Jump to content

Menu

Do you have a dishwasher? Do you use it?


Sun
 Share

Dishwasher ownership and habits  

280 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you have a dishwasher in your primary home?

    • Yes, and I live in the United States.
      220
    • Yes, and I live somewhere other than the United States.
      21
    • Yes, but it doesn't work. I live in the US.
      9
    • Yes, but it doesn't work. I live somewhere other than the US.
      2
    • No, and I live in the US.
      20
    • No, and I live abroad.
      7
    • Other (what?)
      0
  2. 2. Do you use your dishwasher regularly? (Choose option closest to your habits.)

    • I don't own a functioning dishwasher.
      26
    • I run it at least once a day except in unusual circumstances.
      182
    • I run it every other day.
      34
    • I run it two or three times per week.
      16
    • I run it once a week.
      5
    • I only run it after a special event at my house.
      1
    • I only use it to drain hand-washed dishes.
      0
    • I don't use it because it doesn't work well.
      5
    • I don't use it because I don't like dishwashers.
      2
    • Other.
      8


Recommended Posts

This may be the Hive's most boring poll ever. I was inspired to ask this after a discussion with a friend who swears that dishwashers are way more common in the US than elsewhere, and that most homes in the US have dishwashers. Since y'all are homeschoolers and, therefor, a scientifically selected, random cross-section of the population :lol: , I thought I'd ask you.

 

Do you have a dishwasher, and are you in the US or elsewhere?

 

Do you use your dishwasher regularly? How often?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may be the Hive's most boring poll ever. I was inspired to ask this after a discussion with a friend who swears that dishwashers are way more common in the US than elsewhere, and that most homes in the US have dishwashers. Since y'all are homeschoolers and, therefor, a scientifically selected, random cross-section of the population :lol: , I thought I'd ask you.

 

Do you have a dishwasher, and are you in the US or elsewhere?

 

Do you use your dishwasher regularly? How often?

 

I bought my first house with a dishwasher in 1987. I don't plan EVER to live in a house again that doesn't have one. :D

 

Dirty dishes go into the dishwasher right away, never stored on the sink or counter. I run the dishwasher when it's full, and empty it right away. That's the best part of having a dishwasher: the kitchen is always clean. :-)

 

Now that it's just Mr. Ellie and me, the dishwasher only runs once or twice a week

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one, but I put "other" for how it's used.  I personally prefer to wash dishes by hand.  However, some dishes are washed in the dishwasher.  The other adults who live/work here do not love hand-washing dishes, so they use the dishwasher whenever they can.  I will use it if I don't have time to wash some of the dishes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only homes I've really seen without a dishwasher are small city apartments where there isn't room, and where there are water restrictions.  Not that I've attentively studied every home I've ever entered in my life, but I'd say dishwashers are the norm in the US.  I run mine every night, and we hand-wash (or "let soak") what doesn't fit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know anyone without one. Ours broke and we spend over a month shopping and comparing prices. We all hated that time period

Ours broke, we bought one the next day, it was delivered 3 weeks later. The guy didnt want to install it because we didn't have the wood panel and he'd have to come back to adjust it (another installation fee). My husband said ok just put it in the garage (I wasn't home). I drove up as the guy was driving away. I cried. Literally cried when my husband told me what he had done.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a dishwasher.  It is run at least once a day.  I live in the US.

 

DH and I have a philosophical difference on when to run it.  He says not til it's full.  Of course that's what I'd prefer, but I also say you have to run the thing if any single category of dishes is all dirty.  For  example, I HATE it when I make dinner and everyone's ready to eat, but all the forks are sitting dirty in the dishwasher.  Makes me mad.

 

This week, my dishwasher is DD10, who won that privilege by not loading the dishwasher last night even after telling me on three separate occasions it was already done.  Mean, mean mom.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No dishwasher. Our home is an old farmhouse and there is really no place for one. My kids, dh and I all do dishes.

We have no dishwasher and it is the biggest bone of contention in this house.  World War 3 can break out at any time due to the sheer volume of dishes!!  As soon as I am able ( have been without one now for 8 years!)  I am going to get my butt into the appliance store and buy one! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My parents don't have a dishwasher.  My mom prefers to do it by hand I think.  After I got married we lived in a rental for a few years that didn't have a dishwasher and I hated it.  When we started looking to buy a house, dishwasher was on the must have list.  We run ours at least once a day, sometimes more often.  We only run it when it is full.  If a need a couple things for with a meal I will wash them by hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have one and run it 1-2 times a day.

 

My first two apartments (in the early 90's) didn't have a dishwasher, but since then I've always had one.  Everyone I know has a dishwasher, except for my MIL (MIL and FIL still live in the old farmhouse FIL was born and raised in).  When we visit MIL and FIL, I do most of my catching up with MIL while we wash the dishes.   :)

 

ETA: since you're wondering about the prevalence of dishwashers in other countries, growing up in Germany (in the 70's-80's) none of the homes/apartments we lived in had a dishwasher.  I don't know how common/uncommon they are in Germany today.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The house we are currently in does have a dishwasher, although we've usually not had one in the US. I use it if we have one, but I don't really miss it if we don't. It's so quick to clean up when I have a dishwasher- there's hardly anything to do and it feels too easy.

