A Post About Dishwashers

This post is my mom's idea. Moms have good ideas, don't you think?

Not my sink...stole this pic from the internet...

Some time ago, I shared a common meme on Facebook about washing dishing by hands and how I felt that the meme is kind of shaming those of us who use dishwashers.

Boy, did that open a can of worms.

Which is what led my mother to suggest I write a post about the pros and cons of each method of washing dishes.

Dish washing has always been my bane. For many reasons. And when I say always, I mean for as long as I can remember. It was the source of many wars growing up. No one wanted to do the dishes. As the oldest, it was usually me who was assigned to do them on Friday nights. Something I didn't think was fair, but then the oldest always gets the shitty end of the chores in my opinion.

The 'free' dishwasher turned
into a major
remodeling project

So, one Con for handwashing for me is: Sinks are never at the right height. I've always had to deal with lower back pain while doing the dishes by hand. Which is why when I saw a friend offering a free dishwasher on Facebook I jumped at it. More about that later.

To balance that with a Pro, when I was having trouble with my hands due to trigger finger and carpal tunnel, the warm water did feel good. I had trouble washing some of the heavier dishes though, so it wasn't always beneficial.

I just can never keep up with the dishes. One of the comments I ran into with my Facebook post was that this person didn't dirty enough dishes during a day to justify using a dishwasher. That is something that has never been true in my household, so I have a hard time wrapping my head around it. You'd think I'd have the same issue since it's just the two of us, but even when it was just me I never seemed to have a small amount of dishes.

I mean, a coffee cup in the morning for the obvious. A frying pan for eggs, and then a plate and fork. A knife if I had toast and buttered it. If I'm home for lunch, another plate and fork or knife or spoon. Same for dinner. Probably another frying pan, or pot. I'm not one to reuse a drinking glass if I'm drinking different liquids. Double the plates, silverware, cups for another person.

We had to do the entire counter. and cupboard area...
I knew we had water damage down there, but
it was worse than we'd realized so it all had to be done anyway

It all tended to worsen the depression I deal with. Especially since I'm the only one around to do the dishes. My husband refuses to help - either because it hurts his lower back to or because he views it as women's work. Insert eyeball roll here. At least he was willing to do the work to put it in for me since carpentry is one of his strengths.

I think that's the biggest pro for a dishwasher I can think of. All I have to do is put the dishes in, some soap, push buttons and the machine does the work I hate. I can be reading or writing while the dishes are being done. Far quicker and cleaner than I'd ever be able to get them done.

Which is another comment on the Facebook post that irritated me. A person used the reasoning that they preferred their dishes to be clean, implying that a dishwasher wasn't able to do so - and also implying that I don't want clean dishes. They'd deny that, but just by using that as a Con for a dishwasher, is in fact implying that very thing. Especially when they felt the need to write that in two different comments.

I did have some problems with dishes not coming out clean in the beginning. But I learned the things I needed to do to ensure cleaner dishes than I can do by hand. I tend to rush the dishes since it pains me, so I miss stuff. And the dishwasher uses hotter water than my hands can stand, so I feel better about germs and stuff. For myself, using a brand name detergent is a must as the dishes come out cleaner. And if I've let something sit too long - or I've overcooked something (burned), I try to soak it before putting it in the dishwasher. I rarely have a dish come through the cycle still dirty anymore.

There are some things that can't go in the dishwasher. My wooden spoons for example. My stoneware. But anything that is dishwasher safe and fits, goes in. Even if I have to run the dishwasher more than once in a day. I can understand people not wanting to do that if they have to pay a water bill, but I've found that I often have to refresh the water in the sink to keep it warm so I don't see much of a difference there. These newer stainless steel sinks just don't hold the heat in like the old porcelain sinks did. 

Having a dishwasher is a weight off my shoulders. I am forever grateful to the friend I got it from. It has saved my life in more ways than I can count.

Beautiful! It's still open like that, so it's not 100% done
But it's on our list of things to do

And of course, I am forever grateful to my husband for doing the work to put it in, even if I occasionally grumble that it'd be nice if he could at least empty it once in a while. Still, the chore I get stuck with all the freaking time is a million million times easier than what it was.

You know what you don't ever see as a meme on Facebook? "I still wash my clothes by hand and I'm not ashamed to say so." It's the same concept! You might see something about drying clothes outside on the line versus an electric dryer. If I had the lines outside to dry clothes, I'd probably do that during the summer...if it wasn't raining. Our dryer heats the trailer up something fierce during the summer and our air conditioners can't compete. But I wouldn't trade my dryer for outside clotheslines.

Everyone has different preferences. No one way is better than the other. I don't care how you argue it, it's the truth. Washing dishes by hand isn't better than using a dishwasher just because it's how you prefer to do things; and vice versa.

I wish we could stop comparing things like this. Preferences, I mean. Using a dishwasher, or dryer, or any modern convenience, isn't a thing to be ashamed of. And yes, I think meme's like the one I shared is borderline shaming people for not washing dishes by hand. Maybe I'm overreacting because dishes is a hot button for me, but I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who reads that meme in the same way.

It's just Facebook, you say? It doesn't matter? Debatable. But that's probably another post entirely, debating about the impact of social media in our lives. I may or may not write it. I'm sure I'll find something more interesting to write about.

Like Dr. Who and the case of mistaken identity perhaps? No doubt it'd be a lighter subject, and certain to be amusing, Until I took off on a bunny trail and got onto something like a Weeping Angel tree topper and how I'd never be able to have one.

Until next time, stay safe.