Is it worth buying a dishwasher?
The household appliances market is saturated with all kinds of devices. We can no longer imagine our life without some of them, be it a kettle, stove or washing machine. We buy some devices under the influence of good advertising, after seeing something new and interesting, and others just to have them, in case “what if it comes in handy.”
As a result, a lot of unnecessary items appear in the kitchen, without which you could do just fine. The question arises: is it worth buying a dishwasher? Will it become another useless and unnecessary thing in the kitchen, where there is already little space? Let's weigh the pros and cons of such a purchase.
Do you need a dishwasher?
A dishwasher is a household appliance that many families can easily live without, and they do not feel inferior to those who have such a machine. A dishwasher is more associated with catering establishments, for example, restaurants, cafes, hotels, where there are a lot of dirty dishes during the day. However, as statistics show, people increasingly began to buy this item of household appliances for home in order to simplify life for themselves and their loved ones.
Do you need a dishwasher? We believe that it is necessary, but we do not force anyone to think the same way, but only want to substantiate our point of view with real facts. You have the right to think that a dishwasher is an unnecessary household item, why is it needed for one or two people to wash one plate and waste water on it? But don't rush to conclusions. Imagine a simple dinner for two people: mashed potatoes with a cutlet, fresh cabbage salad with cucumber, a cup of tea.
It seems that there are not many dishes, just a couple of plates, a salad bowl, two mugs and two forks, which will take a maximum of 10 minutes to wash. Why load a large dishwasher and wait 2-3 hours for it to finish washing? Everything is completely different, because don’t forget that there is still an unwashed saucepan or frying pan in which you cooked, and if you prepare the sauce for the cutlets separately, then it will be another small saucepan. Now imagine how much space this will take up in the dishwasher, quite a bit, and these are just dishes for two after dinner.
We have looked at just one example out of many; people think about such nuances only after purchasing a dishwasher. It turns out that some of the dishes have to be washed by hand, because they do not fit into the machine that the seller recommended to you. If you look into it, it will become clear that it’s not a matter of technology at all, but a rash choice.
Only those who experience true pleasure from washing dishes in the sink can say that a dishwasher is not needed, but we think that such people are few.
Analyzing the characteristics
Undoubtedly, a dishwasher makes work in the kitchen easier, and buying one is everyone’s business. But such pleasure is not cheap, about the same as an automatic washing machine. That is why, in order to answer the question of whether it is worth buying, you need to understand the characteristics in order to evaluate all the pros and cons of the dishwasher.
- One of the most important characteristics is the capacity of the dishwasher and its dimensions. The larger the unit, the more dishes can be washed at one time. The smallest models of machines are designed for 4 sets of dishes, the largest can hold up to 17 sets. But most of all on the market there are models with loading from 9 to 14 sets.And here everything is very simple - the larger your family, the larger the dishwasher should be, otherwise, be prepared to run the dishwasher after every meal.
Don’t get your hopes up by thinking that a small machine will fit a lot of dishes, this is a myth. These dishwashers do not include baking sheets, large frying pans or large pots. But this does not mean that it does not cope with the washing function at all. It will wash all small dishes and plates very well.
- The dimensions of the dishwasher are standard in most cases. The width of most models is 45 cm (narrow machines) or 60. It is completely in vain to think that for a kitchen with an area of about 6 square meters. m. The dishwasher is not suitable at all, it is not even worth buying it. There is a solution to the problem - optimize the storage of dishes and food in the kitchen, and you will understand that you will have a place for a dishwasher. As a last resort, you can buy a tabletop model or a small machine and build it under the sink.
- Time to wash dishes. On average, the duration of one washing cycle is 120-160 minutes, which is not in favor of buying a dishwasher. But is it really important how quickly your plates end up in the cupboard? And you can start the wash at night, without waiting for it to finish. You will spend about 10 minutes on the whole process to load the dishes and then take them out.
- Quality of washing - this characteristic of a dishwasher is called washing class, which in all modern machines is the highest A. This is a plus of a dishwasher, because you cannot wash dishes with your hands the way a machine can, and most importantly, because your hands cannot withstand a water temperature of 50-700C. At this temperature, bacteria will die, which is important.The quality of washing will also depend on the quality of the detergent, as well as on how the dishes are arranged.
Some dishwasher models have the ability to pre-rinse and soak dishes, which allows them to accumulate inside the dishwasher throughout the day without any problem.
- Any dishwasher is equipped with drying, which can be condensation or forced (turbo drying). You don’t have to waste time wiping dishes, especially since it is simply impossible or very difficult to wipe glass or crystal without streaks. After the dishwasher, transparent objects, glasses, and wine glasses simply shine.
- The presence of additional functions makes it possible not only to wash dishes, but also, for example, to sterilize jars for preparations. In addition, with this function you can wash children’s dishes without fear.
How economical is a dishwasher?
One common belief is that a dishwasher saves water. We can agree with this; the savings are especially noticeable if the machine is connected to cold water. When you wash dishes under running water, the consumption is much greater than with an automatic wash. Thanks to the spray system, little water is consumed; due to the flow rate and heating to a high temperature, it washes dishes more efficiently.
For your information! Most dishwasher models consume 12-13 liters of water; in premium models, water consumption can be about 7-8 liters, while when washing by hand, up to 60 liters of water are spent per day.
But don’t think that the smaller the dishwasher, the less water consumption – this is the second myth. Water consumption depends on the design of the machine, and not on the dimensions. After all, even full-size machines have a half-load function that allows you to save water and electricity.
