Households across the UK are wasting £195 million pounds and 7.6 billion gallons of water a year – by rinsing dishes before loading them into the dishwasher, a study has found.
Nearly two-thirds of adults (62%) admit to always washing excess grime off plates and utensils before stacking the dishwasher – with 59% saying they do so to avoid clogging up the machine and causing issues in the long-run.
Other justifications for pre-rinsing include to stop the dishwasher from smelling (30%) – and because it is a force of habit (37%), with one in four saying it is how they were brought up.
However, more than half of those who don't pre-rinse dishes (53%) argued it is pointless, as the items will be washed thoroughly once they're in the machine, anyway.
And with 95 million litres of cold water being poured down the sink every day simply through rinsing dishes, the top argument against doing so is that it is a waste of water.
The research, into 2,000 dishwasher owners, was commissioned by energy experts Utilita – and found that 42% also admit to only loading their dishwasher once the crockery and cutlery is already “sparkling clean”.
Archie Lasseter, head of sustainability, said: “Knowing what our habits are costing us can encourage us to reconsider our behaviours – and in this case, the savings are significant, so should hopefully make households think twice.
“We can tell households how much money they’ll save – but until they load the dishwasher without pre-rinsing, and see positive results every time, they won’t be convinced.
“We hope that this informative campaign will encourage people to put confidence in their machines, and save the pocket and the planet in the process.”
Other reasons for rinsing include wanting to keep the machine as clean as possible (39%), and ensuring no long-term issues occur (39%).
Despite these reasons, 39% of those who rinse say their crockery and cutlery come out in the same condition as they went in.
It takes 77% up to two minutes to rinse everything off after finishing a typical evening meal.
Of those who use hot water to do this, this is costing them £37.53 per year, while those who opt for cold water are set back £11.05 – amounting to an average of £25.48 spent on pre-rinsing.
And almost a third (31%) of all those surveyed, via OnePoll, will typically put their dishwasher on more than once a day – meaning the associated costs will double to £76 and £22, respectively.
For 27%, the “rinse debate” causes arguments within their household – with 57% responsible for loading the machine themselves, while 24% leave it to their partner.
When it comes to settings, 62% have never used the “eco” mode – which, according to experts, has the power to save each household £33.88 per year.
And only 2% use the “rinse only” programme, with 36% claiming they have little to no knowledge of their machine settings – and 46% admitting they have never changed the machine's settings since first using it.
Before taking the poll, 51% weren’t aware of the “no need to rinse” label on the back of dishwasher tablet packs.
But encouragingly, of the 49% who had spotted it, 70% said this influenced them to stop rinsing before loading.
What’s more, 45% of people who rinse say they would consider changing their habits before loading the dishwasher in the future.
Paul Hide, chief executive at the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances, said: “Dishwashers are one of the home’s most hard-working appliances.
“They are designed to provide a full dishwashing function, which includes rinsing, so we must put our trust in them to save time, money, and the environment.
“Our own research reveals that most households avoid the eco-mode on home appliances due to it taking longer – so we need to help consumers understand the benefits.
“By taking longer to agitate the dirt on dishes, the dishwasher doesn’t need to heat the water to such high temperatures, which saves around 30% of energy on each dishwasher cycle – and it’s the same for washing machines, too.”
Archie Lasseter added: “We’re really motivated by the fact that dishwasher tablet manufacturers are encouraging consumers not to rinse, too.
“Through our behaviour science research, we know these types of visual cues and reminders really help when forming new energy efficiency habits.”
For more information on how to save hundreds by making simple tweaks to our home energy behaviours, visit here.
TOP FIVE REASONS WHY BRITS RINSE:
- Concerned about clogging the dishwasher
- Wanting to keep the dishwasher clean
- To avoid breaking the machine
- It's a force of habit
- To avoid the dishwasher smelling
TOP FIVE REASONS WHY BRITS DON'T RINSE:
- It's a waste of water
- It's pointless when the machine rinses them
- My dishwasher has a rinse on the cycle
- My dishwasher tablets advise not to rinse
- I can't stand touching dirty plates
