Do you want to save money on your utility bills? Even if you buy the best countertop dishwasher, there are still things you can do to save money on your water and electricity bill.
Here are a few suggestions that will help you save money and be more environmentally friendly while still getting your dishes sparkling clean.
Even the most environmentally conscious person can think they are conserving resources and are using more. Not all conservation is intuitive. Yet if you have a kitchen full of energy efficient appliances, you can still do these simple steps and save money on your bills. Here are a few tips to help.
Using a dishwasher may seem like a simple task. Moreover, it is. However, you can save money if you follow the instructions given to you by the manufacturer. They were included with your dishwasher for a reason. Refresh your memory on how to use your dishwasher and what the manufacturer recommends for load size, water temperature, etc.
If you do not have the instruction manual anymore, you can search the internet for an online version of the manual. Using your dishwasher in the way it was intended can save you money every month.
Many people rinse or pre-wash their dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Consider just scraping your plates off in the trash and using a brush or dry sponge to get the stickiest of the food off the plate and then just putting them in the dishwasher.
You can save over 50,000 gallons of water over the life of your dishwasher if you do this one simple step. Not only do you save water, but you get rid of an annoying chore in the process.
Save electricity and money by letting your dishes dry naturally instead of using the dryer in the dishwasher. You can do this by turning off the drying cycle or by opening the dishwasher up after it is done with the wash cycle and turning off the entire machine.
Not only will you save money but you will lessen the carbon emissions on the planet. Most electricity in the world is produced by coal-fired power plants. The only drawback to this method is that it might take a little longer for your dishes to dry.
Only use your dishwasher when you have a full load. I know that many of us are tempted to run it daily regardless if we have accumulated a whole load of dishes or not. However, you will get the most bang for your buck if you wait until you have a complete load of dishes.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to leave dirty dishes in your sink. Once you have scraped them as I shared with you above, you can go ahead and place them in the dishwasher and wait for enough dishes for a load. This will let you keep your kitchen looking nice like you want it to be.
Turning down your water temperature can save you much money in electricity bills. Most countertop dishwashers run at approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If you turn down the settings and use the medium setting of heat and wash your dishes at 120 degrees, you will still get your dishes clean and save money by heating the water. It is a win/win situation.
Just don’t go below the 120-degree mark. Lower than that and you start to lose the ability to get the dishes clean, and you will have to run the load through again.
Finally, if you have an old dishwasher that you have been using for years, maybe the best way to save money is actually to get a newer model. Because of modern technology, newer dishwashers use a fraction of the water and electricity that older models use. Some countertop dishwashers use less than 2 gallons of water per wash cycle. Compare that to over 10 gallons that some older model dishwashers use. That is a significant saving!
First, you get to stop doing that horrible chore of pre-washing your dishes. That is one less thing to do! Secondly, most of the tips I have given you are set and forget. You have to set things up the first time then you don’t have to do it again.
You probably won’t save hundreds of dollars a month, but you probably save tens of dollars a month. Over a years time that will add up and you can use it to get a new refrigerator or microwave if you desire. Saving money makes you able to do the things you want.
If you are in the market for a countertop dishwasher, then you might want to read our list of what we consider the best countertop dishwashers on the market. Alternatively, you can read our countertop dishwasher reviews and informative countertop dishwasher articles like our buying guide below.
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