Dishwasher Debacle Verdict

Today's moving progress... Getting there.
Just two days to go.  We can do it!

After posting about our great dishwasher debacle a few weeks ago some may be wondering how everything turned out.

First of all, I'd like to clarify that David's desire to hand wash did not stem from an attempt to preserve water, but from a desire to not support an industry that produces a product that will break after two years then be cheaper to replace altogether than to repair. We purchased said dishwasher only two years ago because the one we had before it flooded our kitchen and those repairs were also going to cost us more than just getting a new one. The whole cycle of purchasing dishwasher after dishwasher is what goes against our green living and sustainability goals. I'm sure that some families that have had their dishwasher for years and years but we really put a hurtin' on ours because in our house they just don't last.

Okay, back to the verdict... I totally prefer hand washing. I know, it surprised me too. The big thing that helped is that David did most of the work, as promised. He never wanted to get rid of the dishwasher just to make more work for me. Part of our deal was that he would do most of the hand washing work and he more than held up his bargain. Once he got us back to square one the night after I wrote the original post on this issue, it was incredibly easy to maintain. I would wash all the breakfast and lunch dishes, which is never much, and David would take care of our dinner mess while I put Ayden to bed. We found that we dirtied less dishes overall because we washed as we used and also found that our sink and counters were never overwhelmingly cluttered like they used to be. It actually made me really happy to always see clean dishes in the drying rack rather than dirties in the sink.

Some may say that as a house wife, my husband shouldn't have a say in how the dishes get cleaned as long as they do, but you see, we do not have your standard full time husband/homemaker wife arrangement. Once David gets home, he chooses to be as equally involved in keeping the household running smoothly and because of that, he deserves some say in how things are done. I told him I'd try it his way for a week and that time period came and went and he was right, hand washing is more enjoyable in the long run. Neither hand washing nor loading the dishwasher is what I would deem "fun" but the former definitely kept our kitchen cleaner overall which makes it a winner in my book.  Maybe my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother weren't so crazy after all...

For the record, we did have our dishwasher repaired so it would pass inspection after selling our house. The motor was busted and needed to be replaced. Also, we by no means expect anyone to agree when we say that we prefer hand washing, to each their own, but I will say that David officially converted me. The key is to 1) stay on top of it and 2) share the burden. Anything is easier when you have a partner in crime.

Is there anything that you prefer to do in a way that is out of the ordinary? Please share!

~Sarah

Our little trooper during the chaos of moving.