70% Of UK Households Have A Dishwasher. Why?

They have been brainwashed into thinking that it saves water and electric. Of course it costs a lot more for the dishwasher soap. It does use more water. The new dish soaps do get dishes cleaner than the old stuff did so you do not need the dish washer. And just think of all the germs that are multiplying on those dishes while they sit there for days. And how many people have enough dishes to last for a week anyway...I don't. YUCKY! I use 1 plate,fork,knife,and glass per meal. I eat two meals a day. What do I need a dishwasher for...My apt came with one. I have to clean it because even though I do not use it...somehow it gets dirty. Ridiculous!

My dishwasher came with the house when I bought it. It was already installed. I use it probably once a week also. While I do wash some things by hand in the sink, I feel the dishwasher gets them cleaner because it uses hotter water than I could by hand. Mostly, I use it for plates, small bowls, cups, glasses and silverware. I wash the bigger pots and pans in the sink because I only have a few. Plates, bowls, etc., I have many of, so I can load them in the dishwasher and then do them all in one batch. Plus, I can start the dishwasher and then go do something else, so it's a big time saver. While, I'm vacuuming or doing laundry, it's washing the dishes for me. I don't really understand when you say the dishwasher gets filthy though. It uses fresh water to clean and then flushes it all down the drain when it's done. Maybe it depends on the water quality whether there is any buildup or not but I don't have any at all in mine. The inside of mine is squeaky clean all the time. While I could do without it, I'm kinda glad I have it. I would hate to have to stand at the sink and wash dishes after every meal. It's much easier to just put them in the dishwasher for later. Maybe I'm just lazy.

I hate to wash dishes, besides, the cats won't let anything alone, so even why my dishwasher was broken, I still had to dry my dishes in it so they'd stay clean!

hi janey here in the US most apartments have them and if they are working right they are worth it as they do sanitize your dishes and for those of us who hate washing dishes they are a God send. I am in a retirement center so no dish washing for me. but I used mine after every meal so my dishes did not ever set in there and I have read that used correctly your dishes are spotless and germ free.They get the water much hotter than you can doing dishes by hand. I really liked my dishwasher..,

I LOVE my dishwasher!!! I didnt have one for 5 years. I was finally able to redo the kitchen and put one in. I hate doing the dishes by hand! It is just one of those chores I would rather not do. Of course, there are a few of my pans that I dont put in the dishwasher. But only doing a couple is a lot better than doing tons!!! My dishwasher actually uses way less water than washing them myself. It really depends on the dishwasher. The newer ones are really efficient. As for them getting gross? Thats is because people put gross things in the dishwasher!! No, I dont wash my dishes before I put them in. I rarely even rinse them (unless I know they will be sitting for a long time). But I do scrape off the extra food - just like you would before putting them in the sink!! But hey, if you are happy without one, then good for you!! Im just thankful that I finally have one!!!

I Have no dishwasher and haven't intended to buy it.My "dishwasher"with two hands has done a good job.Not that I am conservative,but that I think It is unpractical.How many bowls I want to wash up are there every day so that I must use the dishwasher? Here It is a household not a restaurant.

Dishwashers are just entering the Indian market....but I don't think it's practical with the amount of water and electricity it's going to be using up. Indian cooking is elaborate and ends up with lots of things to be cleaned but beside the general dishes, pots and pans, I'm not sure a dishwasher would be able to clean everything. Grinding stones, mixies (attachments can be washed in the dishwasher), etc. Most homes here have help who come in to clean the vessels. I don't think I will be getting a dishwasher any time soon....my husband would throw a fit at the price...not to mention the increase in water consumption and electricity bill.

I had never had a dishwasher until this year, when the kitchen was remodelled and it came with. I had never seen much use for one and still do not use it every day. The only time I find it useful is when my extended family comes over, there are days that there is lunch or dinner for around 18 people, I tend to load up the washer and leave it washing giving me more time to socialize. When it just us I tend to wash my dishes by hand. The washer I have cleans the dishes very well, I still haven't washed too many pots so don't know if it is as good with metal as it is with porcelain and glass and the dishes come out dry and ready to pack away. It does not seem to get too dirty, maybe because it is new. Oh, in relation to saving water I found a few links some time back but only found these now while reading your discussion they don't seem conclusive though : http://1greengeneration.elementsintime.com/?p=314 http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/dishwashers.html

I had a new kitchen fitted in 2010. I have got a white china sink and it matches my white units plus white glitter work board. I haven't got a dishwasher. I am happy to wash plates and cups in my sink. I can't imagine having a dishwasher. I have a fridge freezer, a cooker, a washing machine and a condenser sort of tumble dryer.

I used to have one, because I was offered it second hand. When it broke I didn't replace it. Yes it's great not to have to wash up, but you still have to load and unload it and I'm not convinced it's a lot less work.

So that they can get back to the pub quicker that's why! I would never go out of my way to buy a dishwasher and all these years, I have never used one up until recently when we moved into a house that had one. I never thought that I would enjoy having one but I actually do! I am not sure how much water it uses or how much power, but I do know that it saves me a lot of time washing and drying dishes. It saves me around 20 to 30 minutes each night in clean up time and then some time in the morning as well as my son empties it whereas I used to empty the dish rack and there would still be some wet stuff. More of the dishes get dry with the heat from it than previously when I was hand washing stuff. The dishwasher is spotless each time so I am not sure what build up you are talking about? The other benefit is that during the day all dirty dishes get put straight into the dishwasher ready for the nightly wash. This keeps our kitchen benches free from the pile of dirty dishes that used to accumulate throughout the day. I reckon that if you had two kids as well as yourself and John, then you would appreciate the need for one more! LOL

Our dishwasher came with the house when we bought it. Out here, dishwashers are a standard in newly built houses. This also included the fridge and the washer/dryer. Like you, I am not satisfied with how it cleans pots and pans. Even with the latest diswashing wonders. So we don't use it everyday. Once or twice a week.

