So...life without a dishwasher?

[Peaceseeker]

We are remodeling a very old home with a very small kitchen. I am considering ditching the dishwasher for more cabinet space/design options. Is this such a terrible idea?

 

When we remodeled our current old house and tiny kitchen I went without the extra cabinet space and insisted on a dishwasher. We have simplified and downsized in many ways but I could not imagine life without a dishwasher (ok I imagined it and decided no thank you)

 

BUT....I feel like I already do about 50% hand washing anyway. I don't like to put any of my pots or pans in the dishwasher or any wood utensils. We basically use it for plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. We do about a load per day of those items. I feel like we all use too many dishes (20 cups for a family of four each day, really?) and I wonder if it would be simpler just to wash those as we go.

 

Thoughts, opinions, been there- done that? I think I am going to do a little experiment for the next few weeks where I try not to use my dishwasher and see if I can live without it happily. I know I could live without it, but will I want to?

Edited April 17, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming

[Rosie_0801]

My mother told me she had children so they could wash dishes.

 

So make your kids do it. :p

[Guest]

I took out a cabinet in our first home to add a dishwasher. But I'm opposed to disposable plates and had 4 little kids at the time. I will never live without a dishwasher.

[IsabelC]

I think a dishwasher is something that we don't need, but we tend to get used to it. We went without for years and years, no problems. Then we had a dishwasher for a while. Then it broke, and we can't afford another one. It was very annoying not having it, but only for a few months, then we got used to washing up again. It's no big deal.

[DawnM]

We've never had a dishwasher--I can do them faster, with less water, by hand. It really doesn't take long. 

 

It takes me 7 minutes flat to unload, put away, and reload the dishwasher.

 

Washing by hand takes me much longer.

 

I much prefer a dishwasher.  Seriously.  I wouldn't want to go without.

[LMD]

We don't have one. I don't want one. The 3 years we had one, it was more trouble than it was worth. I can do a day's worth of dishes in half an hour. No big deal. We are just about to build our dream house - no dishwasher!

[IvyInFlorida]

We went without a dishwasher several times in our married life, twice with children.  The first time (with an infant adopted child who had to have bottles) my husband was only working part time and so was able to stay on top of the washing.  The second was about a year-long experiment to see if we could do without one since ours broke.  We had 2 kids, ate basically every meal at home, I cooked from scratch, etc.  We both really began to resent the amount of time we spent at the kitchen sink and I hated that dishes were stacked around when I couldn't get to them.  Getting the dishwasher was such a relief.  I do use crockpots a lot, so not very many pots....

[Guest]

It's nbd.

 

I didn't notice any improvement in our quality of life when we had one, let's put it that way lol.

 

My kids wash their own dish right after each meal and dh or I wash all the communal stuff, the silverware and baby bottles right now. I can see moving the kids to take turns every other day in the next few years.

[Pawz4me]

A dishwasher is a convenient appliance but one I could easily live w/o. But we're only a family of four, and in general the rule is you get out a cup/glass in the morning and use that same one all day. I also don't like putting pots and pans in the dishwasher, so I already wash those by hand.

 

If my dishwasher manual is to be believed, however, I use a LOT more water hand washing an equivalent amount of dishes than it does. I think it would be very difficult not to.

[Amira]

I've switched between a dishwasher and no dishwasher lots of times. For me, a dishwasher definitely saves time and I prefer to have one, but it's really not a big deal when I don't. There are lots of things you can do to reduce the number of dishes used if you make that a priority, and you can also reduce the amount of water you use when you hand wash.

[marbel]

I have lived without a dishwasher but much prefer having one.  Many days it's no big deal but on a day I'm doing a lot of cooking (like prepping for company) it's so nice. 

 

If you think you might sell the house soon, you might check to see how that affects home values.  I'd not be inclined to buy a house with no dishwasher or space for one, even if I wasn't going to use it.  But I don't know if that's a common thing. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I went about 28 years without.  Finally got one.  I'm never going back.

 

 

[PeterPan]

Get a better dishwasher and you'll be able to put everything in. No way would I remodel a kitchen and not have a dishwasher. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by OhElizabeth

[Garga]

It depends on your personality. My mother and my husband and another friend I have all say how much they actually enjoy washing dishes. The dishes come in dirty and go out clean and they have a satisifed sense of accomplishment. My mother has had a dishwasher in her kitchen for 20 years and has never once used it.

 

Our dishwasher broke and I didn't want to pay the money for a new one. I figured I would just wash as we go.

