[Greenbuilding] Another Day. Another Challenge....Dishwashers this time!

[Anne Judge]

> On Wed, Aug 3, 2011 at 7:39 AM, Matt Dirksen <dirksengreen at gmail.com> wrote:
> We have had a  "drawer style" dw for a couple of years and it has been terrible. We only use it when we have lots of people over. Even then, I have to rinse everything first & hope it actually cleans, then I always pull it open to air dry because it takes much less time (and since it's regular dry cycle never adequately dries.) Perhaps if we had a dw which actually did its job well, I would feel different about it (I still regret not getting the Bosch.) . . .
> As far as convienance appliances, we find the drier much more necessary than the dishwasher. We used to line dry, but because of pollen and deer ticks, we'd end up throwing our "line dried" clothing in the drier afterward anyway.

On Aug 3, 2011, at 9:14 AM, George Tremblay wrote:

> We've been delighted with a Bosch for 3+ years (previously had no dishwashing appliance).  Only three of us, but it's small enough to run about every other day.  Short (30 min) cycle does a fabulous job.  You've certainly got a point about embodied energy in the manufacturing, though.

I too have a Bosch - just a year now - and I don't rinse. Everything comes out clean, and I *cram* stuff in.  I have to YELL at visitors not to rinse!  (Still working on that with the male members of the household, not that I can get them to put ANYTHING in the dishwasher, they put it in the sink & fill with water. I do find visitors a lot more likely to TRY to be helpful.)  Since I'm washing so much at once, and not rinsing, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that it is at least comparable to handwashing if not more efficient.  It does finish heating the water electrically vs. all via gas for handwashing, but that's not the issue it would be if say my main water heating were solar.

As for the embodied energy in the dishwasher, well that may tilt things against it, but after 14 years in a house without one, I was ready to lower my green standards there (though I'll admit they aren't as high as most of yours here to start with).

(BTW I do find that the 30-minute cycle doesn't work so well, plus if I remember properly it actually uses MORE water.  I push the "eco" button - don't know what difference it makes, but stuff does come out wetter that way, so I crack the door a while when it's done.  No problem, since I used air dry with my old Kenmore.)

As for clothes dryers, I bought a new one when I moved into this house 5 years ago and couldn't fit the old one down the basement stairs, and it's been used maybe a dozen times to actually dry clothes, usually just an item here & there that's needed quickly, a bit more often without heat to fluff pillows or down comforters or parkas.  I LOVE air-drying clothes - even though through the winter I do that in my living room.  So Matt can have his clothes dryer and I'll take my dishwasher. :-)

Anne