Expert reveals why you should always use a dishwasher over hand-washing

This story was written by Rachel McGlasson and originally appeared on The Cool Down.

In an informative video, Reviewed (@Reviewed) shared how using your dishwasher actually saves you money and water. 

The video does a great job explaining why your dishwasher will save you money and water. To start, Reviewed explains that hand washing your dishes uses five times as much water as an efficient dishwasher and three-and-a-half times more than an average dishwasher.

But Reviewed isn’t just touting facts. As indicated in its name, the group behind Reviewed tests products and claims from across the internet, so it did a test of its own on the efficiency of dishwashers. 

“In our tests it took just over 12 gallons of water to wash four place settings by hand,” the video explains. “And our dishwasher used just 2.36 gallons.”

How it’s helping

Cutting down on the water you’re using every time you need to do the dishes cuts down on your water bill. 

According to Energy Star, using an energy-efficient dishwasher over hand washing can save about $1,300 in a year. It estimates a regular dishwasher saves $463 over the appliance’s lifetime, per Better Homes & Gardens.  

But saving money isn’t the only benefit. According to Energy Star’s “Savings Tips,” using certain dishwashers instead of rinsing and scrubbing by hand can save 8,000 gallons of water a year. On top of that, dishwashers may get your dishes cleaner — using higher temperatures to help sanitize your dishes. 

What everyone’s saying

With over 10,000 likes and more than 150 comments, this money-saving hack clearly got the attention of TikTokers. But many commenters were quick to question how 12 gallons were used while washing, others defended the numbers. 

“Why do you all think faucets are measured in gallons PER MINUTE?” one user wrote. “S*** goes faster than you think and y’all severely underestimating your usage.”

“Most of these comments are [from] single people, living alone,” another posted in response to people claiming they are sure they don’t use 12 gallons when washing. “Clearly, a dishwasher is the way to go in bigger families who go through a lot of dishes.”

This story was written by Rachel McGlasson and originally appeared on The Cool Down.