We at Keen Clean noticed that more and more people are interested in green and sustainable home cleaning practices. Many of our clients use environmentally friendly detergents and opt for class A appliances when purchasing new white goods. However, there are many ways to go green and one of them is simply changing the way you wash your dishes! This is why today we are sharing 5 tips to help you Save Energy at home when doing the dishes.

By adopting these tips you could reduce your water and energy bills, save money and get one step closer to a more sustainable eco-friendly lifestyle.

Check also: 6 Ways to Clean Your Home with Lemons.

Save Energy and Money by Using the Dishwasher Effectively

The best thing of going green is that even the smallest steps can have a great impact! Play a bit with your washing machine’s settings and you can save both Energy and money. Most dishwashers have a setting called heated drying. During this process, hot air runs through the dishes and makes them dry faster.

Turn that option off – the your plates and pots with dry on their own if you open the door of the washer after the cycle is finished. The only difference is that it will take a bit longer, but the result is the same. So, next time you’re about the use the dishwasher, check it’s settings and turn off the heated drying to save energy. If you are worried about streaks left on the dishes, then you can move on and read the next step.

Optimise the Way You Stack Dishes in the Machine

You may wonder how stacking the dishes can help you save energy? It is really simple! If you place your dishes in bad position and if there are food residues and leftovers there is a good chance you may end up running the load twice. When loading the dishwasher, scrape off all food residues.
However, there is no need to prewash them – if they are properly stacked there’s no need of this extra effort. Put pots and plates facing inward for better cleaning result. 99% of the dishwashers spray water and detergent from the middle of the machine so if the dishes are facing out, there is a big chance they will not be as effectively cleaned.

Check also: How to polish your silverware with toothpaste and 9 more uses of toothpaste when maintaining your home.

Never Run the Dishwasher When it’s Half-full

Dishwashers are amongst appliances that require the most power at home. Most models use the same amount of water, detergent and energy whether they are full or there are barely a few plates inside. This is why if you want to go green and save some energy while cleaning your dishes, make sure you machine is well loaded before running it.

Save Water and Energy When Hand-washing the Dishes

If you think you can go green and spare yourself from some extra work only with a dishwasher, you are wrong! You can adopt some old-fashioned strategy when washing your dishes by hand in order to save energy. Always pre-soak the dishes in your sink before washing them – this will help loosen the caked on food residues and make cleaning the grease easier and faster.

You can either place a small bin full of water and detergent in the sink and put the dishes there to soak, or just plug up the drain and fill the whole sink 1-2 hours before washing the dishes. Either way – you will use significantly smaller amount of water and detergent while cleaning the dishes. If you have to deal with particularly dirty pans and pots you can use salt to clean them without using harsh chemicals. Check the recipe in the article: 3 Ways to Use Salt When Cleaning Your Home.

Prolong the Life of Kitchen Sponges

Most people change their kitchen sponge every other week, fearing that they quickly become a breeding ground for various bacteria. Of course, no one likes the idea of washing their plates and pots with germy sponge, but changing the sponge every week is wasteful and it isn’t good for nature – even if it is made from natural materials. Luckily there are a few tested ways to clean the sponge and eliminate bacteria:

• Soaking the sponge in full-strength ammonia for 5 minutes
• Soaking the kitchen sponge in full-strength vinegar
• Prepare a solution from 1 litre of water 1/4 cup bleach and put the sponge inside for 5 minutes
• Saturate the sponge with water and microwave it for 1 minute on highest temperature setting.

We hope today’s post will help you save money, energy and efforts when washing your dishes at home. Don’t hesitate to contact Keen Clean whenever you need cleaning services in London.

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