 

For me and my personality, it was awful. The dishes would pile up in teetering towers and then it would take me over an hour each night washing them. Sometimes up to two hours. I guess I'm just slow or something. I was miserable in the kitchen doing all that washing. I'd try to wash as we go and that would help, until I'd cook a big dinner and have a ton of dishes.

 

I haaaaaaaated (haaaaaaated) not having a dishwasher, and I had been so sure it wouldn't be a big deal. But it was. I was without a dishwasher for about 5 months, so I did give it a real try.

 

I think your idea not to use the dishwasher for a few weeks is genius. Do it! Store some stuff in the dishwasher to make it out of bounds and then hand wash everything. I'd do it for a month if you have the time, so that the honeymoon wears off and the chore isn't new and exciting (ha! But you know what I mean, I hope.). If you're ok with it after a month, then get rid of the dishwasher. If not, then keep it.

 

ETA: Maybe it depends on the type of cooking you do? We do a lot of cooking here. Almost every meal is homemade. Maybe if we went out to eat a lot, or ate a lot of bananas :) it wouldn't matter. But every meal tends to generate a lot of dishes. (I love bananas. No dishes!)

Edited April 17, 2017 by Garga

[magnificent_baby]

I would absolutely not go without if I had the option. It's worth my sanity knowing the dishes are sanitized.

[coralloyd]

We currently live in our rv. I have not had a dishwasher for about 2 years now. The keys for me are paper plates and bowls and only one cup per kid. If their cup is dirty they wash it. I used to say that they had to use the same cup all day, but had others available in the cabinet. With all the cups the same, nobody would own up to dirtying more than one. I now have a specific cup for each of them. I let them each pick out their own individual cup, that looks different from everyone else's, and only have a couple extra in the cabinet. It works great. 

 

We are remodeling a home right now also. I will most likely put in a dishwasher, not because of the work for me, but for resale value. However, I have learned how to live with very little cabinet space also, so I don't mind a little less space.

[Baseball mom]

Don't have one.  Most of the time I don't think about it.  I just wash dishes and use that time to day dream.  Other times I dream about having a dishwasher :lol:

 

SIL has a dishwasher but I think it is more of a pain than it is worth.  Basically the dishes have to be washed before loading and must be loaded a certain way.  Thanks but I will just do it by hand.

 

Step mom has one that basically if everything is scrapped it can go in the dishwasher.  And don't have to be loaded a certain way.  Hers I might could get use to ;)  

[Selkie]

I have a dishwasher but I hate it and haven't used it in a few years. It's a (supposedly) top of the line Kitchen Aid, but the racks are flimsy and kept breaking and it never seemed to get our dishes as clean as when I washed by hand - so we just quit using it and haven't missed it at all.  I'm one of those weirdos who actually enjoys washing dishes, though.  

[Julie Smith]

We don't have one. Okay, we technically have one, but it's where we store the recycling. When we moved in I used in a few times and it could make clean dishes dirty. It also took a long time to do so, and made a lot of noise well 'working'. 

 

We haven't had one for 8? years. It's no big deal. A few years ago I gave the boys a choice; laundry, dishes, or a bit of both. They choose laundry. Since then I have only washed perhaps one load of laundry a year. They gather up the dirty, bring it to the basement, hang dry it, and bring it back up and put it on the guest bed for me to deal with. 

 

I do have a hands free phone, and talk my way through chores. My call list has a few people on it, and a list of times they are usually available for idle chit chat. When I get off the phone with one of them I thank them for helping me with; dishes, or putting away laundry, or.... 

 

If I had to choose I would rather have a hands free phone than a dishwasher. 

[Scarlett]

I would absolutely not go without if I had the option. It's worth my sanity knowing the dishes are sanitized.

I absolutely also would not want to go without.....the one I have is almost worthless, but it still helps. I for sure would not remodel a kitchen and not have one. For sure it takes up space but so does a dish drainer and dirty dishes on the counter or in the sink that could be put in the dishwasher as you go.

 

But I have no concerns about hand washing dishes being sanitized. If I was really worried and had to hand wash I would put a tablespoon of bleach in each sink full.

[Scarlett]

We don't have one. Okay, we technically have one, but it's where we store the recycling. When we moved in I used in a few times and it could make clean dishes dirty. It also took a long time to do so, and made a lot of noise well 'working'.

