prairiewindmomma Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I'm just wondering (as I listen to mine whirring in the background). I'd love to compare our usage to other homeschoolers... We definitely aren't in the once a week crowd like the other empty nesters in our family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I would say an average of three times over two days aka 1.5 times per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once a day unless I'm going crazy with baking or something. I run it at night after dinner and empty before bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I have two kids. We only use the dishwasher when it is completely full, about once every two or three days (I handwash pots and pans which take up a lot of space) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run mine only every few days. My dishwasher isn't the best, so I only run it when my sink is overflowing with dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 once. If we miss a day, then the next day it runs twice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I'm just wondering (as I listen to mine whirring in the background). I'd love to compare our usage to other homeschoolers... We definitely aren't in the once a week crowd like the other empty nesters in our family. At most, once a day. I try to do every other day, though. It all depends on whether I have the motivation to actually hand wash the pots and pans, or if I just throw them in the dishwasher after dinner. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Never. I've divorced it. I hate dishwashers. I really do. I hate dishwashers. They're like poo poo. Worst purchasing decision made. And we bought a very, very good one, super-expensive. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeacefulChaos Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Never. I've divorced it. I hate dishwashers. I really do. I hate dishwashers. They're like poo poo. Worst purchasing decision made. And we bought a very, very good one, super-expensive. :glare: You don't like dishwashers?! :svengo: I didn't have one til we moved to this house 3 years ago. I knew I'd been talking about wanting one when my (then) 5yo DS comes in and says, 'Mom! The dishes are getting washed! And you DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING!!!' :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cani e porci Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Generally once a day for the four of us, but I hand wash pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauracolumbus Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I try to make it once every 2 days as the waste of water really bothers me. I try to stretch it out w/paper plates. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 You don't like dishwashers?! :svengo: I didn't have one til we moved to this house 3 years ago. I knew I'd been talking about wanting one when my (then) 5yo DS comes in and says, 'Mom! The dishes are getting washed! And you DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING!!!' :D No, very hard water here, so have to keep using salt and softeners, which I often had to ship and import. Giant pain. I hate having to rinse and then put them in the dishwasher. Waste of time. Can't put many things in it. And on and on it goes ... :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 There are six of us and it usually runs about once a day. Less, obviously, if we eat out or have a take-away, more if I'm baking or doing batch cooking for the freezer. Cassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvnlattes Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually once a day. I typically run it after dinner and Artist empties it in the morning before breakfast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually once a day. Sometimes I do marathon cooking sessions and then I can run it twice in a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually 1x a day before bed and then Dh empties in the morning most days. If he doesn't, I do. Every few days we probably run it 2x. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Wow..how do you do that?? We run it at least 2 times a day for 5 people. I just ran it and since I am cooking dinner, I will load it and run it again tonight. For lunch 4 people had plates, cups, etc. We used up 4 different tupperware containers of leftovers. The breakfast dishes were in there from this morning with omlets, cereal, etc. I run it twice a day nearly every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We probably average once/day. Maybe a little more if we're good and don't eat out too often. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diann Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run ours once/day. Diann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We are a family of 4. Every Friday my friend comes over with her kids for lunch (extra dishes). I still only run mine about 2x a week. I use the same cup over and over and over - I only put water in it. My kids are allowed one cup per day. My dh drinks soda from a can. We use real plates based on if I need to fill the bottom of the dishwasher. If the bottom is full, but the cup part isn't - we use styrofoam plates. The only time I run my dishwasher more than that is if we are having a lot of people over. Of course, I usually only do laundry 1 day a week with 1 load of lights, 1 load of darks, 1 load of towels, bedding as needed. Nobody can understand how I only do laundry once a week either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We average 1.5 times every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) Once a day unless I'm going crazy with baking or something. Usually 1 x per day. This is us, too. Occasionally, if I'm doing an unusually large or complex meal or, as Daisy said, baking, it gets run twice. But there are other times when it might get run only every other day. Wow..how do you do that?? We run it at least 2 times a day for 5 people. I just ran it and since I am cooking dinner, I will load it and run it again tonight. For lunch 4 people had plates, cups, etc. We used up 4 different tupperware containers of leftovers. The breakfast dishes were in there from this morning with omlets, cereal, etc. I run it twice a day nearly every day. Hmmm. Let's see. This morning, I used a baking sheet to cook some frozen potato patties for my son's breakfast. I used the blender to make him a smoothie and a glass for that. I put his patties on a dinner-sized plate. I drank my coffee out of a big mug and had my breakfast (banana, cashews) in a little bowl. I used a spoon to stir my coffee. When my daughter got up, I used a mixing bowl, a measuring cup and some measuring spoons to make her biscuits, which I baked on the same tray I had used for my son's patties. She ate her breakfast off a large plate, too. I wash the blender carafe by hand. Later in the morning, I rinsed out my mug and used it for tea. My son made his lunch, leftover spaghetti sauce from a plastic container, pasta and garlic bread. He used a knife and cutting board to cut the bread, a small bowl to melt margarine for the garlic bread, another bowl to warm up the sauce in the microwave, another baking tray for the bread, yet another bowl to hold the baked garlic bread, a plate and a fork. My daughter used a small plate for some crackers and hummus and a butter knife for spreading the hummus. I made myself popcorn, which I ate from a bowl. Dinner will be black bean burritos with home-made tortillas. I've used another cutting board, but I rinsed off and re-used the knife from earlier to chop the onions and veggies. I used another mixing bowl