Unless having a very large family or working two shifts, most people choose to wash dishes by hand and don’t invest in a dishwasher. The majority of us believe that a dishwasher is a luxury and a waste of money. Below, you can find out whether washing dishes by hand or in a dishwasher has more advantages.
According to new research performed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, washing dishes by hand won’t remove the majority of germs from dishes. The main reason for this is that the water is usually not hot enough to kill germs.
The dishwashing sponge can cause another serious problem. How often do you change the one you use?
A sponge is a veritable hot bed for pathogens, as these thrive in moist environment. And, most of the time, a dishwashing sponge stays wet between uses. How many times does it happen that we wash a single knife or cup, and then wipe off the table, and so on, the sponge being practically in use all day long? The advice of experts is to dry the sponge thoroughly after each use in the microwave or in the oven, or replace it with a new one once a week.
Additional problems are hot water, which dries the skin, and dishwashing liquid, which removes enzymes from the skin that can’t be replaced with hand lotions. Besides, dishwashing liquid contains harmful chemicals.
A final disadvantage of washing dishes by hand is that a huge amount of water is consumed. If we use a dishwasher, we can save about 22,700 litres of water per year.