Some say hand washing is not as effective as machine washing dishes.
Josephine Garis Cochrane may not seem a familiar name, but the invention she patented in 1886 certainly is. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Cochrane invented the dishwasher. She began a company, now known as KitchenAid, and manufactured dishwashers. The dishwasher has been a common household appliance since the 1950s. Dish washing can be taken care of in two ways: by machine or by hand. In some ways, the machine is better.
Benefits
The original intention of the dishwasher was to save time and prevent hand washing accidents. Cochrane, a wealthy socialite, invented the dishwashing machine to increase the productivity of her servants and to save the dishes from being dropped or cracked. The first dishwasher was much like the ones we see today. Cochrane fitted wire racks for cups, saucers and plates in a wheel inside of a copper boiler. A jet of water shot up from the bottom of the boiler as the wheel turned. The invention saved her dishes and freed time for the servants.
Specialized Settings
Newer dishwashers have several settings. Some settings are best suited for cleaning heavy-duty items, such as pots and pans, while other settings are designed to gently and effectively clean more delicate dishes.
Time Efficiency
In some cases, the average dishwashing cycle may take longer than it would take to hand wash dishes. An added benefit of the dishwasher, however, is that you can attend to other things while the dishes are being cleaned. Dishwashers are also able to sterilize your dishes with scalding hot water that you would never want to stick your hand in. Using a dishwasher can also cut down on the time spent drying dishes before you put them back in the cupboards.
Energy Efficiency
Some may be discouraged from using a dishwasher due to the energy consumption. The average dishwasher consumes between 1200 and 2400 watts. You can save power by unplugging the machine when it’s not in use. To make things easier, you can plug the dishwasher into a power strip along with a couple of other kitchen appliances, such as the toaster or coffee maker, and switch off the strip when you are not using those appliances. You can do other things to increase energy efficiency, such as only run the dishwasher when it is full and use the air dry feature instead of heat dry.
Water Efficiency
Washing dishes by hand can use up to 5,000 gallons of water per year. On the other side of the spectrum, a newer Energy Star dishwasher consumes about 1,000 gallons of water per year. Obviously, it all depends on the person doing the hand washing and how much water he unconsciously wastes, but it has been said many times that dishwashers use far less water than the average person uses to hand wash dishes.
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