The answer: washing dishes in the dishwasher provides much cleaner dishes than hand-washing. Even those dishes that don't come completely clean in the washer have less bacteria on them than most hand-washed dishes.
Dish brushes are a more hygienic option for clearning dishes. No pathogenic bacteria (that causes disease) was found in the brushes or the sponges. However, overall bacteria levels were lower in used brushes than sponges.
It turns out that washing the dishes by hand is scientifically proven to reduce your stress levels, as long as you go into it with the right attitude. This was discovered during a study at Florida State University, when researchers had 51 students wash the dishes under controlled circumstances.
A dishwasher is far more efficient than hand-washing dishes. It's safer, faster, and cheaper than even the most frugal hand washing method.
Washing dishes by hand does NOT make them cleaner.
That's nowhere near the heat necessary to make dishes truly bacteria free. "Our hands just can't take the hot water temperatures -- 140 or 145 degrees Fahrenheit -- that many dishwashers use to get stuff really clean," The Washington Post reports.
According to The Whole Portion, you should ideally only be running it five times a week. Running your dishwasher every day can reduce its lifespan quite significantly — as much as three years. Moreover, if you properly load your dishwasher, you shouldn't need to run it too often.
The better way to hand wash your dishes
Use a plastic or silicone brush. Brushes tend to stay drier when they're not used, and they don't have as many deep crevices as sponges where water and bacteria can grow.
5. YOUR DISHWASHER SAVES YOU 30 MINUTES A DAY. On average, washing dishes by hand uses up a half hour of your day.
Using a dishwasher can help reduce the amount of water used – as well as the energy needed to heat it up – which can save you money in the long run.
Wear protective gloves: When washing dishes, always wear long and heavy-duty dish gloves. Do not wear thin plastic gloves. Thicker the gloves, the better it is. Longer gloves ensure that the soapy water doesn't get into the gloves and irritate the skin.
Vastu Shastra: Often times people wash their hands on the plate after eating. But hands should never be washed on the plate of food. According to religious beliefs, washing hands on a plate of food is considered inauspicious. By washing hands on the plate, the remaining food in it is disrespected.
The trick is to keep the water clean, by pre-rinsing and -scraping and then by washing the cleanest things first (after the glassware of course). Soapy water will run off without leaving marks, whereas you will get watermarks if you rinse.
Dishwashers kill more bacteria because they can pump hotter water than our sinks. Dishwashers rinse at around 130-140°F. To prevent scalding, faucets are often capped at a less germicidal 120°F (hand-washing at 140°F would burn your skin in six seconds).
If saving water is a priority, then it makes sense to use your home dishwasher every day of the week. On the other hand, if eeking out those additional 2 or 3 years in dishwasher life expectancy is your priority, then it's best not to use it more than 5 times a week.
Whether your dishes are clean or not, you shouldn't leave them in your dishwasher for any longer than four days. After this, a build-up of mould or bacteria can begin to form, and this means you'll need to clean your dishwasher very thoroughly to get rid of it.
Consider a post-wash soak.
"If you don't have a dishwasher, you can sanitize simply by using a hot water soak," Bell says.
Dishwashers are more efficient for cleaning full loads.
If you find yourself only running your dishwasher every two or three days, it might be better to hand wash instead. That's because food particles can dry out and become caked on if dishes sit for more than 24 hours before being cleaned.
Note: For fire safety reasons, you should only run appliances like dishwashers and dryers while you're home and avoid running them overnight or when you're sleeping.
A dishwasher makes it safer to wash up fragile crockery such as plates and glasses which could often be dropped and smashed when handled with soapy hands. This means there are fewer breakages and is a lot safer than dealing with hidden knives left in washing up bowls.
Dishcloths are not any more hygienic than sponges — bacteria will grow on anything warm and moist. Because of this, choosing between dishcloths and sponges is really a matter of personal preference — but I do have to say, there are way cuter dishcloths than there are sponges.
We know not every house has a dishwasher, but whether you wash-by-hand or throw your dishes into the dishwasher, there are some numbers you may find surprising: the environmental impact of dishwashing vs. hand washing. Because washing dishes by hand is definitely way greener than using a dishwasher!