When is a dishwasher full?

[Miss Cellane]

This issue caused a heated argument with friends over the weekend. I'm curious how other people define a full dishwasher.

Now, some people run their dishwasher on a regular schedule--say, every night after dinner, the machine gets turned on. But other people only run it when it is full. But what constitutes "full" can vary from person to person.

The cause of the argument was that someone ran the dishwasher when a few things still could have fit in it, say one or two glasses and a plate. Dinnertime was approaching, and the person who ran the dishwasher wanted to have room for all the dinner dishes.

The opposing point of view was that as long as there is room for even a single cup or plate, the dishwasher is not full and should not be turned on. Dinner should have been eaten, the dishwasher filled with as much of the dinnerware as possible, then run. The remaining dinner dishes should have been rinsed and left in the sink until the dishwasher finished its cycle.

What says the forum?

I don't know if it makes a difference, but the dishwasher is normally used by a couple and their two year old son. On this occasion, however, there were six guests, for a total of nine people eating dinner.

P.S. I was not a part of the argument, but an innocent bystander who had been invited for dinner. And it wasn't a mean-spirited argument, but a good-natured one.

[leslieann]

If dinner is coming up, the dw is nearly full, then I will run it in order to facilitate cleanup after dinner.

I believe there is such a thing as "full enough." If most of the silverware is in the dw but the upper rack is still half empty, I will run it because I have to have silverware for the next meal.

I am sure that this is less frugal than it could be. But it is what I do.

[janharker]

Most of the time, except on weekends, I find that the dishwasher is 'nearly' full after dinner. So I wait until the evening's glasses that might get used later are available, then I turn it on, usually as I get ready to go to bed.

My definition of 'full' is when I know that the next meal's dishes will not all fit. I don't want dishes strewn about; I want the kitchen clean at the end of the day. There's usually only one meal eaten at our house (2 adults) on each Saturday and Sunday. So the washer gets turned on late Sunday evening. Even when the washer is not turned on, all items that can't be put in are washed by hand after each meal. That way the counters are clean and ready to go for prepping the next meal.

If I've had friends/family in for a meal, I fill the washer as much as possible and turn it on. I then rinse everything else that might go in and stack it, waiting to fill as soon as the first batch is done and put away. In the meantime, things that don't go in, such as pans, wooden items, china, are washed by hand and put away.

[Stella]

In the case you've stated I would have run it before dinner. I hate having dirty dishes sit on the counter while the dishwasher runs. I would prefer that the dishes just get cleaned up after dinner.

[daisy]

With my dishwasher, I guess it would depend on how much he ate. ;)

Seriously, though, I would say if it would only hold a couple glasses and a plate and you are about to serve another meal, it's time to run the dishwasher. Otherwise you will have to wash the remaining dishes by hand or wait until the next morning to run the washer again (and I hate having dirty dishes sitting out).

We haven't had a dishwasher in 5 years, but we will have one in the new house.

[Rosemary]

I run the dishwasher when it's too full for the dishes from the next meal. No regular schedule here.

[iris lily]

If I had a dinner party to clean up for, I mos def would have done the light load earlier.

Normally, we fill up the dishwasher because we have enough counter space to have a staging area for dirty dishes on top of the dishwasher.

[razz]

When it is full enough that only a few more things will fit in which ends up being about every 4 days and only when the off-peak power charges apply on our time-of-use meter.

[Mrs-M]

MPO (my personal opinion), a dishwasher is full, when the user/operator deems it as being full, or when the dishwasher reaches a level of capacity related to the needs of the homes occupants.

Let's look at another one of our modern day conveniences to bring this whole kerfuffle into perspective. I'm talking the washing machine. (Same question applies). When is a washing machine full? Well, that all depends on the homemaker or user in charge of seeing to all the dirty laundry. In some homes, washing machines are without a doubt, crammed full (to the max) with all the days or weeks worth of dirties, then started, whereas in other homes, washing machines are operated regularly, daily in some cases, regardless of whether or not the machine is actually full or not, which leads me to my next point of contention. Efficiency. (Efficiency as in energy consumption, and cleanliness).

