Dishwashers - how essential for busy family?

Hm, this has been really interesting. There's only the two of us and H does all of the washing up. I would like a dishwasher but H doesn't really care! Neither of us have ever had one before.

But since we're refurbing the kitchen, it would probably be a selling point to have one or space for one in the future. Might have to go for it based on everyone's consideration that it's essential.

I'm only echoing what almost everyone else said! We never had one til we moved to our current house 2 years ago and I have no idea how we coped without it now. I think I would break into a cold sweat if we had to live without it for a while!

we only do clothes at weekends, and there's only two of us - do you actually have a full load to do most days??

We have a slimline dishwasher but I have to say we very rarely use it, only if we have people round - dos it really use less water than washing up?

I would say at least 2-3 times a week. We do go to the gym/run 5/6 times a week so I suppose that adds to it. I can imagine only doing washing once a week if you have the space to dry it all but less than once a week and we'd run out of clothes! Maybe the answer is to buy more clothes, I could live with that ?

Haha yes maybe! H wears a clean shirt every day and I do as well, but we also have a washing machine with a large-ish drum so probably fits more in too. Every other weekend we do 2 loads as towels/bedding needs washing too.

Ah yes, small drum on the washing machine doesn't help matters either.

We've got a dishwasher in the house - me!

There's no room for a dishwasher in our current kitchen and I've never ever had one. Might be quite a nice luxury for the future but surely it's cheaper/more efficient to wash them by hand if you have the time? I can imagine all our plates and pots living in there permanently and never making it back into the cupboards! ?

I definitely wash my clothes more than once every 1.5 weeks! I go to the gym four times a week so I'm always rotating sports bras/gym towels and H gets through shirts at an unbelievable rate!

https://tiny.cc/dA4i7

But what about the cost of the electricity?

Nick that link is great, saving the environment, one dishwasher at a time!

But you're using electricity to heat the water to wash up by hand.

if anything our electricity bills are lower now we're heating less water and there are programmes which use really low amounts of electricity, plus i run it at night for econ 7.

Hadn't thought about it like that CB! So that just leaves the issue of no room in our current kitchen but I'll definitely bookmark that link Nick - thanks. I think a dishwasher would be a most welcome addition to our next home.

We haven't ever had one but I can see that they would be mighty useful, especially with small people around. One for when we have our own plance/any money I think.

I am very chuffed that they are now more environmentally friendly, otherwise H wouldn't have one in the house.

We do seem to spend a lot of time washing up at the moment even with 2 of us.

My understanding (based on talking to my environmental consultant BIL) is that the most efficient machines used in the most efficient way are actually greener than washing up by hand- obviously most of us don;t manage always to use them that well though I'm v bad at this).

Our machine broke for 2 weeks in January and it was no fun at all- preparing 4 different meals every day for 4 people makes for a hell of a lot of washing up.

A dishwasher is essential for us at the moment. We have a toddler and a baby just starting out on mush, so every meal time I'm making three meals (Mr_cdl and I, the toddler and the baby). ? I'm a SAHM and Mr_cdl works from home so we're creating mess all day long. Hopefully we'll all be on the same meals soon (I'm working on it ?).

I'd Mr_cdl would be washing up probably about three or four times a day without it.

Not ESSENTIAL - I mean, even a washing machine or fridge isn't exactly essential - but the best labour-saving device we've ever bought! We only ever used to row about washing-up, and it completely solves that. Plus you never have to look at dirty dishes (in theory, anyway...we're still crap at loading it! And there are only the two of us. If it broke, I would do everything I could to replace it immediately (I want a Miele one next time...)

Exactly what Knownowt says -2 dishwashes a day, 4 meals a day for 4 people (or 2 or 4 and 2 for 2 even), whilst trying to keep up with / bring up 2 small children, doing 1 clothes wash at least a day, trying to keep the house tidy (hahahahaha) etc - essential for my sanity. AND I'm allergic to washing up liquid, and rubber gloves before you say it, so there.

I must be the only person with a dishwasher who really doesn't care one way or the other about it ?

We never argue over who does the washing up and I really don't think it saves that much time to load and unload the dishwasher than it does to just wash up. Its also a bit noisy and sometimes I quite like the chit chat in the kitchen with Mr Nora whilst we're cleaning up in there.

Sometimes it is a god send but I wouldn't rave about it. I certainly wouldn't be in a major hurry to replace it if it broke.

Not absolutely essential, no, but what is? It's a cupboard to keep your washing up in, so it makes the kitchen look tidier, and at the end of the day, it washes up for you too. That's pretty good.

We only got one 18 months ago, and it rocks. That said, I could manage without, but I'd struggle without the tumble drier. I know this makes me a penniless environment-wrecker, but we get through a lot of washing, and I'd need a) shed loads of drying space and b) to be arsed to hang it out. Neither applies I'm afraid.

Ditto. I don't actually like mine very much. I hate loading/unloading and would much rather wash up. I find it all a bit of a faff.

Me too so this first year we've had a dishwasher has been heavenly.

It's not that I mind washing up per se but if I do it more than once or twice a week, my hands are a mess. Which means if I cook or bake, I can't wash up as I go along so our small kitchen gets chocked up with dirty dishes fast. And H isn't that keen on coming home from work and starting in on two loads of dishes, oddly. ?

