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Does Using a Dishwasher Actually Save Water?

The Short Answer? Yes

Overhead shot of an open dishwasher

Nick David / Getty Images

It may sound counterintuitive, but using a dishwasher saves more water than washing dishes by hand. Although many people believe dishwashers use more water than washing dishes by hand, running the dishwasher uses the same amount of water used in just two minutes of handwashing an average of eight dishes, explains Morgan Eberhard of P&G Home Care brands. 

We turned to more experts to explain the math behind the savings and help us understand why dishwashers are more efficient than handwashing dishes.

How Much Water Does a Dishwasher Use?

Using a dishwasher does save water. "

A modern dishwasher uses about three to four gallons of water compared to up to 27 gallons when washing the same amount of dishes by hand," says Jeremy Tompson of YouthfulHome, a cleaning services specialist. "Older dishwasher models may use as much as 15 gallons of water—but that's still less than handwashing.”

Tip

“It’s estimated that 10 percent of the water we use in the home is used in the kitchen, so [the dishwasher] is a great place to start," says Haley Simmons of kitchen design company, Magnet.

How Much Water Does a Dishwasher Save?

If you run your dishwasher every night instead of handwashing dishes, you will save between 24 gallons of water per load, says Tanya Klien of Anta Plumbing. She explains that using a dishwasher nightly saves more than 100 gallons of water per week. That can total up to more than 5,000 gallons of water saved per year.

“If you are preparing at least two meals a day for a family of four, you can save more than 75 percent in energy and water costs by running your dishwasher instead of handwashing your dishes,” says Eberhard. “This can save you more than $100 per year on utility bills just by using your dishwasher and roughly $1,300 over the lifetime of your dishwasher."

Why Are Dishwashers More Efficient?

A dishwasher cleans dishes and utensils at the same time without wasting any water, explains Tompson. “It also heats the water beyond what a person could stand, which cleans everything more quickly," Tompson says.

A dishwasher is designed to filter and reuse the water throughout the cycle to minimize the amount of freshwater required, says Katie Sadler of Whirlpool.

Why Is Handwashing Inefficient?

On the other hand, handwashing is often highly ineffective and inefficient, Klien says. Most of us keep the hot water running while washing and rinsing dishes to keep our sink warm and hands comfortable.

"People believe you shouldn't run a dishwasher if you don't have a full load or should handwash when there are only a few dishes," Klien says.

She explains that you still save a lot more water running a partially loaded dishwasher with 3 to 4 gallons than you will handwashing just a few dishes using a whopping 27 gallons of water.

However, you can greatly reduce the amount of water you use for handwashing dishes if you become more efficient. Install an aerator faucet, scrape food off plates, soak dishes in a basin of soapy water, and rinse in another basin of water or without keeping the water running. With these tweaks, you may be able to get down to using around nine gallons of water for handwashing dishes.

Do You Need a New Dishwasher to Save Water?

You don't necessarily need to buy a new dishwasher just to save water. Older models can also be more efficient than handwashing, Tompson says. However, an Energy Star–certified dishwasher will get the most water savings, Klien says, thanks to improved soil sensors, water filtration, and efficient jets, all designed to reduce energy and water consumption and improve performance.

The math surrounding more energy-efficient machines can’t be ignored.

Energy Star–certified dishwashers use less than four gallons of water in an entire cycle,” Eberhard says. “By making the choice to use an Energy Star–certified dishwasher, you can use 80 percent less water than washing dishes at a running sink.” 

Tip

If you are going to upgrade, don't buy a dishwasher that's too large for your needs or you will waste water and energy, Simmons says. "If you live on your own, you’re most likely not going to need a full-size model with a large capacity, so go smaller and save yourself some money and energy.”

Tips to Make Your Dishwasher More Efficient

  • Avoid the standby option: Save more electricity by keeping the standby switch off on your dishwasher, Simmons says. 
  • Clean the dishwasher: Simmons also suggests prolonging the life of your dishwasher and helping it run smoothly by deep cleaning it every so often.
  • Don't rinse dishes: Rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher is unnecessary and wastes water, Klien says, adding that skipping the pre-wash step can also save you thousands of gallons of water a year. Dishwashers and dish detergents need soiled dishes to work effectively, she says.
  • Handwash some items: Keep wooden items, some plastics, cast iron pans, and sharp knives out of the dishwasher, Tompson says, who points out that knives can be dulled in the dishwasher. Also handwash nonstick cookware, fine china, crystal, and anything with metal details. “By hand-washing these types of cookware, you’re avoiding causing damage to the dishwasher, as well as any potential harm to the item’s finish," Sadler says.
FAQ
  • Is it wasteful to run the dishwasher every day?

    Running a dishwasher daily may reduce the appliance's longevity. However, using the dishwasher every day can save more water than handwashing dishes every day.

  • Is it really cheaper to run a dishwasher at night?

    Local utilities recommend avoiding heavy usage of energy at certain times of the day. If your local utility has an off-peak hours program, use a delay feature, available on some dishwasher models, which enables you to run your dishwasher during those cost-saving off-peak hours. says Whirlpool's Sadler.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. How Much Water Do You Use At Home? USGS.