Why I Stopped Using a Dishwasher 

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that my new book, Things That Matter, is finally here. I put my heart into it, and I can’t wait to share it with you. You can pick up a copy at www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676394/things-that-matter-by-joshua-becker/

My fondest memories from my childhood surround the women-my mother and aunts, and my sister and me-washing dishes in the kitchen after our Thanksgiving meal. The intimate conversations and the laughter as we completed our task, are still treasured memories. Thank you so much for connecting to this ritual and joy that many of the young folks find hard to understand.

We've lived without a dishwasher for several years, and we were fine, but I almost cried with joy when we got one again! There is something so satisfying about cleaning the house at the end of the day, drying my sink, and starting the dishwasher before I go to bed. Also, it's so much easier to wash them when I don't have a small baby.

This is not the dishwasher,, it was that they left the dishes out. Put them in the dishwasher right after you eat, then there would be no clutter.

My dishwasher broke 6 months ago and I don’t think I’ll ever fix it. I love washing my dishes by hand.

My life completely changed since I started using dishwasher. Less stress, less cluster and my kitchen benches have so much more space now. It saves time, water and energy. 👍

Washing dishes is something I actually enjoy. I usually watch RU-vid while I'm doing that. I don't have a dishwasher and don't need one. Glad I'm not the only one that hand washes dishes.

Having a household of 9 people right now, dishwasher is our good friend. Maybe when the children all move out, handwashing dishes will be therapeutic. Not now though. Glad it works for others though.

Dishes can immediately disappear from counter tops and tables thanks to my dishwasher. The feeling of less clutter is great. My hub and I can go on to other important things like spending time with our kids while the machine gives us the gift of time

I love having a dishwasher! Have been doing it by hand for thirty years and hated it, so happy I can load it up and everything comes out so clean! But the thoughts behind the video are interesting, thank you!

I love my dishwasher! Even living alone for a few years after my husband died I made use of the machine, and now one of my daughters live with me I'd be lost without it as she's a bit untidy. I put dirty dishes into the machine as I go, so nothing gets stacked up. I find the temperature of the water sterilises the dishes. I remember my husband noticing when having a cup of tea away from home when the cup had been washed in wash liquid, he could taste it! Keeping mine.

I just got a dishwasher, again after years of washing by hand and could not be happier. No clutter, as I put the dirty dishes in the washer as soon as we used it. And as soon as the washer is ready and cooled down, I clean it out. Nope, I love my dishwasher. 👍🏻

I grew up without a dishwasher and Mom’s rule was ‘the meal’s not over til the dishes are done’. Since I became an empty nester I’ve gone back to hand washing and find it very satisfying.

So agree. We don’t use our dishwasher either. We do exactly like you said. We cook, eat, wash, dry, and put away. It is great.

I love to pray when I'm washing my dishes. It's relaxing! We have a big family so we use our dishwasher everyday, but there's always still dishes that must be hand washed. With all of that said, I haven't learned to love getting around to doing my dishes yet.

Mr. Becker, I love you, but I'm keeping my dishwasher.

My uncle lives on his own and he calls it the dish-hider. It’s where you hide the dirty dishes from company. Haha!

All of the Filipino houses doesn't own a dish washer and we live just fine. We take turns in washing the dishes. And during weekends my kids (ages 13 & 11) take over. It is maybe just washing the dishes but I think it is one way to teach them to have a sense of responsibility in a simple way.

I’ve got one fork, one spoon, one knife, one plate, one mug, one pan and two pots. I can’t use dishwasher even If I want.

I don't know why but every time when I stand at the sink to wash my dishes. It was kind of relaxing and satisfying feeling came to my mind when I wash my dishes. Also, sometime it helped me resolve the problem that I was thinking about all day long. lol

We live in an apartment without a dishwasher and everyone always comments on how inconvenient it must be. Since we own way less in our kitchen, I really don’t think a dishwasher would even work for us - use everything so often throughout the day, I can’t imagine running our pot through it three times a day. I love the discipline and rhythm of it, taking care of that area of our home has definitely affected taking care of other areas too!

