thinking about this because i'm almost out and was going to put it on the grocery list. rethinking...is there anything else i can put in there that would work?

or you know, it's not costing me money to not have the detergent. it's costing me more money to buy detergent and run the dishwasher once a day than it costs for dish soap and water to wash dishes...am i right? big enough difference?

well....i guess that's my answer? what do you think?

Well that's what they figured in the Tightwad Gazette. But I really think the convenience of a dishwasher with a big family is crucial for my mental health. We didn't have one for almost a year and I was falling to peices. Not everyone's like me though. LOL.

I've heard of people just using alot less of the detergent. Apparently a tablespoon is all you officially need per load, which is alot less than the "fill" line. I always forget this and still use more. In a pinch, you can use baking soda or borax or washing soda, but it's not as effective as proper detergent. I'm thinking of finding some good brand and buying in super bulk so it's really cheap per load, same for laundry detergent. Lots to think about. LOL.

Kerri

it isnt cheap but Seventh Generation has a dishwashing detergent that I believe is phosphorus free....

I rely on my dishwasher....I loathe doing them by hand. I put off scrubbing pots and pans for a day or so if I can get away with it.

If I had to choose between a dishwasher and a washing machine I would probably choose a dishwasher...for some reason I dont mind washing CLOTHES by hand

I hate my dishwasher. Well, I hate using all dishwashers - nothing persnal against mine. And I have something like 10 bottles of really yummy Williams Sonoma dishwasher detergent in both Lavender and Lemon Verbena. Coming to the N Atlanta area anytime soon? ;) I probably need 2-3 bottles for the whole year for when DH does the dishes. You can take some off my hands

I only use about 1 Tablespoon per dispenser (2 of them) per load. I only run completely full loads. I can make a bottle of liquid d/w detergent last months.

Try it!:)

I believe a dishwasher generally( depends on your hand washing habits) uses less water and less electricity than hand washing. So then you'd need to make up for the extra cost of electric and water for hand washing in savings from the soap. Is there enough of a difference in your hand washing soap and a less-than-the-line amount of dishwashing detergent that will still clean to offset those extra costs?

If you actually turn the water on and off as needed, handwashing uses a lot less water. I often do like grandma did, and fill the left side just a couple of inches with cold while the hot water's heating up. Then I fill the right side with the hot, soapy water. The cold water on the left is my rinse water.

Otherwise, I just turn the water on for a second to rinse a couple of clean dishes at a time. I've tried catching the water on the left to see how much I use that way, and it's less than a gallon for typical meal's worth of dishes (we'd have to run the dishwasher twice a day if we used it). So maybe I use 12 gallons a day washing 4 loads of dishes vs the 25 to run my dishwasher twice.

I do recognize that people who like to leave water running will use way more than the machine does. I just have really started paying attention to what grandma knew lately. ;)

I think some people love handwashing and some loathe it. I'm in the loathe category. I got a dishwasher recently and just love it and have never looked back. We are eating a lot better, actually, because the dishes are always clean.

I've tried washing soda, baking soda, what-have-you as a sub for regular dish detergent, with no luck. Just use tiny amounts of dish detergent, like a tbsp per side...reduce until you get a dirty load, then go back up a little until you get a clean load.

I also notice that we go through quite a lot of hand dish soap when we were hand washing (which we did for a year and a half since moving up here before getting the dishwasher). I'm not sure you do really save that much...

Also buy the cheapest brand of detergent you can that still meets with your guidelines (no/low phosphorus or whatever).

Also buy the cheapest brand of detergent you can that still meets with your guidelines (no/low phosphorus or whatever).


not to highjack the thread, but what are the mainstream brands that contain no/low phosphorus?

I'd like to find something cheaper then 7th Generation

Yes, I could probably get away without my dishwasher but with five kids I can't see doing dishes by hand. :lol:

thanks for the thoughts, mamas. xt...that stuff sounds good! you think it would save any money at all if i drive that far to pick it up...LOL! maybe we'll have another potluck soon, and you can give me a bottle for valentine's day :). and i can bring jodi a photo box i found.

Sorry, I don't know which mainstream brands have no phosphorus. Our dishwasher is new and I have been using up detergent that was left to me in our house. Back in Florida, I used Seventh Gen. In Olympia I had a portable dishwasher for a while and used a bulk brand at the co-op that was great and quite cheap but I don't recall the brand.

I use 7th Gen Powder with success. I rinse my dishes pretty well and have an ancient dishwasher. I also wash many things by hand - all my pots and pans, my silverware (silver plate, so dishwasher is bad), many delicate things. We only run a load about every other day so it isn't too bad.

I've heard of people using baking soda and/or borax with success - maybe it depends on how well you pre-rinse? I am curious since I'd love to have one less thing to buy as well!