Which is better: washing by hand in our sink or using the dishwasher?

There are numerous studies claiming that using the dishwasher instead of the sink to wash kitchenware results in lower consumption. But if we analyse it in detail, what are the main differences between one option and the other?

Main differences between using the dishwasher and the sink

As a general rule, dishwashers use hot water in their wash programmes, something that, if we choose to wash by hand, we can regulate by selecting the desired water temperature.

One of the main differences between the two options is the large number of products a dishwasher needs to operate properly: detergent, salt, anti-limescale product and rinse aid to achieve optimal washing results. By contrast, for washing by hand we only need a bottle of washing-up liquid.

Wooden boards, certain cutlery items or frying pans should not be put in the dishwasher, as they are items that require special care and maintenance. For hand washing, at most, we only need to worry about using a special scrubber that does not scratch these items. In addition, some utensils need to be washed thoroughly, so we will opt for hand washing instead of machine washing.

As for time, a dishwasher programme takes much longer than washing by hand and water consumption, although we are told otherwise, is vastly lower.