Since we had an excellent high efficiency (HE) dishwasher last year, I dislike washing our dishes by hand. Excellent appliances are mankind’s best friends.

Glad to hear someone is with me on this issue! I also air dry all my clothing and that’s a very calming experience.

I don’t mind hand washing dishes sometimes. We do have a dishwasher and use it daily. I hand wash certain items. It can be quite calming washing a few dishes. I agree with some points of the video, but I don’t agree that hand washing dishes is faster than emptying the dishwasher. Hand washing a few items each meal may not take long but adding up those minutes throughout the day would take longer than emptying the dishwasher once.

I live alone and it would take me a week to fill up the dishwasher!

I like hand washing too, less clutter for sure! Even with a family of 6, it’s doable, some days I keep up with it better than others. I think it can be therapeutic too.

after two years without the dishwasher, I can not wait to have one again... sometimes washing by hand is somehow meditative, relaxing, but only if I have time. If I have loads of laundry and bathroom cleaning still ahead of me and preparing for the next day, I will be very grateful in future to just throw things into the machine :)

I always hand wash my dishes. I also don’t feel a dishwasher gets my dishes as clean as my hand washing them. I can hand wash my dishes quicker than a dishwasher.

I started washing my dishes by hand a few months ago...but it's only me in the house...and I find it satisfying as well. If and when my garbage disposal dies, I won't be replacing it either. I could use the extra space the unit takes up under the sink.

How interesting, this video pops up! My dishwasher is needing to be repaired! I HATE dishwashers because my husband and I have spent more money on repairs or replacing them than any other appliance in the house. I keep telling my husband that I would rather do without a dishwasher and turn the space that is occupied by the dishwasher into a cabinet. I am at the point where I would rather hand wash dishes because I am tired of dealing with washer issues, however, my husband is not on the same page with me, yet. I do most of the cooking, most of the dishwashing, and tidying up the kitchen. Your comment about washing the dishes and only using the dishwasher from time to tome, I found it interesting. We are empty nesters and I believe, that we could do as you do.

I’m going to try this! We are home all day and dishes are just constant. But if I teach my kiddos to wash theirs by hand and finish the process, not only will I have taught them a valuable lesson (that they find fun at this age) but like you said in the video, it’ll be completely done and I’ll always have my one spatula clean. 😉 I hand wash my small set of cooking utensils already for that reason.

We are a family of seven - we also stopped using one. We will never go back.

Thanks Joshua. I dry my dishes in the dishwasher as I didn’t want more clutter of a rack and then the dishwasher actually gets some use. Everything you said was spot on. Felt so much better hand washing. It’s also meditative which a lot of things are with minimalism...

I have not always had a dishwasher. My parents never had one growing up and we only got one when we renovated our kitchen just over 10 years ago. I am so thankful for our dishwasher! We are a homeschooling family so 4 of us are home all day almost every, single day. It just saves us so much time every day. We just keep loading our dishwasher after every, single meal until it is full enough to run. We do not leave our dishes sitting around on the counter. There are still dishes we need to hand wash because not all the pots and pans fit in our dishwasher. I don't mind that simple little task. I actually enjoy it but I am thankful not to do all the dishes.

My husband and I just moved into an apartment with a dishwasher, but ignore it. I didn't start out intentionally as a "kitchen minimalist", but we have so few dishes, we wouldn't even get the dishwasher fully loaded before needing at least some of the items cleaned for the second or third meal of the day. 😅

I find hand washing my dishes very therapeutic, it's my "me" time. ❤

My Grandma had, but seldom used, a dishwasher. She and my grandfather deliberately made it their time to reconnect at the end of the 8-5 work-a-day world. The kitchen sink was where they made decisions together and hammered out difficulties before the sun went down.

I wonder if meals end up being simpler and/or healthier when you know you have to wash dishes by hand.

Last year, finally I got my dish washer, and love it! Of course some time a dish is not very clean and I just wash it.

I can’t live without my dishwasher!! We clean up and load the dishwasher after every meal so no clutter- then we run it at the end of the day. I totally see what your saying though!