 

We have never had a dishwasher when living in another country, nor would I expect to in most countries. Dishwashers seem very American to me, but certainly not exclusively American.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd rather have a dishwasher than a washer and dryer. Seriously. I can face the laundromat once a week just fine, but dishes for three meals every day is my most hated chore. I went for a year without one. It broke while DH was unemployed and it took that long for the dishwasher to make it to the top of the list of priorities. I detest hand washing. I'm thankful for every day I have a working dishwasher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't imagine not having a dishwasher.  Ours broke last year and it took two weeks to get a new one installed.  My kitchen looked horrible and I just couldn't keep up with the volume of dishes.  It was installed just in time for Thanksgiving.  We were going to have day old delivery pizza if it wasn't installed before then because I just wasn't going to do all the Thanksgiving dishes by hand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a dishwasher and use it daily or sometimes even twice a day.

 

However, my parents and my inlaws (both US), don't have dishwashers and would need plumbing/wiring work to add a built in dishwasher. My parents bought a portable type when I was growing up (I'm 40, that thing is old). They use it as a dish drying rack. Even as a child, I remember it being used to drip dry dishes washed by hand. It probably never worked well. I have a couple of friends without dishwashers too. So it's not a given in all areas of the US.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dishwashers were rare in Hong Kong and China - middle class people who can afford dishwashers are more likely to hire someone to wash dishes, clean the house, babysit the children.....

 

Dishwashers are very common in the UK - I'd be surprised if I went to someone's house (in my generation or younger) and there wasn't one.  My grandfather's wife had one but didn't use it - she couldn't see the point.  My parents saw their first dishwasher in France in about 1973 and we bought one shortly thereafter.

 

L

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This may be the Hive's most boring poll ever. I was inspired to ask this after a discussion with a friend who swears that dishwashers are way more common in the US than elsewhere, and that most homes in the US have dishwashers. Since y'all are homeschoolers and, therefor, a scientifically selected, random cross-section of the population :lol: , I thought I'd ask you.

 

Do you have a dishwasher, and are you in the US or elsewhere?

 

Do you use your dishwasher regularly? How often?

Extra information not included in the poll: I lived in 3 different homes in Germany and had a dishwasher in 2 of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We live in South Africa and have a dishwasher.  So do all of our middle class family and friends.  All have washing machines too, but very few have driers as the climate allows air drying outside for most of the year.  ETA:  Most of these people also employ a cleaner  once or more per week.

 

My sister in Ireland has, but the sister in England does not have a dishwasher.  Her galley kitchen is too small now, but when they were in Canada she did have a dishwasher.

My brother in Taiwan does not have a dishwasher.  Again because of space constraints.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When our dishwasher broke and we went without for a few weeks, I spent 2 hours washing dishes every day. I take issue when people say that dishwashers don't save time! :-)

 

I also noted when we bought our dishwasher that the energy sticker said it takes about 25 cents per day to operate it. Other than the outlay of money to buy the thing, it's certainly worth it to me to have most of that 2 hours back for such a minimal cost. With soap and the initial cost of the dishwasher, that's less than $2 per day to have the whole thing paid for and dishes washed daily in a year's time. I can't tell you how many people tell me it's too expensive, wastes water, and takes more time than washing by hand...and how many of those people go through plastic wrap, papers plates, and baggies like they grow on trees, lol! No offense if you are one of those folks! We're weird folks who use real dishes, real storage containers, real napkins, real hankies (much of the time) and real diapers (when we had kids that age), and our kids are baffled about what to do with a banana peel when we are out of the house and away from the compost bucket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in Australia, and most of the people I know have a dishwasher.  I resisted for a long time, because I actually didn't mind doing dishes.  After about 5yrs of homeschooling I was sick of the sight of dishes.  I twisted dh's arm, and he got me one, and each day I'm grateful for it!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My mother has never had a dishwasher and never plans to have one.

 

I first had one 10 years ago and never plan to be without one again. When we sold our house last spring and moved to a rental, a dishwasher was on the short list of non-negotiables for where we rented. I'm still sad that, even though it is a very good dishwasher, it is not as phenomenally silent and quick as our Bosch had been.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having and using a dishwasher is like having and using running water in America--it's just that important. (Ok, a bit of hyperbole there, but you get the point.). Ours broke last year and we didn't replace it for nine months. It was miserable and all our friends thought we were nuts for taking so long to replace it. The dishes would pile up sp fast. Having the dishwasher was such a relief. Maybe I'm just a slow dishwasher, but I saved about 2 hours of my time every day once we had the machine doing the dishes vs doing them by hand.

 

P.S I still do pots and pans by hand and certain dishes that won't clean properly in the dishwasher.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...