Do you actually use your dishwasher?

10 years ago

For those of you who have dishwashers, do you actually use it to wash dishes or do you use it to store them?

Vote and let us know how you use your dishwasher!

Formal white kitchen with blue island - Mullet Cabinet · More Info

I use it to wash dishes.

I use it as a place to store dishes.

Other - Tell us Below!

Featured Answer

oakleyspanky

10 years ago

Love my super quiet Bosch in my newly renovated lake house kitchen. I have low back issues, so my husband insisted we install it high with a drawer underneath so I don't have to bend down to empty it. Its perfect!

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Comments (95)

Berta C
10 years ago
Nyra dw actually sanitize dishes so they are cleaner than by hand. And do u know how germy sponges and rags can be?! Two of my favorite words are "dishwasher safe"!
anemie1
10 years ago
I even have two, never clutter in my kitchen
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Tommy Gilbreath
10 years ago
We always rinse our dishes and wash them in the diswasher to sanitize them. Putting caked on food in a dishwasher is most likely going to cause problems down the road (according to a dishwasher maintenance man who suggested only using the powder soap and only 1-2 tsp at a time for a small to full load). He specifically stated that the pods damage the machine and it will require more maintenance. Since we took his advice, no calls for service.
Rita Patrick
10 years ago
We have a kitchen aid top of the line. It is invaluable. I bought three sets of plates, flatware etc. (24 of everything). It holds double rows of dishes unlike my first DW. We run it just a couple times a week even when we have large family meals and everything is sparkling! LOVE IT!
Katherine Lewis
10 years ago
I run mine twice a day at least! We're a family of four and eat breakfast and dinner at home most days. When we have the family over, I may run it 4-5 times that day. I'm looking to possibly put 2 in during our kitchen remodel!
Sara Parker
10 years ago
My favourite appliance. Ours are Whirlpool and so far have lasted well, run quietly and you don't have to pre rinse.
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Cindy E Barganier Interiors
10 years ago
Every day. :)
Nancy Travisinteriors
10 years ago
Who wouldn't use a dishwasher? For washing dishes. It's the best thing you can do.
Nancy Travisinteriors
10 years ago
Kitchen aid is so quite I don't know it's on.
Hope George
10 years ago
I use my dishwasher at least once a day if not twice a day, with 2 teenagers in the house, its hard to keep up!!! I love the kitchen posted, 2 dishwashers would be so helpful!!!
pcmom1
10 years ago
You need to use at least once a week or the seals will dry out and you will pay for leak repairs (been there).
karelina
10 years ago
Certainly! I no longer feel guilty about cooking from scratch or baking and feel free to do more of it.
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By Design Custom Home Concierge
10 years ago
I ABSOLUTELY use my dishwasher to wash dishes . . . . I'm doing it right now! Look at me "multi-tasking"! :-)
lucyhomedecor
10 years ago
I have a two drawer dishwasher & I love. With only two people at home, I was constantly running out of silverware & glasses. Now I fill up one drawer & run a load. I still can clean up after a large crowd by using both drawers.
jltait
10 years ago
Buying a dishwasher saved my marriage. In the early days, we didn't have one and I'd frequently pull glasses and plates out of the cupboard with greasy fingerprints or food stuck to it. I found a used apartment-sized portable dishwasher and my husband got to stay. :-)

With 3 of us now, we run our full-sized one every day, usually with overflow stuff waiting on the counter for the next load. Two drawers would be nice...
janbhan
10 years ago
Yes, I use my dishwasher, on average about every 36 hours as there are just two of us. My tiny kitchen is immaculately tidy, and I no longer have rough cracked hands (I found I dropped things when I used gloves). My kids laughed at first, but they now see that entertaining is no longer such a chore, those piles of dishes just vanish! The only thing was we seemed to need more coffee mugs.... And more teaspoons! So we do wash those up to some extent.
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LEICHT New York
10 years ago
Here is a dishwasher we recently put into one of our clients' homes. It includes a cutlery pullout that we had meet up with her cutlery drawer for easy clean up.
Summit, New Jersey · More Info

