Everything you need to know about the dishwasher #

The dishwasher is actually the blessing of every household: the dirty dishes no longer pile up in the sink and nobody has to do the dishes.
Nevertheless, every now and then there are unnecessary disputes: What is allowed in the dishwasher? Why am I always the fool who has to empty the dishwasher? And anyway, how full does the dishwasher have to be so that I can turn it on and finally I can eat from my favorite plate again?

So here are answers to a few of these questions:

What doesn't belong in the dishwasher #

• Good and sharp knives #

  Good knives quickly become blunt in the dishwasher. In addition, hitting other cutlery or crockery sometimes creates unsightly scratches and dents. Therefore, it is best to simply wash the knives with water immediately after using them.

• Cast iron pans #

  Cast iron pans have no place in the dishwasher. During the rinse cycle, the natural coating that develops over time is immediately destroyed. Therefore, you should not use detergent when cleaning such pans. Most of the time it is enough to wipe the pan with a paper towel after use. Otherwise, hot water will also help. To avoid rust, it is also important to dry the pan immediately.

• Wooden spoons, wooden boards and pan lifters #

  Wood warps or splits in the dishwasher due to the high temperatures. Therefore, it is better to wash these items by hand. Or you can buy inexpensive products and replace them when in doubt.

• Teflon pans #

  Many Teflon pans and pots lose their magical non-stick properties pretty quickly once they're washed in the dishwasher on a regular basis. So better play the shit here and wash them by hand. Unless the manufacturer explicitly states that it is dishwasher safe.

• The grandparents' good gold dishes #

  Dishwashers love to eat away the gold rim. If your grandparents' dishes (or those of the grandparents of your roommates) are worth something to you, wash them by hand. # What can you put in the dishwasher

What you can safely put in the dishwasher #

• kitchen sponges and dish brushes #

  Kitchen sponges and dish brushes spend most of the day collecting bacteria. If you're a little paranoid about hygiene, just put them in the dishwasher.

• sex toys #

  When things get really dirty, you can usually rely on your dishwasher. Your sex toys made of glass, silicone and borosilicate glass can also be cleaned well with it (Thank you, buzzfeed, for this beautiful picture, to clear out the dishwasher and to have to sort the sex toys of his roommates in the appropriate cupboards).

What does it cost to run the dishwasher once? #

The question of whether you are allowed to turn on a half-full dishwasher presumably mainly depends on your personal price and ecological awareness as well as that of your co-residents. So here's the breakdown of what a wash cycle (using green electricity) costs:

• Modern dishwashers use 9-18 liters of water per wash cycle. On top of an average water price in Germany of € 1.69 per 1000 liters, there is another € 2.36 per 1000 liters of waste water. Thus, the total water costs are around 4 to 8 cents.
• The power consumption is between 1 and 1.5 kWh per wash cycle. With green electricity, a kilowatt hour of electricity costs 26.25 cents. The electricity costs are between 26 cents and 40 cents.
• A dishwasher tab costs around 18 cents each

So it costs between 49 cents and 66 cents to run the dishwasher once, an average of 57 cents.

References:

• Wastewater costs - Federal Statistical Office
• Drinking water costs - Federal Statistical Office