When we were first married, we rarely used the dishwasher either for the same reasons you stated.

Once I had my first child and was a SAHM, I started using my DW more often. By child number 2, it was used every few days.

As the kids moved out, I'm seeing the sitting around of needed pans, develop again. I've haven't reverted back, but it's passed my thoughts.

I have read most new DW only use a scant amount of water, but they do run for quite awhile. Though they save your hands, between stacking and unstacking, how much time is really saved? One big advantage though, is your kitchen and sink are tidy throughout the day unless you're doing dishes all day long.

Never apologize or feel stupid for a decision. If it works for you, that's what is important. We don't watch TV and I have nothing to contribute to a conversation about a program and I don't feel I'm loosing out on anything.

My GE dishwasher has a "steam" function. So I can load it over a few days and use the "steam" function to help loosen anything on the dishes before the wash cycle begins. I do rinse everything before I load the dishwasher.

Years ago, I read studies on the water and energy savings, plus the sanitation benefit of a dishwasher over handwashing...and dishwashers have become much more efficient since I read that. I think maybe giving a dw one chance may not have been enough? And your scheduling needs, dish load, and probably habits, will change as your family grows and, especially as they bring in friends! :-)

My full-size dishwashers have an option of washing a half-load. Can't tell you how it works, because we never have had the occasion to try it. I tell you that especially with the kids in charge of kitchen clean up, dishes would sit around dirty far longer if they had to be hand-washed than if they go in the dishwasher. LOL.

There are only 4 of us in our family...two under 7. I run the dishwasher every other day, which started this year now that our second child is two and eating much more. I don't put in pots/pans (but do periodically put in the glass tops) or plastic containers. There is a half-load setting, which works great. We have a pretty basic Bosch.

I never really used DW either, until I had the drawers. Loved those.
Now that I am back to just having regular DW, not using it either. Tried to use it once, was leaking. The repair person fixed it and told me that if I do not fill it up every day, I should use rinse and hold function until it is full and I am ready to use it for real. Still hand washing, as I do not like the traditional DW :-/

There is only 2 of us and I run the DW almost everyday. I do put in pots/pans/broiler etc as well as dishes, glasses & silverware. I have a Bosch and they are so energy efficient they probably use less water than I would hand washing.

confession: **there are times my dw is run twice/day**

gulp.

but normally I just run it at night before bed.

and I handwash a lot of things. pots. knives. large mixing bowls etc.

of course, our usage is up because we're a family of 6 and I cook nearly everything from scratch. the dishes in the dw are mainly eating/drinking dishes. the majority of food prep dishes (except small things) are done by hand.

all that being said, I think it's easier if it's run daily - it becomes part of your routine... fill throughout the day, run at night, empty in the morning.

only running it every once in awhile would be hard cuz you don't have a set time to run it... a set time to empty it.... and for me, whatever dish item I needed/wanted would invariably be in the dirty dishwasher.

If you had a full size dw, how "full" would it be if you ran it every night? From what I hear, it uses far less water etc. than traditional handwashing - it might be worth it to you to just run it daily regardless.

Thank you all for the feedback. Yes, I should try to use the DW more often and see how it is. I like the idea of having a routine. This is why I was thinking of the drawers since I should be able to fill it up everyday.

punamytsike... Can you be more specific on why you don't like the traditional DW? And why do you really love the drawers? Is it because you don't have to wait days to fill it up?

OK. I'll try to use our current one more and see if I can get a good feel of what I need. I'm really wondering if a drawer would work better for me because I think I'd still be handwashing pots/pans/knives/anything huge.

I really have this desire to learn to utilize a DW since I believe it will help free more of my time. That's what I'm hoping. But I have not learned to love and use our fullsize DW. :)

We went with an 18" so it would fill faster and also use the rinse-hold feature or hand rinse if they are the first few things in so they are not covered with food for a day or two. If it is going to be run immediately, we don't even rinse and things come out clean.

I put just about everything in my dishwasher, including pots and pans, casserole dishes, and big colanders, so it fills up quickly. I laughed when I read aloha's comment, "between stacking and unstacking, how much time is really saved?" because once in a while I'll spend more time rearranging things to jam in one more coffee mug and cereal bowl than it would take to just wash them. Overall, though, the dishwasher gets them cleaner than handwashing, saves water, and is easier on my back, which aches after just a few minutes when I wash by hand. I can see my next dishwasher being the dish drawers, because by then it will be just dh and I.

I love my Fischer & Paykel Dish Drawers. Your point (1) is accurate. Re (2), I find them easier to load and run than a standard dishwasher, so you'll definitely learn quickly. I also find them less of a chore to unload.. they aren't, really, but the chore is spread out because you are going drawer by drawer.

They do not hold less than a standard dishwasher, unless you're talking about a single drawer and not the standard double drawers DW (which is the same size as a standard DW). I think the double holds about 30% more. The only thing mine can't fit are the tall stock pots or a big frying pan, but I understand F&P now has the tall tub versions that takes care of that problem.

