Is a dishwasher an eco friendly thing or not? Much of the evidence and much of the press nowadays suggest that it is. Industry and green sources alike say that a dishwasher uses less water, chemical and power than washing by hand. And you don't often get industry and the green lobby agreeing on anything, do you?

I'm not entirely convinced though (I speak as the very happy owner of a dishwasher, having been persuaded to buy one a little while ago....). You can get all sorts of pretty accurate figures for the amount of water, power and chemicals a dishwasher uses, and all sorts of not so accurate figures for how much you or I use when doing the washing up. But have you noticed how many different ways there are for a washer upper to use water (hot and cold) and washing up liquid? (OK, I should get out more, I know.) I think that the answer to which is better still lies largely in how you do it. If you do everything in the dishwasher daily on the hottest wash imaginable plus pre rinse, it will inevitably use more than if you do it all when the dishwasher is full (so you use it less often) and at lower settings.

In the end lcringmer's verdict is dishwashers are fine - they seem to be just about as eco friendly as hand washing. As long as you remember the eco settings.

Here is a list of resources that offer a variety of information and opinions:

What Price

From the BBC: How green is a dishwasher?

Mostly Eating: Eco-friendly reasons not to be upset if your old dishwasher dies

Friends of the Earth: Dishwashers versus hand washing

Friends of the Earth: No cost ways to save energy