love my dishwasher. My daughter convinced me to get my first one 10 years ago when my kitchen was fitted. I don’t turn it on till it’s full which usually takes me 48hrs.

I enjoy seeing the crockery cupboard almost empty and then filling it up again with sparkling clean dishes. I think I need to get out more!

Can’t bear dish washers and the faff of clearing, rinsing stacking waiting then unstacking I could have washed up in 6 houses by that time
How on earth can it use less water than two bowlfuls which I use for my hand wash up ….when I m at my daughters it’s whirring away for about an hour not to mention all there chemicals in the wash stuff I use a squirt of eco friendly in my bowl
Even when we were a family of five I never wanted a dish washer
But
If your happy that’s great and it’s a personal thing so didn’t mean to rain on your parade Enjoy it