At BRAUZZ. we always strive to make smart choices that are good for our well-being, but also for the planet and our wallet. An eternal debate in many households revolves around washing dishes - by hand or with the dishwasher? We investigated this question and finally found out what is the cheapest.
What factors determine the costs?
When calculating, we take into account the cost of (hot) water, the energy used for washing dishes, and the purchase of washing-up products.
Energy consumption
- - Dishwasher: the average energy consumption of a dishwasher is between 0.7 and 1kWh
- - Washing dishes by hand: with an average of 60 litres of water at 40°C, this costs approximately between 2 and 2.5 kWh
Please note that how much you actually consume in euros depends on the way you heat your water:
Is your water heated with natural gas?
Then the difference between washing dishes by hand or in the dishwasher is almost zero if you use an eco program. The dishwasher is even 60% more expensive if you use the standard main program of the machine.
Is your water heated by an electric boiler?
Then you can save a lot of money by running the dishwasher on the eco program. It is 65% cheaper in energy than washing dishes by hand.
Water consumption
The dishwasher is much more economical with water than when you wash your dishes by hand. You save about 80-85% water by using the dishwasher.
- - Dishwasher: uses 10 to 15 litres of water per programme
- - Washing dishes by hand: on average 60 litres of water for two full sinks
Please note, these are average figures, what is actually used depends on the person. If you leave the tap running while washing dishes or only fill the dishwasher half full, you will of course use more water.
Buying dishwashing products: dishwashing liquid & dishwashing sponge vs. dishwasher tablets
- Wash by hand
Let's take the eco dishwashing liquid with the plastic-free dishwashing sponge as an example:
- - One refill of 250ml washing-up liquid costs €2.49
- - One plastic-free dishwashing sponge costs €7.99
For the calculation we take the average that we can wash 1262 small plates with 250ml of detergent. In that case you have an average of 12 plates per wash.
This means that the cost of the sponge and the detergent per wash amounts to: €0.1048
- Washing dishes in the dishwasher:
The dishwasher needs 3 products to work properly: water softener salt, detergent and rinse aid. An all-in-one dishwasher tablet can fulfill these three functions.
- - One box with 52 all-in-one dishwasher tablets costs €10 (€0.192 per program)
- - Dishwasher purchase prices vary greatly, but with an average of €450 you can wash up to 3000 dishes (€0.14 per program)
This means that the cost per program amounts to: €0.332
Tip: choose the most advantageous option and subscribe to your favorite dishwashing products. Read: why a subscription is the best option.
Conclusion: what is cheapest for you?
So, is it cheaper to wash dishes by hand or use the dishwasher? The answer to this question is unfortunately not so black and white.
The dishwasher wins in terms of water consumption, which is difficult to beat when compared to washing dishes by hand.
As for energy costs, it depends on how you heat.
- Do you use gas to heat your water?
Then there is very little difference in costs between the dishwasher and washing dishes by hand. - Are you using an electric boiler?
Then it is noticeably cheaper with the dishwasher.
The cheapest option for you depends on how you heat your water and why you wash dishes by hand.
Need energy-saving tips for washing dishes? Read this article about ecological dishwashing.