Does anyone not have a dishwasher?

Ruth n Jersey

Ruth n Jersey

Well-known Member
Location
Northern New Jersey
I'm sure I am going to be in the minority here but I don't own or want a dishwasher. Our first home didn't have one. We had our house built in the early 80's and not having one in our first house I never gave it a thought. The little I knew about them back then was that you needed to practically wash the dishes before you put them in and putting your good set of dishes in was a no no. I know they have improved greatly since that time but now I don't have the amount of people over for holidays the way I did years ago. Time is not an issue, and frankly now after I do have a few people over, and they have gone home, I like to take a shower, get into my robe and unwind washing the dishes at a leisurely pace. Pretty crazy I guess. Another thing that drives me nuts about them is that some people never really empty them. They wash the dishes and they never seem to get put back in the cabinet. I have seen my daughter rooting out a clean spoon so she could have some ice cream late at night. If you do empty it you need to go back in the kitchen and pull the stuff out and put it away. I do the job from start to finish and call it a done deal. I also am a creature of habit. I use a certain spoon to mix this or that. Have a certain bowl for different dishes I serve or cook in. I have seen my son in law stirring pudding with a knife because all the spoons are in the dish washer! And why are all the spoons in there? Because they don't want to run the darn thing half full! I have risked my life in my sons home getting a mug out of the cabinet for my coffee. He needs a hundred of them because they are all in the dishwasher. Sorry for the rant but my son recently remodeled my kitchen minus a dishwasher. Not a week goes by when one of the kids doesn't remind me of the missing dishwasher. They love to tell me how they will never be able to sell the house because I don't have a dishwasher, just to get my goat of course. Even my 8 year old Grandson was looking for the dishwasher. Is anyone on my side?
 

Ruth, I got my first dishwasher about 4 years ago, and I don't think it's all that great. There are so many things you can't put in it---my old pots and pans, anything aluminum or wood. So I end up hand washing dishes anyway while the dishwasher is running. I don't want to buy all new utensils just so they are dishwasher safe.

My problem is I let too many dishes pile up before I wash them, instead of washing them every day. It's just me (and my cat) living in the house, so it's not worth it every day. And I don't think it saves water because, in spite of what they say, you have to rinse the dishes some first. And I have a good dishwasher, too.

I also have limited cupboard space and it took up a large part of my under counter storage. Not sure I'd opt for one again.
 
I'm with you Ruth, don't own one or want one. Years ago I had one when we lived in an apartment before we were married, and I didn't care for it at all, did a lot of my dishes, especially pots and pans in the sink. When I visited my sister and used hers, I wasn't impressed even with all the improvements over the years.

It's just me and my husband, so doing dishes is not a big deal. If we eat little things throughout the day, many times we just use paper plates for those. Usually when one of us cooks, the other takes care of the dishes....works for me! :)
 

We have one and my MIL got it used, maybe circa 1978? But it works...it depends on family size and habits. If it was me and hubby I wouldn't use one. My daughter can fill it making scrambled eggs.
 
I consider a dishwasher a necessity of life. I put almost everything in there -- the reason some stuff isn't dishwasher safe is because of the heated dry cycle, so I don't use that. I just open the door after it's done and let them air dry. I don't use aluminum pots and pans -- I prefer stainless steel. And I DO unload it right away because it drives me nuts not to. I REALLY hate washing dishes by hand -- always have.
 
Yes and no. I have one but something is wrong with it lately. After I load it, close the door and turn it on it does ... nothing. Then I have to unload it, wash all those dirty dishes by hand and then the interior of the dishwasher as well. What a pain.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I have no idea what's wrong with it. A dishwasher is a lifesaver to me because it saves me tons of time (when it works) that is and it has a special drying cycle which dries the dishes without spots etc. and no chemical agents used to accomplish this.
 
I had one for about a year in a rented apartment back in the early 90's. Didn't have one again until husband put in a totally new kitchen in our house in 2010. Love it! Usually run it once a day after dinner as it takes the two of us all day to fill it.
 
I bought my first ever one, when I moved up here to Scotland. Just a basic one. Cost less than £200. Adequate for two people. A real time saver.
 
Had one for twenty years or so (not the same one, replaced it once).

As long as you rinse off major debris and use the pre-rinse programme it works well.

Any failures are usually due to my faulty loading/positioning.
 
I don't have a dishwasher and never have. When my children were growing up
we couldn't afford one. Now there is just my husband and me so we really don't need
one for the amount of dishes we have.
When I bake I have more dirty dishes so one would be helpful then but I don't mind
washing dishes.
 
I don't have one in my live frugally and retire early life. I see it as one more thing that needs to be maintained, and actually like doing dishes thanks to Mrs. Meyers dish soaps.
 
