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Good news for anyone who hates washing dishes (basically, everybody)! A recent Consumer Reports write-up pretty much settles the whole debate on whether or not you should be washing your dishes by hand.
The verdict? You should never, ever wash your dishes by hand. It’s far more sanitary to just plop them right in the dishwasher instead.
Even rinsing off your dirty plates before putting them inside the dishwasher does a lot more harm than good, according to The Washington Post.
Don’t believe us? Here are just a couple of major reasons you shouldn’t try to hand wash your dishes:
Washing Dishes By Hand Does NOT Clean Them
Even if you wash your dishes and silverware with a brand new sponge each time you put them in the sink (which you probably don’t), you’re definitely not using hot enough water—ever. Dishwashers kill all the bacteria on your dishes because they typically use water as hot as 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. To make matters worse, your dirty sponge contains so much disgusting bacteria that you’re probably only layering on another coat of grime by using one to rinse off your plates before they go in the dishwasher.
Hand Washing Is WORSE For the Environment
It’s a fact: pre-rinsing your dishes uses way more water than simply letting the dishwasher do its job. "Pre-rinsing your dishes in the sink can easily waste more than 6,000 gallons of water per household each year," Consumer Reports states. If you have too much food on your plate to put it inside the dishwasher, it’s best to scrape off whatever you can into the trash can instead.
If you want to save the environment, but you also don’t want to stop hand washing your dishes, skipping the dishwater altogether won’t do you any good. You would still use way more water hand washing your dishes alone than your dishwasher would—and your dishwasher will get the plates cleaner every time.
Do you think you will stop hand washing your dishes? Let us know in the comments!
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