for the tortillas, and I used the same measuring cup and measuring spoons I used in the morning for the biscuits. I'm using a pot to cook the beans and a flat pan thing for the tortillas. Later, I'll re-used the pan to warm the tortillas with some margarine. I'll use a small bowl to defrost some frozen corn niblets in the microwave. I'll wash the pot and pan by hand. Serving dinner will require four plates, four forks and a couple of knives. Later in the evening, one or more of us might eat a snack or make a cup of tea. Let's count one more small plate per person and a couple of mugs? We drink our water out of filter bottles, one for each person. So, our total for the day is: Dinner plates - 7 Small plates - 6 Bowls (including the mixing bowls) - 6 Small bowls - 2 Cutting boards - 2 Kitchen knives - 1 Mugs - 3 Measuring cup - 1 Measuring spoons - 1 set Baking trays - 2 Utensils - Assorted, but not too many to fit in a single load. That easily fits in a single load. Edited January 17, 2012 by Jenny in Florida Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 We are in the twice a day crowd....sometimes we run it a little less, sometimes a bit more. I tend to let the dishwasher wash my pots and pans (with the exceptions of cookie sheets, cast iron, and enameled cast iron) because of my arthritis. I bake from scratch a lot, and we very rarely use disposable plates.We reuse water glasses often, but I do put the glasses in if they've had milk. We have a high efficiency dishwasher, so I don't feel very guilty doing so. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Generally we run it after lunch (because we have breakfast and lunch dishes) and again after dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We run ours about every 2-3 days. I hand wash pots and pans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually 2x a day. There are 5 of us here eating every meal, every day. That's a lot of dishes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheApprentice Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once a day, usually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually once per day at night...and sometimes I calculate which dishes to use by how much will fit, e.g. last night I served the salad on the dinner plates instead of in separate bowls because the bowls wouldn't have fit into the dishwasher--it was already mostly full. My salad dressing seeped into my rice but it's a price I'm willing to pay. :) And like a lot of other posters, if I'm doing a lot of cooking it may get run more, or less if we've been eating out a lot. But typically once a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Anywhere from once every two days to two times a day but usually once a day. It depends on how many people are here (my dh travels a lot and one dd goes to college away from home and youngest is sometimes gone on camp-outs) and what type of meals we are eating. So if we have a cooked breakfast (rare here) and then soup and sandwiches for lunch, we would need to do a load. But our usual fare, light breakfast, light to no lunch, and heavier dinner usually means once a day. If we eat out at night, it moves to another day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 2, sometimes 3 times a day here. There are 8 of us and I cook nearly everything from scratch. I LOVE my dishwasher. We were without one for many months recently and it was sorely missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run my dishwasher once a day, every night while I am sleeping...I set it to start around midnight...If we have a really busy night and miss loading it, then I run it early in the morning... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I would say an average of three times over two days aka 1.5 times per day. This is us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen in PA Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once a day. I set it to run overnight (so it doesn't interrupt our evening showers) and unload it when I get up in the morning (so that dirty dishes can go right in throughout the day). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Generally I run mine twice a day. I put EVERYTHING in it and we cook a lot from scratch. On a BIG cooking day I can run it three times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run mine once a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaAkins Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I would say an average of three times over two days aka 1.5 times per day. :iagree: If we have company, or have a meal with multiple courses (i.e. separate salad bowls, etc) then we might run it twice per day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Usually once a day, after dinner. Then I open it up, pull the racks out, shake off the extra water on things, and let it air dry over night. Usually, If I remember to do all that. :tongue_smilie: Sometimes, eh. Whatever. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edelweiss Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We have two dishwashers. :001_smile: I run one of them once a day usually. I hand wash all pots and pans, but as long as I cook dinner, I need to run one of them every day for our family of four. If we eat out, obviously we don't need to run the dishwasher that day usually. If I'm baking a lot or have people over for dinner, I run both of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Sometimes once a day and sometimes every other day. I do generally wash big pots but sometimes not. We generally reuse glasses at least throughout the day. We are a family of 5, I don't use disposable anything and cook 3 meals a day, eating out is a rare occurence(generally maybe 1x a month). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run my dishwasher once a day, usually after I get all the lunch dishes in. Then I unload it while I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. I (dh :001_smile:) hand wash all the pots and pans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Not usually more than once a day when the dc were home. Love my dishwasher. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 2 x a day, sometimes 3.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once per day, but I wash a fair amount (bowls, pots, etc.) by hand as well. Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once a day, either at night or after breakfast. I guess, in mathematical terms that means that I actually run it somewhere between once every 15-30 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 three at the least Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 We are a family of 7. Most days I run it 2x, but there are days it gets run 3x's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilypoo Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I run ours' anywhere from 1-4 times a day, most days being at least 2 times. I am constantly telling dh that when we move I NEED to have two dishwashers or at least one of those double-drawer ones that holds twice as much. I also handwash a ton of stuff that hasn't fit in the dishwasher during any given run. It's frustrating. I actually have started buying cheap paper plates and am assigning cups that I want the kids to re-use...just to try to save on water, detergent, etc. We are only a family of six... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Twice. Three teen boys make a lot of dishes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Once a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 When I have one I run it once a day. I'm currently without. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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