What uses less water, a dishwasher or washing by hand? The answer is clear to see, a dishwasher is the winner.
Most dishwashers these days are Energy Star certified, the average Energy Star dishwasher uses 4 gallons of water per cycle. The average faucet flows at 2 gallons per minute not to mention the energy impact of heating the extra water.
Let's break it down with easy to read bullet points:
- The average Energy Star certified dishwasher uses 4 gallons per cycle
- The average water faucet flows 2 gallons per minute
- The average sink holds 17 gallons of water
- To successfully wash all your dishes with the same amount of efficiency as a dishwasher you would need wash all within 2 minutes
Pro Tips to reduce your carbon footprint:
- Run the “light” cycle when using your dishwasher
- Turn off the “heated drying” on the dishwasher
- If you don’t have a dishwasher use half warm/half cold water to soak first and then be mindful of the time you wash dishes in running water