Which is cheaper: washing dishes by hand or the dishwasher?
Sep 27, 2023

Which is cheaper: washing dishes by hand or the dishwasher?

At BRAUZZ. we always strive to make smart choices that are good for our well-being, as well as for the planet and our wallets. A perennial debate in many households revolves around washing dishes - by hand or by dishwasher? We researched this issue and finally figured out which is cheapest.

What factors determine the cost?
When calculating, we take into account the cost of the (hot) water, the energy consumed by washing dishes, the purchase of dishwashing products

Energy consumption

  • - Dishwasher: the average energy consumption of a dishwasher is between 0.7 and 1kWh 
  • - Washing dishes by hand: with an average of 60 liters of water at 40°C, then it costs about between 2 and 2.5kWh
energy consumption washing up

Note that how much you effectively consume in euros depends on how you heat your water:

Is your water heated with natural gas?
Then the difference between washing dishes by hand or by dishwasher is almost zero if you use an eco program. The dishwasher is even 60% more expensive if you use the machine's standard main program. 

Is your water heated by an electric water heater?
Then you can save a lot of money by running the dishwasher on the eco program. In fact, it is then 65% cheaper in energy than washing dishes by hand.

Water consumption

The dishwasher uses water much more efficiently than if you wash your dishes by hand. You save about 80-85% water by using the dishwasher.

  • - Dishwasher: uses 10 to 15 liters of water per program 
  • - Washing dishes by hand: average of 60 liters of water for two full sinks
water consumption washing up

Mind you, these are the average figures, what is actually consumed depends from person to person. If you leave the tap running during dishwashing or fill the dishwasher only half full, you will obviously consume more water.

 

Dishwashing product purchases: detergent & dishwashing sponge vs. Dishwashing tablets

  • Washing up by hand

Let us take the eco detergent with the plastic-free dishwashing sponge as an example:

    • - One 250ml refill of dishwashing liquid costs €2.49
    • - One plastic-free dishwashing sponge costs €7.99

For the calculation, we take the average that with 250ml of dishwashing liquid we can wash 1262 small plates. Thereby you have an average of 12 plates per wash.

This makes the cost of the sponge and dishwashing liquid per wash up to: €0.1048

 

  • Washing up with the dishwasher:

The dishwasher needs 3 products to work properly: softening salt, detergent and rinse aid. An all-in-one dishwasher tablet can perform all three functions.

    • - One box of 52 al-in-one Dishwashing tablets costs €10 (€0.192 per program)
    • - Dishwasher purchase varies greatly, but with an average of €450 that allows you to wash up to 3000 times (€0.14 per program)

This makes the cost per program amount to: €0.332

Tip: choose the most economical option and subscribe to your favorite dishwashing products. Read: why a subscription is the best option.

price dishwashing products

 

Conclusion: which is cheapest for you?

So, is it cheaper to wash by hand or use the dishwasher? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is not so black and white.  

The dishwasher wins in terms of water consumption which is hard to beat by washing by hand. 

As for energy costs, it depends on how you heat. 

  • Do you use gas to heat your water?
    Then very little difference in cost between the dishwasher and washing dishes by hand. 
  • By contrast, do you use an electric water heater?
    Then using the dishwasher is remarkably cheaper.

The cheapest option for you depends on how you heat your water and why you wash dishes by hand.

Need energy-saving dishwashing tips? Read this article on ecological dishwashing.

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