Washing Dishes By Hand

[catherine]

I don't know why, but since I've moved up here, I've stopped using the dishwasher. I didn't plan to stop using it. We do have a dishwasher in the house, but now I'm thinking of using the space for a hot water heater instead, because I have not used the dishwasher once.

I can't figure out why, because our eating patterns are the same here, we eat the same meals, we use the same quantity of dishes, but for some reason, it seems easier to just wash as we go. Maybe because the house is smaller? Maybe because I'm more clutter-sensitive? Maybe because now I'm not holed-away in a separate room while DH watches the evening news--I just turn my head and dry while I watch.

In any case, I find it very interesting that I hated doing dishes in NJ, but I totally don't mind it up here.

I love the becomingminimalist site and I follow it on Facebook, and he recently tackled the same topic: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/why-i-stopped-using-a-dishwasher/

Anyone else wash dishes by hand? By choice or necessity? Is it a big chore, or are there aspects of it that you enjoy--like the zen of it?

[Float On]

I wash by hand (well...mostly it's DH but I do sometimes). The hard water has killed 4 dishwashers in 27 years.

[Tammy]

My house doesn’t have a dishwasher. This was a plus for me when we bought it.

[ApatheticNoMore]

well only one apartment I've ever lived in had a dishwasher (and I don't think I used it much then either), most apartments probably don't (and do you really want to make it the "make or break" argument in an otherwise good apartment? I make that air conditioning, a parking space, and having an on premises shared laundry - when I have a choice). And having to hook a dishwasher up to rental property seems a real pain.

[Teacher Terry]

Hate washing dishes so can’t relate

[nswef]

I LOVE the dishwasher.

[Gardnr]

I LOVE the dishwasher.

+1:~)

[SteveinMN]

I LOVE the dishwasher.
Me, too. Our dishwasher heats its own water and does a whole load with less water than I would use handwashing.

I do some handwashing -- some items can't go in the dishwasher (good knives, some recyclables which just melt at that temperature, some plastic kitchen gadgets) and sometimes washing one large pot by hand leaves lots of room for other items in the dishwasher. But I'm very happy to have a dishwasher for everything else.

[razz]

I LOVE the dishwasher.
I am on my own and love my dishwasher. I don't like hand washing dishes but particularly cannot tolerate the dishwashing detergents so every time, I have to put on gloves to protect my hands and nails. That gets old very fast.

[Miss Cellaneous]

catherine, my money is on either a) you are now in the same room as DH, so handwashing dishes isn't an isolating chore anymore or b) there is something about the setup of the new kitchen that makes handwashing dishes easier.

I admit to not understanding the "zen" of handwashing dishes. I grew up handwashing dishes for a family of 9. I see no zen. I see hot water that dries my skin, greasy dishes, germs and general ickiness. I may only run my dishwasher once every three days, but I love the fact that I don't have to pull on rubber gloves two or three times a day to deal with the dishes.

[Yppej]

I was by hand. If the garbage disposal were not broken I would not mind.

[rosarugosa]

We've never had a dishwasher and have no plans to get one.

[jp1]

Count me among the "love my dishwasher" crowd. Like Steve, ours heats its own water, uses little water, is super quiet, does a fantastic job, and makes one less chore to do around the house. I never had one until I moved in with SO and didn't mind doing them by hand when I lived alone. But I definitely don't miss it any more than I miss carrying laundry to the laundromat before I lived in a place with laundry in unit.

[Teacher Terry]

I am totally with Steve and JP:))

[happystuff]

No dishwasher here. Most times I don't mind doing the dishes as I have a window right over the sink and love to look outside while doing dishes. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment from even this simple task.

[iris lilies]

I wash dishes by hand in Hermann and do not mind it at all. I have to be a little more careful to wash every inch of certain diahes with hot soapy water because well, we let dogs lick dinner plates. With a dishwasher I presume everything is pretty well sanitized.

Washing goes quickly, and I do not bother to dry anything, I just put them in a drying rack.

It is the putting away of dishes that
I dont like, but that takes place with or without a dishwasher.

[Zoe Girl]

I don't have a dishwasher in my new place, heck the kitchen is so small there is no microwave either. But it is very simple to wash a few dishes by hand during the summer since I eat very simple food. With a roommate however I will have to watch out in the winter because I tend to cook up a lot and then get sleepy and want to leave dishes in the sink. I won't do that living with another person however.

2 times when I was raising kids I had dishwashers break and it took over a year to get them fixed, so lots of dishes by hand over the years, with a family I really liked the dishwasher.