Lawjedi, twice a day? I Loathe emptying the dishwasher and even with our family of six, I typically only run it once a day. I'd go nuts unloading it that often! I usually do mine in the morning though b/c I don't have time to unload it before breakfast and can't stand the breakfast dishes sitting until later in the morning after i get home from taking kids to school. Then I can make one of the kids empty it after school! :). I never put pots and pans or large items in and am meticulous about how to load it to fit things most efficiently. I also make my kids use the same glass all day which helps. I almost always have redo it when dh loads the DW. Shhhh, don't tell him! ;)

I guess, if I have a chance to do another kitchen and finances allow, I would have two single drawers or just one. I did mostly use the upper one. It is very convenient to load and unload. It was right size for us, but I never really use DW for pots or pans, just for cutlery and dishes.
So no bending, very similar I guess why so many like drawers instead of regular lower cabinets or even pull outs. I would love to try to live with some refrigerator drawers as well and see if I love those as much as I loved my DW drawers.

One thing to keep in mind is that by law in the USA dishwasher detergent formulas have changed and some of the makers haven't quite caught up their formulas to the same standard of cleaning. The new detergents actually require you to have food remains on your dishes--no hand rinsing--or they'll start etching the dishes for lack of anything to eat.

Check the Appliances forum for more information. I'm nowhere near expert in this. From what I've read there, Finish Quantum with Powerball tablets are pretty universally well thought of, a lot of people like Method tablets, and some people cut both of these in half, which would be especially useful with the drawers. People also seem to like the Miele tabs for Miele machines (don't know how good they are in other brands), and Somat, which is a European brand and a bit different.

Some of the regular powders and gels work with some machines and some water and some habits for running them, but if you're not satisfied with the results from your dishwasher it may well be the detergent, not the machine.

Also, DWs with no heated dry, like the European models and the dishdrawers, use the heat build up in the tub and crockery to create convection that will aid evaporative drying. It helps to have a lot of metal and/or heavy crockery in these because they retain the heat, which is a good reason to have some pots that can go in. Rinse aid also helps with drying, because it's a surfactant (soap) which breaks the surface tension of water.

Dishwashers are great conveniences, and an environmentally responsible choice. If you really learn all the ins and outs of your machine, I'm sure you'll have better results than the time you tried it.

fourkids4us - those 2x's day are on marathon cooking times... :-)

and I make my kids work. I also have 4 kids, ages 4-11... they load (& I often do a bit of rearranging)... and they definitely unload the dw for me. It's not my job anymore (***happy dance!!!!***)

One reason why I'm so motivated to make sure it's run at night is cuz it's in the morning routine for a kid to empty (typically the 8.5 or 11 yr old) If it's not emptied in the morning, I either have huge back-up throughout the day... or I empty it myself.

(I have name spots on the counter for glasses too - 1 glass per day!!!)

We run ours much more since having kids. I'd guess 4 times a week. I put cutting boards in, the dish sponge and toothbrushes too. Since we got our Bosch, I use it more because I can trust things to come out clean.

DWs are more energy efficient than hand washing so your skin will thank you too.... It also keeps the sink looking and being clear.

Now that we have a good layout for putting things away, I can unload in less than a minute most of the time. Our most used items are within an easy reach of the dw.... That't the beauty of GW and coming up with the right place for everything. Putting things away with base drawers and logic (most of all) make it so much faster than in our old kitchen.

Ok, I'll make Lawjedi feel better... Having twice as many kids, we have 2 dishwashers and often run both twice a day. And like her, I pitch in occasionally, but usually leave the loading and unloading to my crew. If we run a dishwasher once or twice more a week because they don't load as efficiently as I might, so be it. That's one thing I don't choose to stress over, so don't try to keep tight control on that particular task. Please know I'm not judging anyone else's choices at all, it's just how I cope. I do kind of check in if there's a problem or if I'm close by, and make corrections or suggestions occasionally -- or some of them would put dishes in as fast as they could, including setting bowls in upright. (I've seen it. lol)

We wash almost everything in the dishwasher...including the filters from our vent hood, some things that 'shouldn't' go in, like knives, and certainly all stainless pots and pans, and baking pans. The only things I can think of that we regularly hand wash are items too big to fit (giant stainless bowls), and cast iron pots and pans.

Even if it was just dh and me, I can't imagine wanting to hand wash everything. Besides having the half-load option, my Bosch has an auto-wash cycle that judges how much weight in dishes and how much dirt in the water, so adjusts the water and energy use appropriately... So I think we'd always have enough to wash it once a day.

I live alone. I have enough dishes, silverware and glasses to last a week or more. So everything goes into the dw until the end of the week. Some pans go in but mostly I do them on the go. So once a week on Potscrubber mode.

My mom stopped using hers. She does everything by hand now.