I dont know about the UK but here everybody has one. It comes with the house. If you buy a house, theres always one there already or if its a new house, theres the space, right there next to the kitchen sink. You can even get them in apartments now. There all over and nobody would even imagine NOT having one It washes in very HOT water, so trust me, its clean. You buy a stuff that you pour into it and make a wash with no dishes in to clean the dishwasher. New dishwasher soaps dont leave gunk anymore. It dries the dishes, theres a dry cycle at the end now, so no need to dry your dishes. You just take the dishes out and put it in the cupboards!! The new ones are very quiet also. If you dont have one, you dont miss it, but if you ever get one, then you wont be able to live without it.......its like the computer Yes it does take lotsa hot water but......who cares

I haven't been in Britain for a long, long time! Something must have changed because as I remember the houses I used to live in, there wasn't room for a dishwasher! So what has it replaced? The fridge or the cooker? Or have the kitchens of Britain become magically larger?

the only dishwasher in our house is me !! My sis in law has one, 2 in their family, my neighbour has one, only 1 person in her house. But I have never felt the need to have a dishwasher. There is only me , the husband , one dog and once cat in our house. Perhaps if I had a large family with lots of washing up, pots and pans etc., but no, theres nothing better than scouring the dirty pots yourself and making sure they are sparkling clean. Plus ( green thinking here??) but you are using less water, less electricity and less detergent which is better for the environment. And final reason,I havent got room in my kitchen

Most apartment complexes down here have Dishwashers in them already. So it sort of comes with the apartment. And, I find them to be quite handy actually. While I understand your concern, I've never come across that type of problem. And, I've lived in my previous apartment for seven years, and in this one seven months. And, despite the fact I run the dishwasher two to three times a week, i've never had to deal with gunk buld up, things getting on my dishes I don't want, or having to towl-dry them afterwards. It's more cost effective to use a dishwasher if you can down here. The price of water here is annoingly redicoulous. And, while you may think using a dishwasher uses more water, the reality is they really don't. You can wash more then one dish at a time, get them cleaner then if you were to do it by hand, and not have to sit and rinse every dish. And, unless you don't use the drying fuction, you really don't have to worry if your dishes are dry when they come out. I find it easier to use the dishwasher on a regular basis. George and I don't have a whole lot of dishes, so needless to say it's really not that unusal for me to be running it at least twice a week. In fact I think I've become spoiled by it. When I grew up my family didn't have a dishwasher. We had to do everything by hand. When I moved down here I learned they are a common household appliance. So, while I could probably live without one, I actually perfer them.

I have never owned a dishwasher and just recently was liking that all of my boyfriend's family owned one in their homes. I am the type that likes to wash on the go so that I do not accumulate, therefore, for some reason I think that if I owned one, I would not be using it as much. I also see that there were times not everything came out as clean as I like it. So for this reason the hand washing is more preferable to me.

I currently don't have a dishwasher, but I'm young enough that I grew up with one. It actually surprises me that only 70% of UK households have one, but I guess that makes sense with the age of many of the buildings. I live in an area that has only recently experienced it's growth, thus most of the houses are new. I would say where I am at that number is closer to 90%. As for why, I say why not. It is a massive time saver. You rinse, turn it on when it's full and put it away. There is no possible way washing dishes by hand saves more time than a dishwasher, you just may have to spend slightly longer putting away a lot of dishes, instead of a little bit of time. I would say it's cleaner too, especially if properly used. Like someone said, the water is hot. Hotter than you would be able to use by hand. Some even steam clean. I've never viewed dishwashers as the dirtier method, and I still don't. I am more likely to miss things on a plate than a dishwasher, primarily because of the heat. And no, you don't have to wipe everything afterwords. The dishwasher is sterile and the dish soap generally has an additive that prevents water spotting. In fact, I don't even air dry my hand washed dishes. It's a cleaner and simpler method. I don't know about restaurants in the UK but in the US I can nearly guarantee that the dishes you use are air dried. I personally hate the sight of dirty dishes sitting around too. It's nice to get them out of the way. It keeps the clutter down and is probably a bit more sanitary. I didn't use mine too often, 2 times a week maybe. They can fit quite a bit. And wow, I didn't think I had so much to say about dishwashers :)

I wish I had a dishwasher. They're very convenient, not to mention washing dishes can dry out your hands and cause nail polish to chip :P But for me, I'm going to need to get a dishwasher in my house because I have a problem with my ear. Whenever the water is on, I feel and hear an odd tapping, popping noise in my ear. I can barely take a shower, much more deal with washing dishes by hand. Right now, other people in my house have to do the dishes because I can't take the sensation. When I move out, I'm going to have to get a dishwasher, otherwise, those dishes would pile up :P

exactly for the same reason we have a vacuumcleaner and washingmachine. It's an invention to save time. Although I don't think it saves me time. I have one because of my allergies and I can't stay into the water for long. My dishes never came clean out of it even if I cleaned most of it with water. So now it's just standing there not been used since years. It annoys me that it takes such a long time till it's finished and find out it's still not clean. By hand it's way faster and I don't need so many plates, bekers, etc.