It was also featured in a Houzz tour: https://www.houzz.com/magazine/my-houzz-clean-swiss-style-in-a-new-jersey-suburb-stsetivw-vs~25064842
Sheri
10 years ago
I use mine every other day. I can't imagine not having it.
krf9
10 years ago
YES! I love it. Dishes are my least favourite chore. My in-laws just got a working dishwasher, after about 10 years of having a broken one, and they rarely use it. Only for big gatherings. Day to day they still handwash, and that works for them.
User
10 years ago
Would not have a kitchen without one. Handwashing flatware is a pain. Do handwash pots. Love my new DW with the upper flatware tray.
daniela61
10 years ago
after much convincing have put 2 dishwashers in my new kitchen & will never go back to one luv them so much....one woman in a house of men (husband & sons) if you have the room & budget you will use them
Alison Oliver
9 years ago
We are a family of 3 and we run a full load every day. I really don't think I'd cope as a working mum if I didn't have my dishwasher! We also have a small kitchen so it's really important to be able to get rid of the dirty dishes as they appear so that there's worktop space to prepare food on! It's nice to have not too much mess left at the end of meal preparation and then the dinner plates go in and we're done!
Debra R
8 years ago
We are a family of 3, and have 2 dishwashers. I would never go back. We usually run each one a couple times a week. You just fill one up, and then the excess goes into the other. While the first runs, you continue to fill up the second. Once the first finishes, you put away the dishes, and then the first becomes the second. It is just like having a super-sized dishwasher. If we have fancy meals with a lot of pots and pans, it usually takes more than one dishwasher, just because of how big the pans are. And I NEVER hand wash anything (including my gold-rimmed crystal!) Never had a dishwasher growing up, and when I saw this tip on a home show 15 years ago, I adopted it for our new house. We are now remodeling, and I went with 2 dishwashers again. These new dishwashers have the ability to run just one rack-even more flexibility!
bhindman39
8 years ago
Have a kitchen aid washer love it. Break out in rash when hand washing so needed one.
Bev
8 years ago
Of course I use my dishwasher! We would not have bought one for this house (they did not have one) if we did not use it. I hate hand washing dishes!
justmyopinion
8 years ago
I have tried to like it but never learned to love it. Unloading the dishwasher is my least favorite household chore and that says a lot. I can wash them my hand, they air dry in mere minutes and I put them right away in the cupboards - done for the night and ready to put my feet up. The dishwasher takes far too long to complete the cycle and who has the energy to empty it that late.

Plus, my husband never would put dirty dishes in the dishwasher properly. He would just plop what ever he had anywhere so I had to rearrange all the dirty items he put in there. No amount of training or nagging had any effect.
belletje
8 years ago
Count my dishwasher among the basic needs for my survival
Judy Henry
8 years ago
I don't have a dishwasher. Like my mother says, children are dishwashers.
Alan McGoldrick
8 years ago
Dish drawers are the way to go!
User
8 years ago
Better than beating them on rocks, replacing them gets too expensive. Of course I do, why wouldn't I. Best invention since the clothes washer.
itsizzi
7 years ago
I run it occasionally so the seals don't dry out and if I have company, but daily use? No. I'm single and would run out of dishes before it was ever full.
larkspurproject
7 years ago
Every day
Judy Henry
7 years ago
Weirdly I don't use a dishwasher, I rather use my hands.
Mandee Trom
7 years ago
Bahaha I use it to wash dishes and I may not unload it immediately.. But I never wash anything by hand. Couldn't live without a dishwasher!!
bhindman39
7 years ago
With just 2 of us now, use dishwasher at night. Kitchen is cleaned.
Lisa Williams
7 years ago
If I have my way, I will never be without a DW! My parents had one from the time I was about 5, so it seems like a "need" rather than a "want" to me... One place I rented with a friend when I was right out of college didn't have one, and it was sorely missed!

I think the dishwasher does a better job and definitely sanitizes better than hand washing. When I was raising 4 kids, we had a huge island with 2 dishwashers and it was heaven! Now it's just my daughter and I and we put everything in and run it every other day. Occasionally, we can't fit all the pots, having only 1 dishwasher now, though :/

I'll always use the dishwasher...even if it takes a few days to fill it. It's quiet and does a great job. Putting my hands into food particle-filled dish water simply grosses me out too! I have a scrub brush for pre-rinsing :P
PRO
AKG Design Studio LLC
7 years ago
I love my Dishwashers! yes, I have two. My Thermador and my husband. I love them both.
jane_bhandari
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I LOVE my dishwasher. Gets everything really clean.

I have remodeled my daughter's kitchen in her new flat so that WHEN she gets piped gas (right now it's bottled) the storage for the gas cylinder has the plumbing and the power and drainage all ready for her to install her very first dishwasher. When that day comes I will gift her the dishwasher!

I wish we could get the drawer type in India, but they haven't come in so far. For two people the standard dishwasher runs about every second day, which is actually ok. We leaved it cracked open so it's ventilated.

