I have been trying to find out if I am saving money by using the dishwasher if I have well water and do not have to pay for my water. The only cost would be for the water to be heated with an electric water heater. I already have a dishwasher, so I am not worried about paying to purchase one, just wondering which would be cheaper to use. Any opinions out there???

Dishwashers don't materialize out of thin air. Why aren't the resources and energy AND WATER that are needed to fabricate a dishwasher mentioned? Imagine if everyone in the world who uses plates had a dishwasher, how many resources would be needed to make them?

Beside the electricity not addressed, you can use the "gray" water after doing dishes at water for your garden. Its full of organic matter, assuming your using the appropriate soap.

If you DO use a dishwasher, it doesn't pay to put the dishes in too clean. That detergent is highly caustic (keep out of reach of children!) and if it has nothing to chew on, it will definitely begin to etch your china.

Why is it that these stories seldom or never figure in the electricity used to run the dishwasher but focus on water consumption? Like several others who commented, I do NOT run a sinkful of hot water to rinse but pile up the clean, soapy dishes into the empty sink until I have enough, then rinse several items and turn the water off until the sink fills with soapy dishes again. Plus I often rinse dishes thoroughly before putting them into the dishwasher, so what exactly am I saving to use the dishwasher?

A Chinese friend told me years ago that their family fills a small basin with soap and water and uses it all day to wash dishes. Rinsing the dishes first to keep the water cleaner, plus topping off with hot water when necessary, I have used this method for over 30 years without any ill effects for my family. Why fill an entire sink with water? I now also wash all the dishes first waiting to rinse them all at onece.

Did you factor in the cost of the dishwasher? I'll take hand washing for me, a single 80-yr.-old gal.

Gotta say, love my energy efficient d/w, but I have to wash the dishes and silverware fairly well BEFORE putting them through the d/w, so really, it probably makes more sense to hand-wash and dry. The sterilization of a d/w is a good thing, though.

You don't fill the entire sink and then rinse separately. There's no way I use the amount of water for hand washing as indicated in your article. My sink doesn't hold that much. I start with just a little water and wash the cleanest dishes and rinse pure hot into the sink. Hand washing dishes is also therapeutic. Dish washers are a waste of energy.

The article does not address the bleach in many dishwasher detergents or the fact that even when using a dishwasher a person is likely to fill a sink to wash counters and things that can't go in the dishwasher. Also, I bought a no-prerinse-needed dishwasher but if I don't pre-rinse, things don't come clean. And we should also factor the wear and tear on a large appliance that does not last forever.

The phosphate issue is not a small one. It ends up killing habitat for fish. And I doubt I could easily find a phosphate-free detergent.

Hand washing seems the better bet for a conscientious person who does not run water non-stop.

Why does one need to fill the sink when handwashing dishes? I put a little squirt of soap in a bowl, fill it with hot water, and dip my scrub brush and dishrag into that Then, just rinse with clean water, rather than rinsing the washed dishes in a "tepid bath of their own filth". Also, whether washing by hand or dishwasher, if you start with cleaner dishes in the first place, it's better. Use a rubber scraper when putting stuff into the "leftovers" containers. Then, you can wipe the dishes off with a paper towel to get off all the goo before they get washed.