 

We haven't had one for 8? years. It's no big deal. A few years ago I gave the boys a choice; laundry, dishes, or a bit of both. They choose laundry. Since then I have only washed perhaps one load of laundry a year. They gather up the dirty, bring it to the basement, hang dry it, and bring it back up and put it on the guest bed for me to deal with.

 

I do have a hands free phone, and talk my way through chores. My call list has a few people on it, and a list of times they are usually available for idle chit chat. When I get off the phone with one of them I thank them for helping me with; dishes, or putting away laundry, or....

 

If I had to choose I would rather have a hands free phone than a dishwasher.

Your dishwasher sounds like mine. But a good dishwasher washes really well and is quiet too.

[Julie Smith]

Your dishwasher sounds like mine. But a good dishwasher washes really well and is quiet too.

 

But they cost a bunch, break down, ... I don't mind doing them by hand, it isn't a big deal for me. 

[Scarlett]

But they cost a bunch, break down, ... I don't mind doing them by hand, it isn't a big deal for me.

I had a fabulous one in my last house that cost about $400. It never broke.

 

I can't wait to get a good dishwasher.

[cjzimmer1]

When my dishwasher broke last fall, we went about 3 days without one while waiting for a repairman.  I have no desire to purposefully do that to myself.  But I put everything in my dishwasher and wash 2-4 loads a day.  It is a serious amount of work to wash all that by hand (plus my skin is very sensitive and drys and cracks from just about any soap).  We do have unique cups for each member of the family so each person only gets and uses one cup per day.

[JustEm]

It depends on your personality. My mother and my husband and another friend I have all say how much they actually enjoy washing dishes. The dishes come in dirty and go out clean and they have a satisifed sense of accomplishment. My mother has had a dishwasher in her kitchen for 20 years and has never once used it.

 

Our dishwasher broke and I didn't want to pay the money for a new one. I figured I would just wash as we go.

 

For me and my personality, it was awful. The dishes would pile up in teetering towers and then it would take me over an hour each night washing them. Sometimes up to two hours. I guess I'm just slow or something. I was miserable in the kitchen doing all that washing. I'd try to wash as we go and that would help, until I'd cook a big dinner and have a ton of dishes.

 

I haaaaaaaated (haaaaaaated) not having a dishwasher, and I had been so sure it wouldn't be a big deal. But it was. I was without a dishwasher for about 5 months, so I did give it a real try.

 

I think your idea not to use the dishwasher for a few weeks is genius. Do it! Store some stuff in the dishwasher to make it out of bounds and then hand wash everything. I'd do it for a month if you have the time, so that the honeymoon wears off and the chore isn't new and exciting (ha! But you know what I mean, I hope.). If you're ok with it after a month, then get rid of the dishwasher. If not, then keep it.

 

ETA: Maybe it depends on the type of cooking you do? We do a lot of cooking here. Almost every meal is homemade. Maybe if we went out to eat a lot, or ate a lot of bananas :) it wouldn't matter. But every meal tends to generate a lot of dishes. (I love bananas. No dishes!)

I think it is more personality than how you eat. We cook at home all the time and eat out rarely like you. But I've lived happily without a dishwasher for about 5 years. We just wash dishes after every meal. It takes roughly 5 minutes after each meal.

 

If I used a dishwasher I'd have to own more dishes!

[happypamama]

I was without a dishwasher for about five years, so I was washing seven people's plates, cups,and utensils several times a day, plus the cooking dishes. No, thanks. I already wash the cast iron by hand, often multiple pieces a day, plus whatever doesn't fit in the dishwasher. I don't need more. I was very glad when we got a new dishwasher.

[Rebel Yell]

In my 48 years, I had one year in an apartment with a non-working dishwasher, it was an oversized drying rack for me. :( Also about two years with a fabulous, HUGE KitchenAid portable dishwasher with a real butcher-block top. Those were WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS YEARS. Pushing it across the kitchen and hooking it up were a JOY knowing I wouldn't have to hand wash dishes, re-wash dishes done by children, or touch gross crusty forks and slimy dishwater.

 

Then it broke. And we needed the space. For more dishes and cookware that I have to wash by hand.

 

I HATE HATE HATE washing dishes. Due to weird work, class, and rehearsal schedules we don't eat many meals together at the same time, so it's usually me washing dishes after everyone's finished.

 

I have spent enough money in paper plates and plastic silverware that we could have installed a top-of-the-line dishwasher, several times over probably.

 

I especially hate it when we have guests. Extra dishes, cups, silverware, plus using the nicer serving plates and bowls and utensils instead of the ugly cooking pots... that means either we spend all night in the kitchen washing, pile it up and have crusty dishes after they leave or in the morning, or use even more paper/plastic- and probably the nicer more expensive stuff.

