Households urged to stop handwashing dishes

Many Brits hate the washing up, and now one expert may give them a reason to stop altogether. Handwashing dishes can be a time-consuming activity and an annoyance with other chores round the house, but the activity could also be costing households money.

Water bills are rising by £10 a month on average, and the energy price cap has increased by 6.4%, so many homeowners will be keen to save in any way they can. Becoming energy efficient could prove profitable for households, and now an expert has urged Brits to use a dishwasher instead of washing up.

Salah Sun, head of product management at Beko UK, said: “Having a dishwasher isn’t just about convenience. They are actually more energy-efficient than washing by hand, potentially saving up to 6,800 litres of water annually per household. That’s a great environmental and financial saving.”

Over time, energy-saving habits can deliver savings, while the exact amount will be determined by factors including the size of your dishwasher and the wash cycle you choose.

Sun continued: “Getting into a good daily routine of waiting until your machine is full before starting a programme is one of the simplest ways to reduce its energy consumption. For smaller loads, selecting the half-load function can help you reduce energy and water usage.

“A great weekly habit to work towards would be to reduce your dishwasher use by one run per week. Over a year, this small routine change could save your household £12.

“All dishwashers feature an eco programme—the most energy and water efficient programme to use on your dishwasher. Some models in the Beko range consume as little as 9 litres of water per cycle, whilst still providing you with excellent cleaning results.”

Sun also recommended cleaning the dishwasher filter weekly to help prevent food and debris from recirculating onto dishes.

Also advised was avoiding the practice of rinsing dishes off before placing them in the dishwasher, as the average household spends over £25 annually on “double dishwashing”, according to Utilita Energy.

Sun assured Brits that scraping plates before loading them was enough to protect machines from blockages.

“Another habit to reconsider is overloading your dishwasher. You’ll find this prevents water from reaching all the surfaces of your dishes, forcing you to wash items for a second time. This means you’re doubling your energy and water usage.”