Dishwasher vs Washing By Hand: Which Is Cheaper?

Close-up of hand in yellow rubber glove putting detergent tablet into dishwasher

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How many times a week are you washing dishes? Most likely, every day. Because of this, you've probably wondered wondered whether washing the dishes by hand or putting them in the dishwasher can save you more money. Below we’ll figure this out.

But first, consider our other articles about home energy savings.

Dishwasher pros

Uses less water: A widely known feature of modern dishwashers is low water use. Most dishwashers only use 3 to 4 gallons of water per wash, depending on the settings of their automated programs. According to Finish, new standard-sized Energy Star dishwashers use less than 4 gallons for every load. When washing, your dishwasher automatically adjusts the cycle and water required.

From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance

Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just ~~$107.88~~ $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues

CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/y99mlvgqmn1763972420.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Believe it or not, Finish also says that you can use up to 40 gallons of water to achieve the same cleaning goal as your dishwasher when washing by hand. It’s hard to judge the amount of water you use when cleaning by hand; imagine washing a bowl and trying to figure out how much water was used.

Saves energy: Handwashing uses more energy than using your dishwasher. In fact, Energy Star-certified dishwashers cannot use more than 270 kWh/year. Energy Star points out that less than a quarter of the energy is used by the dishwasher when compared to washing by hand. They also claim that using an Energy Star-certified dishwasher, as opposed to hand washing, can cut your utility bills by about $210 per year.

Saves time: This one's probably the most obvious of all, but it couldn’t be any more accurate. A dishwasher provides pure convenience. There’s no need to watch dishes pile up, and no need to scrub. In fact, according to Energy Star, using a dishwasher can save you over 230 hours of washing up a year. That’s nearly 10 days you get back.

A more hygienic finish: Our hands can’t withstand the temperatures needed for the majority of stains and bacteria to be wiped away — but your dishwasher can. The heavy program in particular often reaches temperatures as high as 140°F.

Handwashing pros

Gentle for fragile items: For some, this is an obvious upside to scrubbing dishes manually. However, many times people don’t realize what can’t go in the dishwasher. There are certain things you should never put in a dishwasher, otherwise, you could end up damaging the item, or worse, the appliance. If you’re questioning if an item can go in the dishwasher, you're likely better off washing it by hand.

Focused cleaning where required: Have you ever taken a dish out of your dishwasher and noticed it wasn’t entirely clean? Unfortunately, this happens way too often. Due to the high heat of the dishwasher, any residual stains can be baked into your dishware making it more difficult to clean them. With handwashing, you can focus on cleaning those “hard to clean” dishes/areas. It also becomes necessary when washing delicate items such as wood and exposed cast iron.

So don’t be afraid to roll your sleeves up if you're dealing with a tough customer, such as burnt pots and pans. Pre-soaking the stain can help to loosen it before you start to scrub.

The verdict

Overall, using a dishwasher is the distinct winner vs. washing by hand. Not only is it faster and more convenient, it also saves more money than handwashing.

With that said, handwashing still has its benefits and is still necessary when it comes to certain dishes. A balance of both methods will always be needed, but your dishwasher should be relied upon for everyday washing. If available, make sure to use the “eco” setting on your dishwasher. By doing so, you should start to see your bills drop.

Quincy is the newsletter editor at Kiplinger. He joined Kiplinger in May 2021. Before, he worked at Agora Financial - Paradigm Press and was a contributing writer for several other online media publications.

In his current role at Kiplinger, Quincy manages all of Kiplinger's newsletters, including Kiplinger Today, Investing Weekly, Tax Tips, Kiplinger’s Special Report Closing Bell, and more.

When he’s not working, he’s taking his dog for a walk, fishing or somewhere in the world on a beach.

With contributions from

Erin BendigPersonal Finance Writer