 

So to the OP, when you're doing your experiment without using the dishwasher, make sure you have a dinner party or something with extra dishes, too.

 

Personally, I'd find other storage space or get rid of stuff if the only thing keeping me from having a dishwasher was cabinet space. If you're remodeling, there has got to be a great storage solution that will allow both.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Rebel Yell

[heartlikealion]

I've been living without a dishwasher for 4 years? I hate it. We are considering giving in and getting a portable one later this year. I personally hate handwashing utensils. Sometimes I'll put a tub in the sink to do a batch or just grab a large serving dish filled with soapy water to dunk them in after I scrub them. But this just feels like more work than putting them in a dishwasher.

 

We do use paper plates a lot but that doesn't do much good when we're using bowls a lot. I haven't started buying disposable bowls. I'm trying to stop myself from going down that path.

[Carol in Cal.]

When I was a kid, my mother suddenly went on a rampage of making me do chores all summer.

This involved insisting on doing yard work by hand all morning every morning, and washing all the dishes by hand right after dinner every night.  The timing was not optional.  And it meant that summer went from pretty fun to miserable, because the afternoons were the only free time and they were hotter than heck so you couldn't enjoy being outside.  And then after dinner by the time the dishes were finished the light was gone and we had to be inside anyway.  We didn't have AC so we kept all the shades down and doors closed to keep the inside a little cooler.  So basically summer turned into eating your heart out working hard during all of the good parts of each day, and hiding in the dark the rest of the time.  For some reason my siblings were not similarly burdened, and neither were any of the other kids in the neighborhood, or else this would not have bothered me so much.

 

So, I hate washing dishes and handweeding to this day.

 

I would no more not have a dishwasher than fly.

 

Looking back on it, I think that the sudden change was unreasonable, and that being so rigid about timing was ridiculous, but that everyone should pitch in in the household.  But I still hate those particular chores.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Carol in Cal.

[unsinkable]

You can always be creative about storage and finding space elsewhere so I'd keep the dishwasher.

 

My SIL went about 15+ years w/o a dishwasher. She said didn't care bc she didn't do dishes...her DH and kids did them. When they remodeled, her DH made sure they got a dishwasher.

[Opie]

I have downsized on a ton of things. I have become more of a minimalist. I have 4 plates, 4 cups, 4 bowls, etc. I have decided to not have a lot of kitchen appliances. I do however make everything at home for dinners. I do not buy boxed or premade items very often. This leads to a ton of dishes. I now want a dish washer! Doing dishes 3 to 4 times a day with a baby and two other children is not cutting it. I feel as if all of my extra time is spent washing dishes, when I should be doing more school or simply playing with my children. I have tried to have them wash the dishes for me, but they never do it well enough yet. It was to the point where they would have to wash the same dishes 3 times before they were clean enough. This lead to a backlog of dirty dishes. We have decided to add a washer when we have the money.

[Peaceseeker]

Thanks for all the feedback! It's funny how people fall to such extremes on these issues (kind of like the one bathroom thread, lol...). I am really not sure what to do yet, so I am going to throw a bunch of things in my current dishwasher and try out the experiment. I will have at least one night where we have guests and a pile of dishes too 😀

 

I am pretty sure I won't mind for a little while but I am just not sure about the long haul! Most people I know who went without one hated it and couldn't wait to get one. I didn't have one for a few years early in our marriage and I don't remember it being a huge deal but I didn't have kids using 20 cups a day either! If every one has a turn hand washing maybe that will improve.

[gardenmom5]

my grandmother and great-aunt didn't have a dishwasher.  when there was a family dinner- "the women" gathered in the kitchen to do dishes.

my sil had a dishwasher - and used to use paper plates do she didn't have to do dishes.

 

I run a load at least once a day.  I wouldn't go without, even though we're down to four people, and we don't generate that many dishes on a regular basis.  some days more, some less, and some considerably more.  some pots and pans can go in the dishwasher - and some can't.  (depends on the material, and if it's coated or not.)

[AK_Mom4]

I think it depends more on your plans.

 

If you plan to sell this house in the next 2-3 years, then leave the dishwasher in.  If you plan to live in this house for a while, take it out if you want and add in a cabinet.

[kubiac]

My brother did this for about 10 years. He said the key is that dishes get washed immediately after use. No stacking in the sink. Use, wash, put away. (Crucial that EVERYONE in the home participate in this.)

