Dishwashers - how essential for busy family?

Absolutely essential.

It's something that I would say is essential.

I never particularly wanted one, didn't see the point. MrSC did and in the end we got one with money we had for our wedding - I wouldn't be without it now. We don't run it every day as there's only two of us but you can put dirty stuff away in it as you go which makes your kitchen tidier and then turn it on when it's full. Loading the dishwasher takes about a quarter of the time washing up does.

Essential!

Think I'd spend all day at the sink washing up if I didn't have one. The children seem to have a habit of needing a new plate/cup etc every 5 seconds!

Even though there's only the two of us, it's essential. When ours broke, it was just horrific having to wash up! Saves a lot of time and effort. Once you have one, you'll never look back!

Absolutely agree, once you have one you'll wonder how you did without one. I didn't think I needed one but once I had it I loved it and with four kids and various hangers on it is worth its weight in gold now.

Mine too ?

Thanks all.

We were offered a full sized one a coule of days ago, but we don't have enough space and had to turn it down ?. We're due to move to a new build in the next few weeks and there's plumbing ready for one, but not enough space for a full size. Maybe we can get one of the built-in ones fitted. Mr G is very keen.

You can get slimline ones, maybe that would be worth investigating?

Love love love it!

uses less water than washing up, i set it to go on overnight to make use of economy 7. it's only slightly less important than a washing machine to me. (though we don't have a TD as they use so much power)

I don't think they are essential even though I do have one

We invariably do some washing up after a meal even if it's saucepans etc so it wouldn't be that much trouble to wash plates up as well

I don't bother putting pans and stuff in the dishwasher as I'd be putting it on a lot more and the kids plastic stuff gets done in the sink as well it seems a waste of water to put the dishwasher on for things like that

Having said that I do quite like having one but not essential

Someone who came to view our house this week was horrified we didn't have one. There's no room though; we'd have to get rid of the washing machine (which is more useful IMO).

Having lived without one for 4 years and then moving over here I would describe them as a marriage saver!

We are having to move in July and I've already put it on the list of must have's.

Essential, I wouldn't be without mine

We're not even a busy family, there's just 2 of us but we wouldn't be without it, saves so much time and hassle. I'd never be without one again.

There's only 2 of us but I don't think I could stand not having a dishwasher. We don't even have a washing machine but washing only needs to be done every 1.5 weeks or so - the dishwasher is used daily.

My mum bought us one for a wedding present six years ago and it basically saved six years of arguments. ? would not be without one now, not for one day.

We always had a dishwasher at home from when I was quite young so when I moved out I missed it terribly, still do infact! It's one thing I'm looking forward to moving home about, I loathe washing up. I like that you can just put stuff in there over the course of a day or whilst cooking a meal and your kitchen stays tidy. We're a 3 person family and have a slimline one due to space and it's always been perfectly adequate, even when my mum got a new kitchen and redesigned it etc she could have got a large but stuck with the slimline. I think the only time there are things left over is the roasting tin on a Sunday which goes in the sink but that's not a bother.

I always thought they were a complete luxury, not remotely necessary especially as there's only two of us. Then we rented a house that had one, and when we moved back home there was no way we were being without one. They are fab. We just never have to actually wash up now, pans, everything go in there. We run it once a day, maybe we are weird as there is only the two of us but we fill it over the course of the day, so we run it.

L
xx

Only two of us and I wouldn't be without it - purely for the amount of arguments it saves over washing up. (Although we now argue over loading and unloading instead.) Mine is quite good, as you can just run the top or bottom shelf if you don't have enough to fill the whole machine.

WZS, ours broke last summer and I was horrified, thankfully my mum agreed we couldn't be without one and bought us a new one and we were only without one for a few days! .

We've always had a dishwasher in our family wheras Mr P has never had one, I am constantly nagging him about his poor stacking skills!!!

These results would make for an interesting social case study on Hitchers..... ?

We moved into this flat almost 2 years ago. It's the first place we've lived with a dishwasher. We haven't used it once ?. My parents have one that they use occasionally, mostly when the family all descends at the same time.

Ha. Couldn't be without it. H Had different views UNTIL we were given one from an old rental flat of his cousin's...when it stopped working 3 months later he was up and out of the door at 8.30 to get to the coop to buy a new one. Essential.

I grew up with one too, and all the houses I've lived in without one I have resented every second I've spent washing up.

Totally essential, even for a couple with cats

Well lets face it, theyre certainly not essential, its not like you coulndt manage without one. they are incredibly useful though in terms of having a clean kitchen and no hassles

We've never had one. I don't particularly feel the lack of one. We only have one child, though, and she's a breastfed 4.5 month old, so doesn't make much more washing up...

Don't have one, have never had one, don't have the space. I'm sure if I had one I woudl love it though and never look back. Our kitchen always has a pile of dishes waiting to be done so looks permanently messy.

That is true, oh practical one ?. I think I'll put it on my list of things to want oce the can't-live-withouts are bought.

Thanks everyone.

H and I love love love our dishwasher. Theres only us and the cats, but we both hate doing dishes. A slim line one suits us perfectly.

I think the state should issue one to every cohabiting couple or household with children.

Obviously, I think it is essential ;-)

We don't have one - neither of our famillies do - so we don't know what we're missing obviously!

Washing up in the sink only takes 5-10 minutes even if we've used lots of dishes, but then its only for two of us. We've never once argued about washing up so its really not an issue for us, and if I had a few quid spare I can think of lots of other things I'd buy before a dishwasher

How do you manage only doing washing every 1.5 weeks? We do a load most days and there's only two of us. We always wear clothes more than once (unless they're actually dirty of course) and only wash bedding about one a month so it's not like we're clean freaks either. What's your secret?