Is a dishwasher worth it?

amother

Amber

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 4:22 am

I don't have a dishwasher

but I work full time and I pay someone to come and do my dishes (not all but twice a week)

I'm wondering if it would be more worth it for me to buy a dishwasher.

issue is I usually have milchigs and fleshig - not sure which I have more of (depends on the day) and I don't want to have to buy 2 of them

growing up - I had dishwasher that didn't clean the dishes well and we ended up washing them and then putting them in the dishwasher - can you put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and take them out clean??

Iymnok

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 4:45 am

We got a dishwasher last year before Pesach. We use it for fleishigs. I love having it. For milchigs, the dishes are simpler and easier to clean.
I like it because:
- I have a place to store our dirty dishes out of sight on Shabbos
- All the Shabbos dishes can be clean and put away by Sunday morning.
- I don't have to think twice about taking out another pot, spoon, plate, etc.
- The glass is cleaner and shinier than I could ever get it.
- When it beeps, everything is sparkling clean and dry.
- Today's models' manuals say to scrape, not rinse the dishes before loading the dishwasher.

I have a Seimens integrated with a cutlery drawer.

amother

Ivory

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 7:49 am

I can't use my dishwasher on shabbos because it has a light. It is a top of the line energy efficient model, and it is still cheaper to pay a lady to do them. Dishwashers are notorious for using large amounts of electricity. We did a cost benefit analysis, and the lady came out cheaper.

Heyaaa

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 8:22 am

Ask a Rav if your dishwasher needs to be set for either milk or meat. Not every Rav holds that they need to be separate.

I usually do 2 cycles. I do the shortest cycle twice. I first do a cycle with the soap and the second I do without the soap. As soon as it's finished I open the door so the water evaporates.

All the glass/ceramic/metal comes out clean. All the plastic is left with water stains.

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 8:23 am

I did not have a dishwasher for about ten years. I was accustomed to doing the washing-up (no hired help), and thought I didn't mind. Then I got a dishwasher! Yay!

I run it twice a week, and it probably uses less water than I did washing-up after every meal, and it is an energy-star model. Modern dishwashers do not require pre-washing. I only do the pots and a few other items by hand. It is such a pleasure, especially after having guests. Shabbat guests used to mean spending Saturday night and Sunday morning washing, washing, washing.

If you have hired help only twice a week, where do you put all the dirty dishes? If you mostly use disposables, you might not benefit as much from a dishwasher.

amother

Dodgerblue

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 8:32 am

IIRC , this has a hechsher - but check it out - meaning one drawer can be meat and one milk. BUT CHECK IT OUT.

Keeping up appearances is easy with the Fisher & Paykel DD60DCHX7 dishwasher, thanks to its EZKleen finish.
Hosting a unique design, this dishwasher has two independent drawers rather than a traditional drop-down door. These ergonomically designed drawers slide out like a kitchen drawer, ensuring you can load and unload the dishwasher with minimal effort. The drawers are operated separately, enabling you to sort wash loads effectively and giving you a genuine half-load option.
Triple A-rated for energy consumption, washing and drying, the economical DD60DCHX7 uses as little as 8 litres of water per drawer, and has a delay start option of up to 12 hours, enabling you to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity. It will accommodate up to 24 large (29cm) dinner plates, but will also take long-stemmed wine glasses for extra versatility.
With easy to use control panels, this dishwasher offers simple single-touch programming and 9 wash cycles. It also remembers the last programme used, so all you need to do is press ‘start’. Intelligent load sensing means that it will adjust water consumption and energy usage according to the needs of the load. Finally, a child lock provides added peace of mind.

amother

Pink

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 8:52 am

For about 20 yrs. I didn't have a dishwasher.
Also grew up without a dishwasher.
Then we moved and for the first time EVER I used the dishwasher.
I only use it on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and if we have guests week days, but it's great to have the dirty dishes out of the way, and the kitchen somewhat clean and neat. Also, I can enjoy my guests instead of cleaning in the kitchen, or being exhausted because I wait until they leave to clean up.
Motze Shabbat push a button and voila, clean dried dishes, ready to be put away.
I don't know if it comes out cheaper, but it's very convenient.

Today's machine come with a food disposal to grind on the stuck on food crumbs and not gunk up the machine.

Do your research and see which machine is Shabbat friendly, I.e. The lights don't come on when you open it.

amother

Beige

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 10:13 am

I have the Fisher and Paykel two drawer. I use one for milchigs and one for pareve. Great for big bakers. We don't need a full size dishwasher for milchigs, so this works for us. I should point out that it's as expensive as any top of the line dishwasher.
I have a Siemerns for fleishigs. It has a stainless steel interior, and I bought doubles of all the interior parts so that (together with a timer from Tzomet) I can set it to go on after the Seder. As far as I'm concerned, that's the best investment we ever made for Pesach. I actually enjoy yom tov without thinking about the cleanup.

amother

Vermilion

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 10:35 am

amother wrote:

How old is your dishwasher?
I've heard that the newer energy efficient dishwashers use less energy than older models and less water than you would use to hand wash an entire load.
Op, I definitely think a dishwasher is a worthwhile investment. I used to not have any and now I have 2! (I know I sound spoiled, the 2nd one was a gift).
I can't tell you the difference it has made and my expenses have gone down because I used paper goods more often.

OOTBubby

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 5:35 pm

I am building a new home (hopefully to be completed soon, iy"H) and am putting in 3 dishwashers. My old house had 2, but when they'd reached around 20 years old, they didn't clean the dishes at all. Everyone assures me that the new ones work great and you don't even need to rinse the dishes. I was only going to do 2, but it was pointed out how convenient a pareve one is (I had the space) for the mixer parts, baking pans, etc. Someone even told me she'd put in a pareve dishwasher even though she didn't have room for a pareve sink and was very happy she did.

Fave

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 9:27 pm

OOTBubby wrote:

Off topic.

OOT Bubby, will you treat your fellow imamothers to a virtual tour of your house when it's done. We feel like we are sharing every step of the way with you!

OOTBubby

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 9:29 pm

Fave wrote:

Off topic.

OOT Bubby, will you treat your fellow imamothers to a virtual tour of your house when it's done. We feel like we are sharing every step of the way with you!

I'll try to -- we're really getting close. We'd been hoping to get in in time to make Pesach there, but it's almost for sure that we won't make that, but hopefully not long after Pesach.

cnc

Sun, Mar 06 2016, 10:07 pm

I have a dishwasher.
It's the best investment. Mine is supposedly efficient on electricity and water and I run it at least 4 or 5 times a week (fleishig only). I do a lot of cooking and wouldn't be able to manage all the pots without a dishwasher.