How to save money by switching dishwasher settings

Washing machines can be an incredibly helpful appliance to aid household chores, but sometimes their efficiency can come at a cost. As UK households continue to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis, many will be trying to think of ways they can save money using their household appliances.

Consumer publication Which? delved into the cleaning efficiency and cost effectiveness of three different washing machine cycles. Most dishwashers have three core cycles – main/auto, eco wash and quick wash. The publication dispelled a “common misconception” that using the quick wash mode is that “since it’s quicker, it costs less to run”.

However, Which?’s test more that it doesn’t clean or dry crockery and cutlery as well as the auto function, and in fact, uses more energy and water. This in turn means that putting a fast wash on will actually cost more to run.

Similarly, Which?’s test found that choosing an eco mode also doesn’t clean and dry as well as the main cycle, but does use less energy and water, and is cheaper to run.

When it comes to the efficacy of the different modes, Which?’s test revealed choosing a quick wash cleaned less effectively than the main program (74% efficiency versus 83%). It also did a slightly worse job of drying the dishes, scoring 76% efficiency in comparison to 82% on a main program wash, and left more watermarks on items after a cycle.

There was also a drop in efficiency with the eco modes. The test found that this option didn’t clean quite as well as the main program (79% compared with 83%) and didn’t dry the dishes as effectively, either (76% versus 82%).

When it comes to saving those all-important pennies, Which?’s research found that based on five washes per week on the main wash program alone, it would cost £71.01 per year. In comparison, using the quick wash option exclusively would see the cost creep up a little bit.

This option would cost households £73.93, on average. However, if you were to use the eco setting, this is where you would see a real difference, especially if you want to keep energy costs as low as possible.

Which?’s test found that only using the eco wash setting would cost just £52.13 overall. The consumer publication also highlighted how using the different modes would cost over a five-year period.

A main program would cost £355.05, while a quick mode would see a slight increase to £369.65 over five years. If you only used an eco mode, there would be a saving of £94.40, costing a total of £260.65 over a five-year period.

If you find yourself constantly dealing with dirty dishes, experts at Whirlpool explained that pre-rinsing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher is the reason why. They admitted: “While scraping leftover food into the trash is a good habit, fully washing or rinsing dishes beforehand isn’t as beneficial as many people think.

“Fully pre-washing or pre-rinsing dishes may interfere with the sensors in some newer dishwashers. These sensors are designed to detect the level of soil and adjust the cleaning cycle accordingly.

“When dishes are pre-rinsed too thoroughly, the sensors may register the load as cleaner than it actually is, resulting in a shorter or less effective cleaning cycle.”