The Great Debate: Hand Washing Vs. Dishwasher Cleaning

Ever since there has been food there most likely has been dishes or tools that you most likely don't want to wash but with the invention of the dishwasher it seems to be easier. Recently I spoke with a friend whose dishwasher broke and got into the discussion of dishwasher versus hand washing and we were on very different sides but is one really better than the other?

Hand Wash

I grew up in a first generation Mexican family and everyone in my family washed dishes by hand because you were sure that the dishes were clean. This means that we would make fill up the sink with water and soap then fill up the sink with all our dirty dishes. It seems that the practice of washing dishes by hand is somewhat going out of style due to time and ease of using a dishwasher to do the work.

Dishwasher

Dishwasher seem to be everywhere and there seem to be more commercials for dishwashing soap than regular soap on television. Is dishwashing actually better than hand washing though? I personally did not think that was true because sometimes you can get spots or left over food on your dishes when you use a dishwasher. According to Grist.org its actually more efficient to use a dishwasher and actually better for the environment because you use less water. Also the amount of energy used is less making less greenhouses but is it cleaner?

Germs?

So is it actually better to clean dishes by dishwasher? The answer is yes but just by a bit. This is because Orange Coast Plumbing states that most dishwashers water only reaches a temperature of 130-140 degrees Fahrenheit but to kill most waterborne bacteria it takes a temperature of 149 degrees Fahrenheit. Also there is always the possibility of stuck on food but looks like dishwasher wins when it comes to bacteria and ease. Do not let that discourage you from still hand washing your dishes. Do you prefer hand washing dishes or just throwing everything in the dishwasher? Let us know!