Edited April 17, 2017 by kubiac

[marbel]

I'm curious about something now:  for those of you happily without a dishwasher - do you have guests over much?   Not just another family or couple, but groups of people?

 

Yesterday we had two sets of company.  About 12 people for lunch, requiring plates, glasses, utensils and of course cooking and serving stuff.  Then, in the evening, about the same number of people in for appetizers and desserts.  We used paper plates for that, but we still had wine glasses (for big groups we use glasses that can go in the dishwasher) and other glasses, and the serving plates. 

 

I do the lunch once a month; the evening thing less often but would like to do it more.  If we did it more, I wouldn't use paper plates but would buy more dessert-sized plates to use.  

 

When we didn't have a dishwasher, these things were horrible to clean up after.  We'd do it, but... ugh.   

[bolt.]

If you are seriously considering this, why not do a trial run? Just close up your dishwasher and do dishes by hand for 3 weeks or so. See how you like it.

[Carol in Cal.]

When I bought my first house, it had no dishwasher and no room for one.  

 

Then DH and I got married, and after a bit we started to look for a bigger house.

 

We bought our current house as a 'temporary' one.  In 1991, LOL.  

It did not have a dishwasher.

I immediately claimed a specific cabinet as my target dishwasher spot.  I was vigilant about not putting anything into it, and not letting DH do so either, even 'temporarily'.  And, when we saved up enough to buy one, DH objected to the priority of that purchase.  I said that I was unwilling to wash dishes at all.  He said he would do them all.  I pointed out that I cook a lot and that one of my ideas of fun is trying out new, complicated recipes.  We bought a dishwasher.

[heartlikealion]

Thanks for all the feedback! It's funny how people fall to such extremes on these issues (kind of like the one bathroom thread, lol...). I am really not sure what to do yet, so I am going to throw a bunch of things in my current dishwasher and try out the experiment. I will have at least one night where we have guests and a pile of dishes too 😀

 

I am pretty sure I won't mind for a little while but I am just not sure about the long haul! Most people I know who went without one hated it and couldn't wait to get one. I didn't have one for a few years early in our marriage and I don't remember it being a huge deal but I didn't have kids using 20 cups a day either! If every one has a turn hand washing maybe that will improve.

 

Yes!! lol

 

I have decided it's a personality thing as mentioned upthread. Well, that and circumstances (how often people are eating at home, etc.). For our family it is not functional having just one bathroom but we're stuck. We aren't doing well without the dishwasher, either lol. We actually have a rolling cart with a wooden drying rack and a sanitizer on something like a baker's rack. When dishes are wet I put them on the rack or in the sanitizer (that's what dh has always called it but I'm not sure it sanitizes. It is a drying device, though. It came in real handy for baby bottles and pump parts). Now we have very little counter space so I had to shove these other things around the house. We have utility shelving units serving as a pantry and storage in our dining room, but we want to downsize the amount of stuff to make them more streamlined. When it's time to do food prep I would rather not have the drying rack on my rolling cart and use the top surface for that.

 

I can't rely on family members to wash the dishes. Dh has a tendency to not notice food particles. Ds is sorta young and has executive function issues which I think contribute to him having difficulty with tasks and dd is a toddler. She could maybe help me load or unload a dishwasher. One time I measured our sink height and confirmed it is slightly lower than average. I'm not sure that makes a huge difference, but it's one more reason I think standing over the sink too long hurts. Our dish sprayer broke and we haven't gotten around to replacing it so that's one more annoyance about hand washing.

 

This is definitely going to be a YMMV type of situation. Let us know how it goes without the dishwasher.

Edited April 17, 2017 by heartlikealion

[Carol in Cal.]

Have you guys seen the open shelves in cabinets that hang over sinks? 

I can't remember where I saw this, maybe it was in a tiny house context, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Basically you handwash your dishes, and the cabinet over the sink consists of racks in which you stand up your plates.  So you put them in there wet, and they are upright, and the water sheets off of them and the residues dry after a bit, especially if you use pretty hot water so it evaporates quickly.  Glasses are placed on the shelf about the plate rack shelf, upside down on a shelf that has a netted open configuration rather like a cookie rack, and if you wash your glasses first they are pretty much dry by the time you put the plates under them.  There was some kind of basket thing on one side for the eating utensils as well.  So if you were handwashing at least you didn't have to leave the dishes out to dry or hand dry them.  The only thing you might hand dry is pots.  