Anyone with any experience (whatsoever) related to the proper operation of a standard household washing machine, knows that overloading the basket of any washing machine results in less clean items, so in this case, waiting for the washing machine to reach a full state, then adding an additional towel or two or a pair of pants to the mix (just because the extra couple of towels/pair of pants will fit), doesn't constitute smart thinking. Same goes for dishwashers IMO.

Another issue I have related to dishwashers and whether or not one classifies it as being full or not, is the person doing the unloading. In homes where, say, just one or two adults reside, I can see waiting until the dishwasher is completely and totally full before running (not overfull, just full), whereas in homes where there are a magnitude of other important and pressing chores and tasks and duties waiting to be addressed, I can completely and totally see the homemaker running the dishwasher more frequently, and with less inside, this, aiding in the time factor related to the amount of spent energy needed to open up the dishwasher door after the cycle is finished, then emptying out the inside of the dishwasher and putting everything away.

I completely and totally understand and appreciate the desire of those who are bent on saving, scrimping, and being as frugal and thrifty as possible, being the old-fashioned frugal type that I am, but as with all things, there are times and will be times, when living up to such ideals isn't actually ideal at all! I say whatever works for each, home/person specific. Homemaking, and all domesticities related to the title of homemaking itself, isn't an exact science, nor does it come with a bible stating right from wrong. We all have our own ways of doing things...

[Mrs-M]

Lastly (secondary thought), if one finds there to be a residual amount of "things" that do not fit into the dishwasher at the time a cycle is scheduled to be started, then fill up one of the kitchen sink basins with a little hot water and detergent, and hand-wash whatever few things/items remain. IMO this sort of thing isn't cause for consideration (whatsoever). Doesn't, and shouldn't even figure in...

[chrisgermany]

Our dishwasher is declared to be full if the estimated dishes of the next meal won't fit in.
As we are only 2 persons that is easy to estimate.

[Marianne]

Our dishwasher isn't considered full until it's full - unless we have guests coming for dinner, then full enough is enough. I am a stickler about how it's loaded, though. It can be really full and everything gets clean.
I also pre-rinse a lot of stuff before it goes into the dishwasher - just a bit of water in the sink is enough. That way nothing dries on the plates/silverware and I can still use the energy cycle the next day after more dishes are added. (There's just the two of us now.)

I have no problem with a few dirty dishes in the sink. I usually hand wash them if I'm also washing certain items that can't go in the dishwasher, otherwise they sit until the dishwasher is emptied. If DH is out of town for a few days, I hand wash dishes and use the dishwasher for a drain rack. :o) I pile everything on the top rack (including silverware) so I'm not practically touching my toes to unload the bottom rack.

[Anne Lee]

I used to be a cram every dish into the dishwasher before running type of person. But that also meant that when the kids did the dishes they would would load two dishes, stack the rest and guess who ended up finishing them? Not the kids.

Now, I'm more of a full enough type if there is a meal coming up and the dishes that it will generate won't fit.

[janharker]

If I'm doing a lot of cooking, for instance a holiday family meal, I will fill the dishwasher as I go with prep bowls and the like and wash them when it gets full or I'm done and I know the next batch in will be from the actual meal. My dishwasher only takes a little over an hour, so multiple fillings are no big deal.

[Stella]

I used to be a cram every dish into the dishwasher before running type of person. But that also meant that when the kids did the dishes they would would load two dishes, stack the rest and guess who ended up finishing them? Not the kids.


+1 That goes for DH too.

Mrs M I agree about washing the few remaining dishes in the sink. That's what I would normally do also.

I don't know for sure because I am the full-enough type, but if I were forced to wait to fill 2-3 dishes and the rest of the dishes were the leftovers of a dinner party, I would probably wait to wash them in the dishwasher. Or more probably I would badger the person who insisted on waiting until the 2-3 dishes were dirty to fill the dishwasher until he/she washed, dried and put away the dinner party dishes by hand. I'm not proud of that, but I can see myself doing it. It is my experience that when people say they will do the dishes later when the dishwasher has run they mean that they will ignore them until you get tired of it and do them. So the options would be 1) I do them and do them my way, which means keeping the dishwasher running based partially on upcoming need or 2) you do the dishes, but find a way to return the kitchen to a functional state within a reasonable period of time. Whatever method that takes is up to you.