But saving hot and cold water will not cover electricity costs. On average, a dishwasher consumes about 0.8 kW/h, which results in about 70 kW per month, but this is based on minimal calculations. To pay for electricity, it is worth adding the cost of detergents, which include powder, special salt, and rinse aid. There are both cheap and expensive means, but this does not change the essence of the issue. The costs of maintaining and operating a dishwasher will exceed the costs of manual washing, but on the other hand, this will be a payment for free time and calm nerves.
Users' opinions
The advantages of a dishwasher over manual washing are obvious, but we decided to make sure of this and read user reviews. Here's what visitors to the Babyblog site and other forums say about whether it's worth buying a dishwasher or not. Almost unanimously everyone was in favor of the purchase, not against it. Even those who have found some shortcomings in the chosen model are not against the purchase, and still say that the machine helps a lot in the kitchen, especially when guests come.
Aurika, Moscow
A dishwasher allows you to save time; over time, when you learn how to place dishes correctly, the loading process will take no more than three minutes. As for the efficiency of the dishwasher, I would say that the costs are approximately the same, but your hands and nails will always look well-groomed. And it is also impossible to wash dishes cleanly, as technology does. And let her do this for 2 hours, what’s the problem? I don't care as long as there is a result. I'm happy with my Bosch.
Inna, Moscow
People, show me the person who would say after buying a dishwasher that it is useless, I have never met anyone like that.With her appearance, now I can’t imagine how you can do without her. Of course, there are items that cannot be washed in it, for example, kitchen knives with wooden handles, wooden boards, and Teflon-coated frying pans. And you shouldn’t save unnecessarily and buy a narrow model, there’s still no saving, but there will be problems with placing some large kitchen items.
Alexandra, Moscow
With both hands for purchasing a dishwasher. I noticed these advantages for myself. Firstly, the quality of washing is incomparable to hand washing, much better and in at least 40 minutes. Secondly, the saving of hot water is significant, since I am used to washing dishes under running hot water, spending a lot of time on this, the dishwasher is connected to cold water, which is already a plus. Thirdly, aggressive detergents do not come into contact with the skin of my hands; I cannot wash with gloves. Fourthly, it saves time, I like to cook, so there’s a lot of dishes, I have to load the dishwasher a couple of times. And finally, large five-liter pots are washed with a bang, washing them by hand is a real problem, you had to shake them off and soak them for a very long time. But I don’t even take into account the disadvantages, the advantages outweigh them, I think that such a purchase is profitable and will pay off very soon.
For your information! There are users who are so pleased with their purchase that they simply don’t understand how they could live without it, and propose erecting a monument to the one who invented such a necessary household appliance - a dishwasher.
To summarize: all the pros and cons
To summarize the above, let us briefly note all the advantages of a dishwasher that “force” people to make a purchase:
- saving personal time that can be spent on relaxation;
- high-quality dishwashing without much effort;
- fight against microbes;
- no negative effects on the skin of the hands;
- no need to dry dishes;
- and most importantly, you don’t have to figure out who is going to wash the dishes today, the technology will do it for you.
Let us also note the disadvantages, we have identified only two:
- a good dishwasher from a well-known brand will not be cheap, you will have to pay well for it, but the reliability of such a machine will be much higher;
- problems with choosing a place in a small apartment for a full-fledged large dishwasher, there is a compromise solution, but you will have to sacrifice something.
So, a dishwasher is a necessary thing in everyday life, but not everyone, due to their financial capabilities, can afford such a purchase. If you decide to buy a dishwasher, then read how to do it correctly in the article How to choose a dishwasher for your home.
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11 reader comments
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This is some kind of miracle! I used to laugh, how can a dishwasher wash dishes with a jet of water? And now I see, maybe! This is unreal! Everything is clean and shiny. I've been using it for almost a year. I still can’t get enough of it!
I completely agree with you, a dishwasher is a wonderful thing! My Hotpoint has been serving me for 3 years already! I'm as happy as a cat. Of course, this invention has more advantages than disadvantages :)
I also know that people who bought a Kirby vacuum cleaner also never admit that they bought a good thing for crazy money.Although, deep down, they understand that they did something stupid. Not a single calculation of the payback of a dishwasher, except for general phrases about nails and skin.
We bought an Indesit dishwasher for home and I finally stopped regularly seeing this mountain of dishes in the sink! Everything washes itself unnoticed and without my participation. We turn it on at night when electricity is cheaper.
If you are a lazy person, then yes, a dishwasher will help.
Most likely, in your family the wife can do the dishes.
I live in the private sector. I get hot water through a boiler, which, as a rule, uses a lot of energy. To wash the dishes accumulated during the day, for example, I use a 50-liter boiler. The dishwasher takes only cold water and heats 10 liters of water in total per cycle. The benefits seem to be obvious... and of course there is much more free time. But let's not forget that washing dishes by hand we spend $1-2 on a bottle of detergent per month. And dishwasher maintenance is much more expensive. So the only benefit is that we don’t waste our precious time and energy on this routine.
It's so worth it! My Hotpoint saves me a lot of time. Especially after I learned that the dishwasher can do more than just wash dishes!
We lived without a dishwasher and continue to live without it.
We rented an apartment and never used this unit, because washing a couple of plates takes 2 minutes, and not 1-3 hours, which requires electricity and special means for washing and then cleaning.
It doesn't even pay for itself in 10 years. But the expenses for consumables are high.
What are you even talking about?
And that’s right, don’t buy it, and also don’t use the washing machine! And cook over the fire! Apparently you only eat dumplings and ready-made food...
Apparently you eat from a cafe or semi-finished products