Like many busy working
women and stay-at-home mothers out there, I often feel like I live in my
kitchen. It's not necessarily a bad thing because more often than not, there's
no place I'd rather be. But isn't it nice when you can get your kitchen
(particularly your kitchen appliances) to work with you rather than against
you? Case in point: Your dishwasher.
At least where I live, we
have two separate bills for water: one for the actual water coming in and
another for the sewer charges to cart the used water away. Because of this, we
are extremely conscious of how often we run the dishwasher. In general, we only
run it once a day, at night, when it is completely full. In the event that the
tub is only half full, we wait until the next night. Being able to cut our
dishwasher usage in half greatly impacts our monthly water bills in a positive
way!
But what about those times
that the dishwasher isn't completely full and you need to run it anyway? This
also happens to me frequently because I am a baker (and anyone who has created
a cake and a batch of icing from scratch can tell you how quickly you can dirty
up bowls, scrapers and mixing spoons). Unless you have duplicates and multiples
of all of your utensils, you need to clean them before you can move on to the
next stage in your baking.
So rather than break my
back hand-washing dishes in the interim, I'd rather the dishwasher do the heavy
lifting for the half hour or so that my cake is baking and give me a chance to
sit down and catch my breath – or move on to other more time-effective tasks
like folding and ironing laundry.
For times just like this,
here are my tips for maximizing your dishwasher and turning it back into the
lifesaver that it can be in the kitchen.
Conservation-Centric Cycles
First of all, purchasing an
Energy Star® certified dishwasher gets you an appliance that is, on average,
5%more energy efficient than standard models and improves water efficiency by
15%. They can even save you an estimated $40 annually over the cost to operate
a dishwasher made before 1994.
In addition to the overall
savings you can expect with an Energy Star qualified model, you can trim even
more costs from your monthly bills by operating your dishwasher more
economically without sacrificing performance. Beyond a traditional
"normal" cycle, many dishwashers come equipped with supplementary
cycles geared toward conserving water, energy and your hard-earned money. And
because they're more tailored to your needs, you can actually say they enhance
performance!
Soil-Sensing Technology
Many models have a new
feature whereby the dishwasher can actually tell how dirty your dishes are.
When you select this option on a cycle – on my particular model, it's the
"Quick Wash" setting – your dishwasher only supplies the exact amount
of water it needs to clean your dishes properly. This means you no longer need
to keep pumping water through the jets to continue to rinse dishes that are already
clean.
I use this option the most
when I'm baking and need to wash mixing bowls and the bowl to my stand mixer to
get it ready for making the icing. It truly is an advancement in technology
where my pastries are concerned!
Light Wash
Another conservation-centric
cycle is the "Light Wash" option. This is a great asset when I don't
have a full load or the relatively full load that I do have is basic dishes,
cereal bowls and spoons, coffee cups and glasses. Basically, I use this option
when I don't want to run a heavy-duty or normal cycle.
Fantastically Unexpected
Dishwasher Tub Fillers
If you do need to fill a
bit of space in the tub, there are more things than dishes that will get clean
in the racks! Here are just a few of the great things you can put in the
dishwasher:
- Plastic
toys and action figures for your kids
- Dog
chew toys, plastic bones and rubber balls
- Vent
covers and air register covers
- Plastic
light switch plate covers
- Marinade
and basting brushes
- Stove
knobs and handles from your range
- Refrigerator
shelves, both glass and plastic
- Bathroom
accessories like toothbrush holders and soap dishes
- Buckets
and bins for sports equipment and toys
Just be sure to place small
items in the utensil caddy and more delicate items on the top rack to ensure
they remain protected during their quick cleaning.
How else do you optimize
your dishwasher and cut costs in the process?
Rheney Williams writes tips on home
appliances and energy efficiency for Home Depot. Rheney recently remodeled the
kitchen in her Charleston, S.C., home, and is spending a lot of time there.
Among the new appliances Rheney is enjoying are a range, refrigerator and
dishwasher. Home Depot's selection of dishwashers can be found online.
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