I didn't grow up with a dishwasher but I've had one for most if my adult life. There were a few years when I didn't and I was miserable! I hate standing at the sink all the time washing and drying dishes and hate having any dirty dishes etc. in the sink and wet dishtowels hanging around. The solution to that is a dishwasher.

You need enough items, of course. Running the dishwasher twice a week or even more saves energy because much less hot water is used! If you want, you can sanitize things better than you could ever do by hand by using that feature, but you don't have to.

The kitchen is cleaner, the dishes are cleaner than washed by hand and less energy is used. To me, it's win, win, win.

The few things I do wash by hand like stemware or a broiling pan get washed with Mrs. Meyers expensive dish soap like Bluebreezes uses. It's worth the money for the lovely fragrances (lavender is my favorite). It cleans very well and you don't need much.
 
RadishRose said:
I didn't grow up with a dishwasher but I've had one for most if my adult life. There were a few years when I didn't and I was miserable! I hate standing at the sink all the time washing and drying dishes and hate having any dirty dishes etc. in the sink and wet dishtowels hanging around. The solution to that is a dishwasher.

You need enough items, of course. Running the dishwasher twice a week or even more saves energy because much less hot water is used! If you want, you can sanitize things better than you could ever do by hand by using that feature, but you don't have to.

The kitchen is cleaner, the dishes are cleaner than washed by hand and less energy is used. To me, it's win, win, win.

The few things I do wash by hand like stemware or a broiling pan get washed with Mrs. Meyers expensive dish soap like Bluebreezes uses. It's worth the money for the lovely fragrances (lavender is my favorite). It cleans very well and you don't need much.
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I'm with you... I have no desire to do dishes.. and I don't view a dishwasher as a luxury, but a necessity.. I find no virtue in standing at the sink washing dishes.. I've got better things to do.
 
I didn't get one till our boys left but I love it. I have everyday dishes, glasses and silverware and it works out OK for me. My first was a KitchenAid, all fancy with stainless tub. It didn't clean as well as my Frigidaire that I have now.
 
Carla said:
I didn't get one till our boys left but I love it. I have everyday dishes, glasses and silverware and it works out OK for me. My first was a KitchenAid, all fancy with stainless tub. It didn't clean as well as my Frigidaire that I have now.
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Carla, I wish you had one while your boys were still home! Aside from the time-saving aspect, one of the chores my son had was to empty the dishwasher. Easy for a kid and even more time saved for me.
 
RadishRose said:
The few things I do wash by hand like stemware or a broiling pan get washed with Mrs. Meyers expensive dish soap like Bluebreezes uses. It's worth the money for the lovely fragrances (lavender is my favorite). It cleans very well and you don't need much.
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Aha! Another Mrs. Meyers fan. :D I find it pretty reasonable @$3.99 and it's fun to try all the different fragrances (although I keep coming back to Lemon Verbena). I believe there's a Radish scent too. I've never had such shiny pots and pans as I do with that dishsoap, even compared to using Brillo on them.
 
Had 2 stepsons (one since passed) and I have 1 son. They were in their teens at the time. Always out of glasses and spoons and even sometime bowls. They would eat and drink in their rooms and not bother to bring down the dishes. Then my husband and I introduced a rule--if you don't bring them down after use, you will wash, dry and put away after we inspect them. I had a good husband who would always help clean up after a meal but we weren't room service. Those were some crazy, busy years.
 
QuickSilver said:
I'm with you... I have no desire to do dishes.. and I don't view a dishwasher as a luxury, but a necessity.. I find no virtue in standing at the sink washing dishes.. I've got better things to do.
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QuickSilver, we think alike! I've got better things to do too than to wash dishes and it is most definitely "a necessity"! I am spoiled with a dishwasher. I've used one so long I can't stand the thoughts of not using it! I grew up having to wash dishes by hand so for 40 something years, I have "retired" from washing dishes by hand!
 
I didn't have one in the last house I owned (lived there for 14 years). When I moved in with the Spousal Equivalent, he had one but hadn't used it in years. I've never used it, either and now we'd be afraid to use it because who knows if it leaks? It makes a good spot to store pots and pans that don't get used often. When we get ready to sell the house in a couple of years, I guess we'll put a cheap one in in case the buyer wants one. We don't have one in the RV, either. They make small ones for RV's but I'd hate to give up the space for it.

I really don't mind washing dishes. It's only the two of us most of the time and the job is over quickly.
 
I use my dishwasher about twice a week and I wouldn't be without it. It sure saves getting tired out washing a pile of dishes, especially after company. Don't put pots and pans in there though, I wash those by hand.
 

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