Hands up if you love washing the dishes!
There’s just something soothing about the repetitive motions, the feeling of water pouring over your hands, or the rhythmic hum of the dishwasher. And it’s oh-so-satisfying to see dirty plates turn squeaky, shiny clean.
But with the rising awareness of sustainability, we need to be more conscious of how we wash our dishes. We need to be mindful of conserving water and using eco-friendly products.
Studies show that we spend 230 hours washing dishes in a year. That means you use a lot of resources.
Zero-waste dish washing isn’t the easiest to achieve, but it is possible – or at least, you can come close.
We’ve teamed up with Zero Co, who make amazing single-use plastic free and plant-based cleaning products, to share some tips for how to wash dishes the eco-friendly way. Every little thing helps when “untrashing” the planet!
Dishwasher Delight
Nowadays, if you can afford one and have the space, a dishwasher can be more efficient and environmentally-friendly than hand washing a load of dishes. A faucet will run you about 0.3 litres a second – and washing dishes isn’t a fast chore.
On the other hand, a dishwasher will use 5x less water per load. Just make sure you’re using an energy-rated model for maximum resource savings.
You don’t even need to pre-wash with a dishwasher! At most, scrape off any food debris and maybe give a plate a quick rinse to dislodge crumbs. But you’ll save more water by letting your dishwasher do its job, without any help.
In terms of the soap you use, that can be eco-friendly too! Try Zero Co’s biodegradable dishwasher tablets, which have plant and mineral based formulas that’ll clean your plates and cutlery easy-peasy. They’re better for the environment than other commercial soaps or tablets – and just as effective.
(TIP: If you regularly hire a professional house cleaning service, get them to use these eco-friendly products when they do the dishes for you!)
Water Saver
If you don’t have a dishwasher, hand washing dishes isn’t a crime. It can even be more efficient if you live alone or with a single housemate, since you don’t use many dishes.
The number one rule when hand washing dishes is not to leave the faucet running. Get a dishpan to help when you’re scrubbing, or ideally, get a two-sink setup. Then you can fill one sink with soapy water for scrubbing and use the other one for rinsing.
Pre-soaking your dishes also saves you water in the long run. You’ll scrub less and rinse less since food particles have loosened. Minimising the water you use while dishwashing can go a long way towards lessening your water bill.
If you’re hand washing, don’t forget to use a detergent that won’t pollute the water either!
Zero Co’s eco-friendly dishwashing liquid goes a long way towards your zero-waste dish washing, since it comes in refillable, reusable and single-use plastic free containers. With plant-based formulas smelling of finger lime & davidson plum, this product is also septic tank and grey water safe.
Brush, Brush, Brush
Switch out from disposable plastic sponges that you’ll throw away when they get grubby.
You can use non-plastic or non-disposable alternatives, such as:
- Loofahs
- Wooden dish brush
- Wooden scrubber
- Dish rags
They’ll do just as good a job and last longer than an ordinary sponge, which will save you money in the long run.
You can even recycle old jeans and other rough fabrics into a dish rag – double points!
Dry Smart
Don’t use paper towels when you can just air dry your dishes! You won’t need them for a few hours, anyway, so you can just leave them in a dish rack and wait for the moisture to drip off and evaporate.
If you absolutely have to dry your dishes, use an absorbent swedish dish cloth or tea towel made from natural fibres instead of paper towels. This way, it’s reusable and washable, and will serve you a lot longer.
Zero-Waste Dish Washing
We know one person might not turn the tide of environmental change, but your small changes can be part of a big, collective impact towards tackling climate change.
Zero Co’s mission to solve the single-use plastic problem is about uniting and conquering – it’s a people powered solution to the problem and every small action helps, even as simple as going zero-waste when washing the dishes.
By green-ifying your everyday chores, you reduce your waste and carbon footprint.
Wash dishes responsibly alongside your other eco-friendly efforts and see how much better it makes your life overall!
