I Used a Dishwasher for the First Time Ever, and I Didn’t Expect What Happened Next

It might be surprising to hear, but at the age of 25, I only recently used a dishwasher for the first time. I didn’t grow up with one in my household, perhaps for generational reasons, as I have older parents than many of my peers, or because my mom swore that washing dishes by hand was more thorough as well as cost effective. However, when I moved into my first apartment alone, a dishwasher was already there. 

Initially I ignored it, partly out of habit, but also because I had no idea how to use it. Eventually I asked my partner about it, and he was more than happy to show me as someone who swears by dishwashers to save time during the busy workweek. Now, I use the dishwasher all the time, and honestly when I’m stressed or tired, I can’t imagine how I lived life without it. 

There are things I still enjoy (and miss) about hand-washing my dishes, but I’ve also fully embraced dishwashing. Here are the pros and cons of using a dishwasher for me. 

I’m the type of person with multiple to-do lists, and I enjoy tackling each item on them. The fact that a dishwasher does a task for me, saving me time, energy, and effort, was genuinely exciting at the beginning. It almost felt like magic: All of my dirty dishes, which were a chore waiting to be ticked off, just went in the machine and were dealt with. It made me instantly understand the appeal.

Knowing that I won’t have a sink filled with dishes that need scrubbing and soaking removes some of the friction I have when it comes to choosing meals. In the past, if I felt exhausted I’d be far more likely to cook something that produces less washing up, but now I don’t have to factor the amount of dirty dishes that cooking produces into the equation. I instead get to focus on what meal I fancy, as well as what would be nutritious for my weary immune system. A good trade-off for sure!

I love how I can choose when to run the dishwasher and everything will just become clean. My energy tariff (I live in England) is far cheaper at night so I tend to press the “run” button on my dishwasher as I climb into bed, leaving me with lovely clean dishes come morning. I know I wouldn’t have to worry about energy tariffs in the same way washing by hand, but I’m far less likely to have the brain power to stand over a sink filled with dishes prior to snoozing.

I had no idea what kind of maintenance a dishwasher required, as someone who had never used one before. Aside from removing food residue from my drain or switching to a new sponge, I had no dish-related maintenance to address before. Now, I have to regularly clean my dishwasher to make sure it’s in tip-top shape.

To this day the glasses in my dishwasher become a bit foggy, and I have yet to figure out how to make them shine. When I washed glasses by hand, this never happened, so I’m still trying to learn what I’m doing wrong. Fingers crossed for the new dishwashing tablets I picked up yesterday that claim to help make things shine.

I remember the first time I ran the dishwasher. I kept my eye on it the entire time. It was noisy, kicking into gear for what must have been the first time in months since the last tenant, and it filled me with the (possibly irrational) fear that my floor would end up flooded. A dishwasher could potentially flood your home for a number of reasons — it was poorly installed, the door gasket or any other part broke, there are drainage issues, or it was overfilled — so it’s important to make sure it’s properly maintained, checked for leaks, and used correctly.

I was used to washing dishes being more of a quiet, mindful thing: I’d stand there in silence or with some music on, taking care of each of my items one by one, finding the process time-consuming but somewhat like a form of meditation. I miss that aspect of hand-washing dishes a bit and still wash the occasional piece by hand that I really love and worry will become maimed by the machine. But all in all I’m very grateful for my dishwasher, especially how it encourages me to prioritize eating better and resting.