The other day a friend wrote that she was dealing with a broken dishwasher. She didn’t say how much time or psychic energy it was taking, but she did imply that it was stressful and annoying. Although it occurred to me that if she didn’t have a dishwasher or didn’t use a dishwasher, she would be free of such interruptions, I refrained from offering such a judgment.
As part of my on-going search for simplicity, however, I have some thoughts on the pros and cons of dishwasher use. Full disclosure, I have a dishwasher, which I love when family comes. But when it’s just the two of us, it sits empty, thus keeping my life simple and saving power. Inevitably with a half filled dishwasher, there’s a dirty dish sitting there that I need; I run out of knives, forks and spoons. So out they come to be washed and used. All this back and forth consumes more time and decision-making energy than if I had keep up with the washing after each meal. The worst time stealer, however, is the time it takes to unload the machine.
As far as money stealer, there’s the cost and use of electricity to heat the water and run the machine. And let’s not forget that with frequent use, I’d have to replace the machine more frequently. There must be some statistic that tells the number cycles your average machine can offer.
I am aware that a dishwasher sterilizes in a way that hand washing doesn’t. But that’s another topic—how sterile do we have to be? Meanwhile I love the simplicity in a culture that has become obsessed with hand sanitizers.
As part of my on-going search for simplicity, however, I have some thoughts on the pros and cons of dishwasher use. Full disclosure, I have a dishwasher, which I love when family comes. But when it’s just the two of us, it sits empty, thus keeping my life simple and saving power. Inevitably with a half filled dishwasher, there’s a dirty dish sitting there that I need; I run out of knives, forks and spoons. So out they come to be washed and used. All this back and forth consumes more time and decision-making energy than if I had keep up with the washing after each meal. The worst time stealer, however, is the time it takes to unload the machine.
As far as money stealer, there’s the cost and use of electricity to heat the water and run the machine. And let’s not forget that with frequent use, I’d have to replace the machine more frequently. There must be some statistic that tells the number cycles your average machine can offer.
I am aware that a dishwasher sterilizes in a way that hand washing doesn’t. But that’s another topic—how sterile do we have to be? Meanwhile I love the simplicity in a culture that has become obsessed with hand sanitizers.