For National No Dirty Dishes Day, we\u2019re bringing you our best tips and tricks for cleaning those dishes in a way that saves money, time, water, and energy. Bookmark this and share it with your friends!<\/p>\n
The 8-Dish Rule<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you have enough dishes to run the dishwasher? The decision is easy when you have a full load, but what about when you\u2019re washing just a few? It may seem more efficient to just wash them by hand, but that\u2019s often not the case. The tipping point for when it is more efficient to run the dishwasher is actually when you have as few as 8 dishes<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dishwashers are far more efficient than washing dishes by hand. The energy it takes to heat the water that comes out when running your tap for a couple of minutes is more than all the energy it takes to run the dishwasher. It also can save up to 15 seconds per dish to use the dishwasher instead of hand washing and that adds up over time.<\/p>\n Scrape Don\u2019t Rinse<\/strong><\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t wash your clothes before you put them in the washing machine. Why do you wash your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher? According to Consumer Reports<\/a>, the average household wastes over 6,000 gallons of water a year pre-rinsing before loading the dishwasher. Save time, cut down on your water bill, and get your dishes just as clean by scraping them<\/a> instead of rinsing.<\/p>\n Clean The Filter<\/strong><\/p>\n Dishwashers have filters and they need to be cleaned periodically. If you find your dishwasher has stopped washing dishes as well, this may be the culprit. Check the manual for instructions and make a point to clean your dishwasher at least twice a year, but ideally monthly. This helps keep it running more efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n Additional Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n