Our dishwasher broke a few weeks ago – here are lessons learned from hand washing dishes for a few weeks! Plus real food we ate on said dishes.
We’ve been eating up a storm over here, which means the dishes are cranking through the dishwasher at record speed.
And that dishwasher has been me!! (And Thomas too – we share the task!)
Our dishwasher broke a few weeks ago.
We had a Whirlpool Gold for the past 6 years. It was awful and was getting worse.
Last year the heating element broke and cost $150 to repair.
But the worst part was that the dishes came out dirty. There would be residue on all the glasses and crumbs hidden in plates. Whole pieces of food would still be stuck on plates. I had resorted to hand-washing most of our dishes before putting them in, which was a waste of time and water.
So when the Whirlpool died, I was secretly happy.
I consulted with a dishwasher expert, my mother in law, who said without hesitation GET A BOSCH. A quick check with Consumer Reports confirmed that Bosch is the leading dishwasher brand. So we ordered this Bosch!!
It took for.ev.er to ship but arrived yesterday and should be installed today (fingers crossed).
Blue Apron General Tso’s Chicken!
Lessons Learned While Hand Washing Dishes
Hand washing didn’t really add much time
I wash dishes by hand every night. Pots, pans, the cutting board. Plus, I used to have to rinse off the main dishes we used to get the big food pieces off before loading them into the dishwasher. So it actually didn’t take that much more time just to wash them all by hand and be done.
Not having to unload the dishwasher was amazing!
This is the chore I usually do first thing in the morning, and I was so nice to cross it off my list! Would I trade not having to load and empty it for standing at the sink longer? Maybe. The thought crossed my mind!
The silverware was the worst part
Washing a plate wasn’t bad….the cups were a little annoying (especially when my hand wouldn’t fit) but the silverware was the worst!
We don’t have a drying rack
We use drying pads because I refuse to have a rack on my countertop, but it would be nice to have a collapsible one for times like this. And if I didn’t have a dishwasher ever again, I would find a pretty rack and use it. Or one that goes over the sink like this.
My hands got very dry!
The extra time under water really dried out my hands. I had to use extra lotion. I don’t really like kitchen gloves, but I have used those before and they are a good solution!
The dishes didn’t feel as clean
I got a little worried when we had chicken juice in the sink that the dish soap wasn’t really sanitizing them very well. And we missed spots more than the dishwasher would. Dishwasher – 1. Hand washing – 0.
It encouraged minimalism
One reason why we each have two coffee mugs, and Birch has three plates, and Mazen has more than one water bottle is because these dishes get “stuck” in the dishwasher for a day or two. But washing everything the first time meant we never had that waiting game for something to go through the cycle. If we really went dishwasher-free forever, we could get by with a lot fewer dishes.
Overall, I’ll be glad to have a dishwasher again! But it was an interesting “experiment” for a few weeks!
Real Food
Smoothie in a Paper Cup
It sure was convenient to recycle my Daily Harvest cup instead of washing a real one! I love this cookie-like flavor – Vanilla Bean + Cacao.
Orange Ya Glad The Dishwasher’s Back?
“Egg” Salad
Salad with an egg on top – a classic “what to have for lunch” solution. Plus peppers, cheese, and chips!
Frittata + Crudités
We tried to stick with washable plates for most meals, but I did toss in some paper plates for a few quick lunches. Like this frittata from Plenty Cville with eggplant dip and veggies.
Cheese + Spinach Quesadilla
with peppers, sour cream, and red, hot, blues after a hard soccer game!
Blue Apron Pesto Panko Salmon
I’ve said it before, but any Blue Apron dish with panko gets an A+ from me!
Rosemary Steak + Potatoes
I love the steak meals because Mazen loves them too! This one was SO good.
Steelhead Trout with Crispy Skin
And a mustard-cream sauce with Brussels and peppers. I told ya we have been eating up a storm. Blue Apron keeps our menu rotating so we’re never bored.
(And through the weekend, you can get $100 off here.)
Birch helped me do some spring cleaning!
Playing in sunshine <3
Kelly A Haag says
We’ve had our Bosch for 5 years now and I comment EVERY SINGLE WEEK how much I love it. I’m so excited for you! Did you get the one with the pull out tray for little odds and ends? That may be my favorite part, especially with little kid spoons, lids, etc. Dishes ALWAYS are clean. Have fun! (This is what counts for pandemic thrills, I suppose…)
Kath Younger says
Yes yes yes!
Jill D says
When I started reading the blog post …I was saying “just get a Bosch”… Our Bosch is over twenty years old, cleans like a dream and is quiet….
Also just an fyi if your washer and/or dryer goes kaput….just get a Speed Queen… they are work horses…
Kath Younger says
Haha!! Noted : )
Pat says
When I had a minor issue with my over-20 year old Whirlpool top loader*, the repair guy told me that when I need to replace it that Speed Queen was the best. He was not a fan of front loaders.