I can't tell you what a difference having a dishwasher has made to our lives - and we load as we go along and it takes 2 mins to unload, so it's much faster than handwashing for us too.

Hmm, I've never really thought about getting one tbh. If we were going to get anything, it would be a tumble drier as 2 adults (one a builder, one just messy) a teenager and a toddler create quite a lot of washing; usually 5 or 6 loads a week, I think. Not being able to dry it other than over radiators in winter is sometimes a bit annoying. I can't say I've ever wished I had a dishwasher. Maybe Mr Layabout does, though, as he does more of it than I do. His parents have one, but I think it only gets used 2 or 3 times a year. My parents have had one for years and my perception is that it's smelly, annoying when you have to hoik dirty stuff out and wash it anyway, after it's festered for days, and a PITA to put it all away when it finishes.

Your parents don't seem to have good dishwasher skills, PL. ?

Smelly? Um no...

Hoik dirty stuff out after it's festered for days? Um, no. We run ours at least every 2 days (when full). Very rarely a pan doesn't clean properly, usually when it's been put in a stupid position, but when it does happen, anything dirty has just been "cleaned" at high temp so it usually comes off easily and it's certainly not smelly or festering.

PITA to put away? Well, no more than putting away dishes that have been handwashed and left to dry at the side of the sink or dried with a tea towel.? I'm really not getting this argument.

We never had one growing up (we had servants instead ?) and I don't have one now because there isn't space in my kitchen. I don't mind washing up, but if loml nd I ever manage to get a place together a dishgwasher will def be on the list - why do the washing up when you don't have to?

Well there's 2 of us and a 3 year old and we haven't got one and I'm not bothered about having one. We had one when I was at home and you could never find a clean cup. I guess i'd miss it if i'd had one and then lost it but otherwise, certainly not essential IMHO

A tumbledrier I couldn't be without. We have warm air heating so no radiators and with the british weather, i'd never have any clean clothes without it. It's a godsend. That said, if I had radiators I think i'd still miss the drier cause I hate seeing clothes hanging about the place.

Don't have a dishwasher and MrNeo doesn't want to get one either. I don't do the washing up, he does (even though at his parents' house they always had a dishwasher), we never argue over it ? Our kitchen also doesn't have the space for it, maybe if we ever get round to getting a new kitchen, we might get one, but not high on the priority list

We also don't have a tumble dryer, again, don't really have the space for one. Although when the washing machine breaks down, we'll get one of those washing machines/tumble dryers in one.

I have one of these - its a hotpoint and its rubbish!! well, the washing machine is great, but if you put the same load on to dry imemediately after, you get, well, very hot wet clothes! it only really works if you take half the load out and dry that out. The only way ive managed to get a whole load dry is to leave it on for about 3 hours, which isn't ideal! So, I would recommend you get one which has been recommended by someone. we hardly use it anymore except for small loads or when I wash sheets and pillwocases in one go so its not too full.

Thanks for the info. When we bought our washing machine (over 6 years ago) we looked at the combi ones and at that time the general concensus was: don't bother. Our washing machine is still running fine (touch wood) and I'm hoping to get a few years more out of it. So hoping that by then, those combi ones might get better. And will obviously ask for recommendations.

I have a friend who has 2 dishwashers ? She has one that she is currently 'loading' with dirty things and one which is full of clean stuff. Instead of putting away the clean stuff she just uses it directly from the dishwasher. She hates unloading the dishwasher so this is her way around it ?

Her kitchen (with or without the 2 dishwashers) is my dream.....actually her whole house is gorgeous [wistful sigh]

We have a dishwasher I think its fabulous and would struggle without it now, but Mr Woo likes washing up and will often stand at the sink for ages washing stuff and then leaving it all over the kitchen sides on t-towels to drain, it really annoys me!

We have one but I'm another who isn't bothered by it. In fact the last property we lived in had one and in two years we didn't use it. I don't really mind washing up and my parents wouldn't allow us to put pots and pans in theirs so I suppose I've alwasy been on the mind it isn't a total labour saving device- and if I'm going to wash up pans it no problem washing plates, cutlery and glasses x2.

That said I would alwasy have one (provided there was space) I was under the impression they didn't cost much nowadays (never bought one, ours is integrated into the kicthen)

I'd never be without one, if mine broke down I'd go and buy a new one that very day. Seriously.

Our last house had a teeny tiny kitchen, and we eventually worked out we could remove a cupboard and fit in a slimline dishwasher. It was the best thing we ever did, and at the time we got it there was only 2 of us, not 4 as there is now. So with 4 I'd definitely say an essential!

I'll second this. We had a hotpoint washer/dryer and it was truly sh1t. Thank goodness H's uncle owns a washing machine repair business, that's all I can say. The dryer's rubbish, the stuff doesn't smell fresh after it's been dried and obviously you can't wash and dry stuff at the same time. We got rid when I was expecting my first child and just got a regular washing machine and a small tumble dryer we could fit in our cupboard and wheel out when we need it - we moved house so it now lives in our conservatory, which is where I'd need to hang washing on airers anyway.

I couldn't be without the tumble dryer. The weather is too sh1t here to hang things out regularly although I do when I can as I love line dried laundry and I hate piles of washing hanging all over the place - so untidy.