Hand Wash or Dishwasher?

While most of the Calgary homeowners we know have and use their dishwashers, what you may not realize is that your favourite, time-saving appliance is also saving you water! This is great news for the people who have painstakingly washed dishes by hand to try and save water, but it’s also good to know for homeowners who are planning to upgrade their dishwasher in the near future. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your dishwasher.

Only Run it Full.

If saving water is a priority for you, it’s important to only run your dishwasher when it’s actually full. This will ensure the highest water efficiency with each load. While it can be tempting to run a half load when just the top or bottom rack is full, this really isn’t ideal. The dishwasher is designed to run full, so you won’t just be wasting water, your dishwasher will also struggle to clean the dishes as perfectly as usual.

Scrape the Plates.

If you have a modern dishwasher, carefully rinsing every plate should be unnecessary. Modern dishwashers are built to handle some food, and rinsing all of your dishes can use as much as 6000 gallons of water over a year. The City of Calgary compost program is very inclusive, so simply scrape your plates into the compost bin and place them in the dishwasher without rinsing. If your dishwasher struggles to get the food particle off, you may want to consider an upgrade. Of course, if you have a small household and dirty plates sit in your appliance for several days before it’s run, then rinsing may not be optional.

Be Mindful of Unnecessary “Features”.

Most new dishwashers are energy star rated, but that doesn’t mean they don’t come packed with tons of extra features that will waste energy with little benefit. Steam cycle, for example, is really unnecessary in a residential setting. The hot water and soap will do an excellent job of sanitizing your dishes without the help of steam. If you want to take things a step further, you can also cut out the dry cycle. If you open the dishwasher door, your dishes will air dry quite well within just an hour or two.

On average, using a dishwasher saves a person over 200 hours of labour every year. That’s pretty impressive! With energy, water, and time to save, the experts at Plumbing Paramedics are pleased to help any Calgarians install a new, energy-efficient dishwasher. Let us know how our friendly Calgary plumbers can help!