Ugh! Dishes Piling Up, and You Can't Play Till There Done - There is Hope.

What's Up?

Tired of putting dishes into the dishwasher?  Here are some helpful hints to get the job done faster, your dishes clean, and help the environment.

Idea

When it is time to load the dishwasher, make the environment fun.  Put some music on, dance, or turn on the TV.  If you are having fun, the chore will go faster.  It's about the attitude.

Other Tips

  • Try putting the dishes in as you go through out the day.  It won't seem so overwhelming.
  • To help the environment and your wallet, make your own dish washing detergent, and run the dishwasher full and during off-peak usage hours.  See below for more energy saving tips.

How Does It Help?

Products Used

If you use a product that has little too no phosphates, this will significantly help the environment.

Why?

Phosphates are found in many dish washing solutions for their cleaning abilities.  However, another property of phosphates is their ability to promote plant growth.  This attribute can be a problem when the waste water with phosphates hits a river or lake.  The phosphates cause excessive plant growth, the lake can no longer survive due to the high oxygen needs from the plants, therefore; the lake will die.

Approximately 15% of the phosphates in rivers/lakes come from household washing.  It we can reduce this, the amount of lakes being killed will decline.

Tips

Cleaner Dishes

  • Load the dishes facing center for better cleaning.
  • Alternate silverware up and down. This gives them more space to be clean.
  • Use hot water to clean dishes.  To ensure the washer receives hot water, run hot water in the sink prior to starting the dishwasher.
    • Hot water lifts up dirt and bacteria, which allows for less pre-scrubbing.
    • Hot water kills bacteria and removes grease.
  • On a periodic basis, run a rinse cycle only with a gallon of white vinegar.  This will remove soap residue which can etch glasses in the long term.  (To check if all left over soap is gone, start the machine, without soap or dishes, the water in the bottom needs to be clear.  If bubbles appear, there is still left over soap in the machine.)

Energy Savings

  • Save water by skipping the pre-rinsing.  Just scrap off the big chunks.
  • Save energy by using hot water to clean.  Hot water reduces the drying time for dishes, and many times you can open the machine and let them air dry.
  • Select the no heat drying cycle or the energy saving cycle.
  • Select times to run the dishwasher when it is less expensive.  Check with your utility company on off-peak pricing for electricity.

Parent(s)

Determine the age and aptitude of your child's dishwasher loading skills.  Monitor the process until you are sure the child is able to successfully complete the task.  This might take several times, and it probably will not be done like an adult would do it.  Your child might need help along the way.

Safety Tips

Warning

The dishwasher may be hot when you open it.  Please proceed with caution.

Products

Home-Made

2 cups of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda (not Baking Soda -- sold in laundry detergent section)

5 tablespoons of unsweetened lemonade mix (about 10 packets of mix)

Use between 1 to 2 tablespoons per load. (Note this recipe has been tested in both soft and hard water environments.  Depending on your water supply, you might have to adjust the ratios of the mixture.)

Purchased

The following products do not contain phosphates: Palmolive Eco, Seventh Generation

Another product with reduced phosphates is Sunlight Detergent.