[Miss Cellane]

I think Mrs. M nailed what was bugging me about the whole scenario--it's not just about frugality, it's also about running a house efficiently. The person who wanted to run the not-crammed full dishwasher is also the person cooking the meal and doing the bulk of the cleanup afterwards. Dinner dishes for nine people take a while to wash by hand--I know, I grew up in a family of nine with no dishwasher most of the time. And if you don't usually hand wash dishes for nine people, you may not have a big enough dish drainer, or enough counter space to put down towels and lay the dishes out to dry, so you have to enlist other people to help or dry as you go. And even if you decide to rinse all the dishes and leave them in the sink for the next dishwasher load, they are now in the way of dealing with all the pots and pans and stuff from dinner that can't go in the dishwasher and must be handwashed--it's hard to do that with stacks of dishes in the sink.

The person arguing for the completely full dishwasher was only looking at one tiny aspect of the whole situation. And honestly, the most that could have been squeezed into the dishwasher was 2 cups and a plate.

It really made more sense to run the dishwasher before dinner, then use it again for all the dishes we'd dirtied. Which is what happened, as the "completely full" person was out-voted by a huge majority (I think because most of the guests didn't want to end up hand washing dishes all night).

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Stella.
Mrs M I agree about washing the few remaining dishes in the sink. That's what I would normally do also. I practice the residual leftovers method (sink/handwashing) come the holiday season, i.e. Christmas/Thanksgiving. All of the big and bulky stuff/things like roster pans, large salad bowls, etc, get the personal touch (hand-washed), everything else gets put through the dishwasher. Even though I use my dishwasher a few times a year, I don't mind handwashing everything after large family dinners. One of my daughters (or both) always help, so that makes it so much easier and enjoyable. Washing, drying, chatting.

Miss Cellane. One thing I find related to me and the kitchen, anything (in fact) related to the kitchen, is the kitchen has to be completely clean and tidy before I start anything. Somehow having dirty dishes and stuff laying around turns me off attempting anything, i.e. cooking/baking.

I second what you say related to those who have never before contended with large numbers of people and the cleanup that ensues after. Even with the use of modern day appliances such as the automatic dishwasher and washing machine, one still needs to figure in the final process/stage, that being putting everything away after. Even that is a big job when one considers how many place settings of cutlery and silverware/stainless-ware a large group of people go through in an evening.

In many ways, this topic reminds me of clothesline drying. Just because an outdoor clothesline is 500' long and can hold 3 weeks worth of laundry, doesn't mean that the homemaker who's job it is to do laundry wants to stand and pin things to the line for an hour and a half (straight), then stand again for another full hour and a half taking everything down, folding it, then distributing it throughout the home accordingly. I like to think of a happy-medium when it comes to things like this.

[thinkgreen]

Mrs. M. I like your clothesline reference. It made me giggle since I would never have that many clothespins!

[Mrs-M]

Thinkgreen. Actually, now that I read it myself, I'm giggling too!!! http://th64.photobucket.com/albums/h190/SocialRetard911/Googlepages/Miscellaneous/th_giggle.gif Hmmm... let's see now (you've got me thinking)..... Working from an approximation standpoint, I'm going to say two pins needed for every 18" of line, so that means one would need roughly 72 pins! WAY more than I had until recent!

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-chores011.gif

[Stella]

Mrs M I am loving that laundry hanging smiley. That is so SLN!

[rosarugosa]

Daisy - you beat me to the punch!

[daisy]

Daisy - you beat me to the punch!

Since DH restored a vintage stove for me, he is now telling people that I have a vintage dishwasher, too. I add to it that my dishwasher is old, makes a lot of noise and doesn't always get everything clean, but I can't bear to part with him. ;)

[Mrs-M]

Stella. Yes, the clothesline smiley is by far one of my very favourites!