* bought used from a work friend in 1997
Kath Younger says
I have never heard of Speed Queen before, but I had a front loader once and HATED it.
Andrea says
I flipping hate my dishwasher too… it stinks. And it’s less than six months old. But would way rather use a dishwasher and have to wash a few dishes that didn’t get cleaned properly by the machine than hand wash all the dishes ANY day!! My husband is totally on team hand wash though.
Kath Younger says
Yup totally agree. And I would rather hand wash extra on the front end than the back end, so that’s what I had been doing. I cannot STAND to pull out a “clean” spoon and have yogurt inside it or a mug with crusted crumbs in the bottom and have to hand wash them while unloading. The worst!
Karen says
When the dishwasher in our rental broke, we decided not to bother the landlord and just switched to handwashing dishes. We have four kids, and eat at home all the time, so this was a big decision–but in the end, we like it a lot better. We’re in a new house now, that has a dishwasher that works, but we don’t use it.
What we learned:
In our old house, the kitchen was plagued with large, nasty ants. When we stopped using the dishwasher, they disappeared. Turns out they were attracted to the moisture (and food bits) that always remain in a dishwasher, even if we used the heated dry option. So if your kitchen seems to be having a lot of ants, try not using the dishwasher and letting it dry out completely. We never saw ants after that.
The kitchen feels cleaner and more “done” when we’re done washing the dishes, because everything’s been put away. I always disliked the knowledge that, even though the dishes were being cleaned in the dishwasher, we weren’t “done” with them. Now they’re washed, dried and put away all at once.
The kids help out more. It’s easy to forget there are dishes to unload. But if there are dirty dishes waiting to be washed, invariably the older kids just start washing them and getting things done. Also, we spend more time together, working together and talking, than when people just chucked dishes into the dishwasher.
Like you said, one can have fewer dishes/glasses when they’re not rotating through the dishwasher.
As far as sanitizing things, we use very hot water, soap, and we haven’t gotten salmonella or food poisoning yet. I keep lotion by the sink, and everyone’s hands are fine.
Overall, I don’t see us going back to using a dishwasher. I actually see them as wasted storage space! We use it for storing serving trays and wire strainers.
Kath Younger says
This is very interesting!! I can totally see why you don’t use it. And that is genius to use it for storage!!!
Erika says
When we moved into our house 15 years or so ago it didn’t have a dishwasher. My husband offered to put one in but that would take away a lot of cupboard space that was already limited and I didn’t want a portable one taking up space either. So we never got one and I’ve been hand washing dishes all these years. I really don’t mind it (most days). At the end of the day I find it a bit relaxing, on the weekends after lunch it’s fun to watch out the window while I wash and the kids play, and now my son is old enough to be given the task too.
Kath Younger says
I think if it were just me at home it would be more doable, but those kids sure make a lot of dishes : )
Karen says
It is kind of relaxing! Our window over the sink looks out at the front yard, and it’s fun to people watch some evenings as the neighbors are out and about. We homeschool, and always have, so I have gotten used to having the kids’ dishes all day–and they’ve learned to pitch in and do their part.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
I wish I had a dishwasher! I’ve been handwashing my dishes my whole life and it sucks haha!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Kath Younger says
I bet you’re a pro at it <3
Bridget says
I currently have a Bosch and feel like it’s a ticking time bomb. My parents had one, it caused an electrical fire that resulted in a major house fire resulting in rebuilding the entire kitchen and ductwork due to the smoke damage. From their work with their insurance company, it seems this is an issue with them that the company just pays insurance companies to deal with.
Our current Bosch (which we bought because my parents liked theirs!) is 6-7 years old, isn’t great at cleaning if you don’t rinse thoroughly prior to loading, and the coating is peeling in places on the racks and rusting underneath.
Will be replacing with a Miele when financially makes sense!
Kath Younger says
Oh gosh – so scary for your parents!!
Corry says
When I moved into my house almost 12 years ago, it came with a Bosch dishwasher. I think we’ve used it twice for washing dishes. It works, but I just prefer hand washing. We use it for storing my son’s snacks, Halloween stash, and for when we buy some junk food.
My friends and family find this hilarious.
Kath Younger says
Perfect place for the secret stash!
vicki says
We have a dishwasher but for all the reasons you noted, I like hand washing. I probably have a 50/50 split. After a big dinner it’s really nice to have the option of the dishwasher, but after a small meal…. hand wash. I wear rubber gloves so my hands are fine.
Nancy says
We’ve been in our house for 25 years and in that time I’ve had at least 6 dishwashers. Our water is very hard and it wears them out a lot faster. 3 of them leaked before dying, one so severely that we had to rip out the wall and replace all the lower cabinetry. I decided I was DONE with that and did what you did: went to Lowes and bought a Bosch. Zero complaints. It has a feature that turns it off if a leak is detected. And it’s so quiet I have to look at the display to see if I remembered to turn it on. It was the most expensive of our dishwasher collection but totally worth it. Hope you enjoy yours 🙂
Kath Younger says
Glad to hear this!