Research says that a load of dishes cleaned in a dishwasher requires 37 percent less water than washing dishes by hand. While this is true, there is also something else to consider. The reason it uses less water is because we let the water run while washing dishes. If we fill the sink basin with water and wash dishes without endlessly running the water, we will actually use less water than our dishwasher. Actually, we could use half as much water. That makes a difference. So there are two ways here that we can go green while washing dishes.
1. We can fill our sink basin with water and wash dishes by hand.
2. If washing dishes by hand just doesn’t work for us, then we can put them in the dishwasher without washing them first.
Both ways will save water and money at the same time.
One more thing to think about with dishwashers: According to the California Energy Commission “as much as 80 percent of the energy your dishwasher uses goes to heat water”.
Going green is more than just saving water. It means saving energy too.
Sources
www.consumerenergycenter.org