When we go out of town for a couple of days I leave the washed dishes inside till we get back. You just need to blot off the mugs and any other dishes that collect a bit of water. But they are all ready to go when we get back, and it's hubby's job to put them away while I empty the bags and load the washing machine. Then he makes a refreshing cup of tea....
PRO
Raegan Ford Interior Design
7 years ago
I use it to actually wash dishes!
jdishes
7 years ago
I use it rinse the dishes after I wash them. It isn't really capable of washing them from start to finish.
wteam
7 years ago
With a family of four, we have sometimes used ours 4x in a day.
tooky58
7 years ago
My husband bought it for me the month after he moved in. Why would you not use it, it's healthier than hand washing. The one we have is a "convertible" Right now we use it as a portable but, going to "convert" it to a built-in. My ex and I had an 18", was perfect for our small kitchen. Currently we run it every 3-4 days, depending on how much I'm cooking for dinner. For cooking for 2 I can make quite the mess.
User
7 years ago
Definitely!
PRO
Mid-Century Online
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I hate saying it out loud but we have two. One has clean dishes while the other is loaded with dirty......and then we alternate. Great when we have guests but they both get used everyday regardless.
janbhan
7 years ago
I put away all the dishes, said hubby. I gaped at him. I hadn't started it yet! I said. Uh, they looked clean, he said. Duh!

Well, I do rinse them because we have an ant problem, but they may still be greasy! Now I hang a folded tea towel in the cracked-open door... If it's not there the dishwasher has done its stuff and is waiting to be emptied.

I love it, my very small kitchen stays tidy and I don't have a stack of dishes waiting for me in the morning. Another bonus is coming back after a busy day and finding everything nice and clean, though you do have to dab the water off the bottom of the cups and glasses. No big deal.
janbhan
7 years ago
Oh yes, I did have to buy more mugs, and more teaspoons! But in 36 hours that's all we use a lot of. The kettle is always on for a cuppa! I have banned recycling mugs becayse they get indelibly stained. Hubby likes his coffee but I haven't ever been a coffee drinker. My son did buy me a tiny coffee machine but it is something of a chore to clean it every day. You cannot put it in the dis washer. But one of my guests likes to use it because she drinks ferociously strong coffee. I can't. ... it gives me heartburn.
Dennis Mattson
7 years ago
I've Never used my dishwashers, in any place I've ever lived... I wash all my dishes by hand right after each meal, and when cooking, wash every measuring cup, spoon, etc as I go... I use my dishwasher for Storage...
janbhan
7 years ago
So who does use your dishwasher, Dennis?

I got mine because I am quite allergic to detergentsand rubber gloves in a hot climate are dreadful, they start to smell of old sweat within a day. I do use them occasionally for cleaning jobs but cringe at wearing them again! Finally I got a box of disposable gloves, and the dishwasher. Problem solved! The dishwasher is my salvation, especially when the family comes over. I recently had 25 people for dinner for my birthday, all close family. If I invited the next layer of relatives we would have to eat in sittings! It's also great when we clear the china cupboard out, a quarterly event. The plates get very dusty if not used, so we wash them all in the dishwasher, and clean the cupboards while the dishwasher runs. I don't put in crystal or china with gilt edgings, those do have to be washed by hand. But the heavy Pyrex dishes that belonged to my grandmother, and the steel pots and pans that we use rarely because they are too big for just two people, those come out sparkling.

I also find we break fewer things. Because we are not handling soapy, slippery dishes. That's a big plus point. As we get older the temptation to just rinse the cups under the tap overrides the desire for cleanliness, and I remember my mother just rinsing off dishes under the hot tap , without soap. In a fairly short time they were anything but hygienic. She couldn't see how dirty they were because she was losing her sight. At the same age, I have the same problem, plus arthritis, but I hope the dishwasher (and my washing machine) will keep things nice and clean.
Danielle Crowley
7 years ago
We had one built in since the beginning but I never really use it because it simply uses too much electricity in my opinion.. I also think it doesn't clean as well as doing it by hand!
Deborah Souther
3 years ago
We just remodeled our kitchen in late 2020. We only bought a dishwasher because its expected in kitchens these days.. The dishwasher has been turned on once when the plumber installed it.. The dishwasher took several weeks to dry out, even with me wiping it dry daily. I don't trust dishwashers to get dishes clean especially pots. No one can convince me that a dishwasher does a better job than hand washing. My dishes are washed, dried and put away in 30 minutes or less. i only use about 4 gallons of water.once a day. 2 gallons to wash, 2 gallons to rinse. If something needs to soak, I use the rinse water and let it soak. I don;t even know how to turn the dishwasher on. To me it was a waste of money, but my husband said we had to have one.

Do you actually use your dishwasher?

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