Am I the only one who used to wash dishes by hand until I did the math?

For years I just scrubbed everything in the sink, thought it was cheaper and more thorough. Then my wife pointed out our hot water bill was pushing $60 a month and I timed myself at 45 minutes a night. I switched to a $300 dishwasher a year ago and now my water bill dropped to $35 and I'm done in 5 minutes of loading. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a real savings, or am I missing something about hand washing?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_thompson6d ago

Saw a study a while back that said dishwashers use like half the water of hand washing if you run them full. That lines up with your numbers. Even with the upfront cost of the machine, you're probably saving like $200 a year on water and gas heating it. Plus you get your evenings back, which is honestly the BIGGEST win most people don't think about. I made the switch two years ago and the only downside is when the dishwasher breaks down you remember how much hand washing sucks.

simon_sanchez586d agoTop Commenter

$60 a month for hot water?! Dude that is insane. I mean I knew hand washing was bad but I never actually checked my bill that way. I always just figured it was cheaper too because you're not buying a machine or running it. But $60 just for hot water, plus 45 minutes every single night... that's like 5 hours a week of standing at the sink. That alone would drive me crazy. I bet your wife was just waiting for you to do the math yourself.