[Hannah]

I can't imagine going back to not having a dishwasher.  We have a kitchen policy that if it can't go into the dishwasher, we don't own it.  Pots, pans, serving dishes, containers, cutlery, glasses and everything else goes into the dishwasher and ours does a good job of washing (its a Bosch).   

The only thing I ever wash by hand are special wineglasses that don't fit into the machine (and get used about twice per year!)

I love that we can stack the dishwasher and have a clean kitchen in minutes. 

If you are considering resale, I would definitely put in a dishwasher (or at least the plumbing for one even if you use the space for storage yourself).  I would think twice about buying a house without the plumbing for dishwasher as it would mean an immediate expense.

[Hannah]

Have you guys seen the open shelves in cabinets that hang over sinks? 

I can't remember where I saw this, maybe it was in a tiny house context, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Basically you handwash your dishes, and the cabinet over the sink consists of racks in which you stand up your plates.  So you put them in there wet, and they are upright, and the water sheets off of them and the residues dry after a bit, especially if you use pretty hot water so it evaporates quickly.  Glasses are placed on the shelf about the plate rack shelf, upside down on a shelf that has a netted open configuration rather like a cookie rack, and if you wash your glasses first they are pretty much dry by the time you put the plates under them.  There was some kind of basket thing on one side for the eating utensils as well.  So if you were handwashing at least you didn't have to leave the dishes out to dry or hand dry them.  The only thing you might hand dry is pots.  

 

I did an exchange program in Moscow in 1994 and these were the norm in all of the kitchens that I visited - the cabinets had doors and the bottom was open.  The pots and pans generally hung from hooks attached to the bottom of other cabinets.  I can't recall where the utensils went. 

[HTRMom]

I didn't have one as a child. It was no big deal. Rinsing before the dishwasher takes about as much time as actually washing. Just be sure to leave enough space for a large drying rack or even two racks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Carol in Cal.]

I did an exchange program in Moscow in 1994 and these were the norm in all of the kitchens that I visited - the cabinets had doors and the bottom was open.  The pots and pans generally hung from hooks attached to the bottom of other cabinets.  I can't recall where the utensils went. 

With how badly the newer dishwashers dry things, I think we are all going to need these types of cabinets even with dishwashers.

[marbel]

I didn't have one as a child. It was no big deal. Rinsing before the dishwasher takes about as much time as actually washing. Just be sure to leave enough space for a large drying rack or even two racks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Not trying to argue or talk anyone into anything, but dishwashers are getting better all the time.  A good dishwasher doesn't require rinsing beforehand.  We scrape the plates to minimize chunks of food getting caught in the filters but we don't rinse at all.  Some dishwashers have grinders in them so scraping isn't even necessary.  We chose a quieter dishwasher so no grinder. 

[Word Nerd]

We rented a house for a couple of years that had a tiny kitchen and no dishwasher. After a few months, we bought a table-top one and put it on a rolling cart because I couldn't keep up with all the handwashing. 

[Guest]

I prefer hand washing but when I get behind, my dh throws everything in the dishwasher and it's nice to be caught up. The dishwasher loading/unloading makes my back hurt

 

Have you looked into those dishwasher drawers? If you got just one, you could have the dishwasher drawer on top and a deep drawer below for storing large items (pots, serving dishes) that likely are hand washed anyway.

[rebbyribs]

The way I'm thinking about this is that you currently have a cabinet that cleans your dirty dishes (aka a dishwasher).  You want to take it out and replace it with a regular cabinet that doesn't wash dishes.  I can't see how that's a good plan unless your dishwasher doesn't really work.

[idnib]

I don't have a dishwasher. I don't mind enough to reconfigure everything and lose cabinet space, but if I did have one (like you do) I wouldn't go through the effort of taking it out. My rule is to do dishes for 10 minutes after each meal. Sometimes all the dishes all get done, sometimes the remainder stays in the sink until the next session, which might have fewer dishes because we made sandwiches or went out for a meal. Often DH does one or two of those sessions. I refuse to spend more than 30 minutes/day doing dishes unless we're having a people over. Most of the time I have 5-10 items in the sink because I can't just stick them in the washer and close the door.

 

And don't forget you lose counter space or over the sink space for a drying rack unless you're committed to drying them and putting them away as they're done.

[KungFuPanda]

I HATE not having one. I spend 5 minutes a day emptying it and another 5 reloading. Without a dishwasher a LOT more time is spent on dishes. Nobody is hand washing and putting away in 10 minutes. The time it spends running while I sleep simply doesn't count in my life.