Editing Dishwasher (section)

===Environmental comparison===
Dishwashers use less water, and therefore less fuel to heat the water, than hand washing, except for small quantities washed in wash bowls without running water.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/05/05/why-you-shouldnt-wash-your-dishes-by-hand/ |title=Why you shouldn't wash your dishes by hand |last=Mooney |first=Chris |date=2015-05-05 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref><ref name="star">{{Cite web |url=https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/dishwashers/dishwasher_hand_washing |title=Dishwasher vs. Hand Washing Dishes |website=www.energystar.gov |language=en |access-date=2017-12-30 |archive-date=2019-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212144356/https://www.energystar.gov/products/appliances/dishwashers/dishwasher_hand_washing |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hand-washing techniques vary by individual. According to a peer-reviewed study in 2003, hand washing and drying of an amount of dishes equivalent to a fully loaded automatic dishwasher (no [[cookware and bakeware|cookware or bakeware]]) could use between {{convert|20|and|300|L|gal}} of water and between 0.1 and 8 kWh of energy, while the numbers for energy-efficient automatic dishwashers were {{convert|15|-|22|L|gal}} and 1 to 2 kWh, respectively. The study concluded that fully loaded dishwashers use less energy, water, and detergent than the average European hand-washer.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stamminger |first=Rainer |year=2003 |title=A European Comparison of Cleaning Dishes by Hand |journal=Proceedings of EEDAL Conference |url=https://www.landtechnik.uni-bonn.de/forschung/haushaltstechnik/publikationen/eedal-manualdishwashing-ht1/ |access-date=2010-06-13 |archive-date=2011-11-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104182244/http://www.landtechnik.uni-bonn.de/forschung/haushaltstechnik/publikationen/eedal-manualdishwashing-ht1 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Is a machine more efficient than the hand? |url=http://www.landtechnik-alt.uni-bonn.de/ifl_research/ht_1/EEDAL_03_ManualDishwashing.pdf |last=Stamminger |first=Rainer |publisher=Home Energy |date=May–June 2004 |access-date=2010-06-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701173343/http://www.landtechnik-alt.uni-bonn.de/ifl_research/ht_1/EEDAL_03_ManualDishwashing.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-01 }}</ref> For the automatic dishwasher results, the dishes were not rinsed before being loaded. The study does not address costs associated with the manufacture and disposal of dishwashers, the cost of possible accelerated wear of dishes from the chemical harshness of dishwasher detergent, the comparison for cleaning cookware, or the value of labour saved; hand washers needed between 65 and 106 minutes. Several points of criticism on this study have been raised.<ref>[http://probonostats.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/dishwashing-man-vs-machine/ Dishwashing: man vs. machine.] Yoram Gat, Pro Bono Statistics Weblog (2008)</ref> For example, [[kilowatt hour]]s of electricity were compared against energy used for heating hot water without taking into account possible inefficiencies. Also, inefficient handwashings were compared against optimal usage of a fully loaded dishwasher without manual pre-rinsing that can take up to {{convert|100|L|gal}} of water.<ref>[http://www.joe.org/joe/2003february/rb3.php Dishwashing and Water Conservation: An Opportunity for Environmental Education] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801113451/http://www.joe.org/joe/2003february/rb3.php |date=2013-08-01 }}. Journal of Extension, Volume 41, Number 1 (2003).</ref>

A 2009 study showed that the microwave and the dishwasher were both more effective ways to clean [[kitchen sponge|domestic sponges]] than handwashing.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.foodcont.2013.07.026 |volume=35 |title=Hygiene in the home kitchen: Changes in behaviour and impact of key microbiological hazard control measures |journal=Food Control |pages=392–400|year=2014 |last1=Taché |first1=J. |last2=Carpentier |first2=B. }}</ref>