I didnt have a dish washer for few years it was very difficult with three children husband and I. Too much time wasted... Also dishwasher wastes less water... I like that dishwasher has really hot water and it can disinfectant better then when I hand wash... I cannot imagine life without dishwasher. 💕

I hated cleaning the dishwasher more than washing dishes by hand. We got tired of paying for repairs too. Plus not everything can go in the dishwasher. As long as I don't let them pile up, it's easier for me to wash them by hand.

I never use a dishwasher. When my wife was alive, we used that time after dinner to talk, to laugh, to giggle, to plan, and to spend time together, because the kids would scatter and not be found. All we asked the kids to do was bring their plates to the counter next to the sink and put all the refrigerator stuff (ketchup, mustard, etc) away. We have 5 kids, so we had a lot to clean every single night. Even though my wife is gone 6 years now, in memory of all the decades of joy as to why we did that; I still hand wash all my dishes, it doesn't matter that I have a dishwasher, I never used it, nor will I. Great video Joshua!!!

My dishwasher is used as a drying rack after I hand wash the dishes. Heck half the time they dont even make back into the cabinet. I just grab whatever I need out of there. Frees up alot of space😀

I love to cook and do it often. I’ve never had a dishwasher and I’m 52 ! When I start cooking I run about 2 inches of hot soapy water in the sink and I wash as I go. If you put a used utensil in that water instead of laying it down and piling stuff up it is effortless to wash, when we sit down to eat most if not all my cooking utensils are done and drying in the rack ! Same when I’m baking, no mess, it’s all cleaned up by the last batch of cookies or whatever ! Way less water, less electricity and the soap is a lot cheaper !!! And my nails stay really clean 😄

We do the same. I finally took out the unused dishwasher. The space it was in now has a stool in it and we find it's a convenient place to sit for a quick snack since it's right next to the sink and the fridge.

We switched to hand washing probably 3 years ago, mostly because after minimizing the kitchen, we didn't have enough spare dishes to leave them sitting in the dishwasher half the time.

Good that this works for you. I find satisfaction in loading and unloading my dishwasher and I always take care of my dirty dishes right after a meal. I also enjoy the hum and rush of water my dishwasher produces. As for clean, I opt for dishwasher clean over hand wash clean. I guess any task can be enjoyable if you'll let it be.

Another benefit - I'm a high stress/anxiety ridden person. Washing dishes after a meal means hot or very warm water and soapy bubbles. VERY relaxing! (to the point when I was fostering teens, I would take CLEAN dishes out of the cabinet and wash them so I could relax a bit before I toddled off to bed - especially after a - um - event filled :/ evening!

For my family- we’ve never had a dishwasher! You are absolutely correct- dishes are cleaner, and I’ve seen time studies that show hand washing dishes takes less hands on time. Raising my boys, every week 2 kids were responsible for the dishes ;I’m convinced it was a bonding experience doing that chore together!

So true about the one dish you need will always be in the dishwasher 🙁

Major tip for anyone who says their dishwasher doesn’t clean them as well...You need to prime the hot water first. Turn on the water at the sink until it is hot; Then turn your dishwasher on. A lot of people don’t do this, and the water that goes in the dishwasher is cold. Once I started doing that, my dishes have always been clean

I have always hand-washed my dishes. I don’t particularly like doing it, but the sense of order and cleanliness is a good incentive. My modus operandi is to clean up as I cook now.

My late mom called doing the dishes her “therapy”. When she had her kitchen renovated, she had the window over the sink made larger so her view while doing dishes (which at the time was looking at a farmer’s field) was larger. She had a dishwasher installed during that kitchen reno, but only for resale value. She hadn’t intended and didn’t use it.

I started hand washing a few months ago and love it. It’s just my husband and I now so there’s not generally a lot. I only use our dishwasher with large gatherings.

I agree! I find hand washing relaxing . It’s a moment to meditate and if someone helps me, it’s a good moment to have a nice conversation.

I don’t know if I am too slow but lately I’ve been thinking in getting one, because In a family of 2 we cook and use a lot of dishes that take a lot of time. And I don’t want to stay so long in the kitchen, love cooking, love to eat and I like to clean all the kitchen every time but for me is getting a time consuming.

I agree. I've been hand washing my dishes for more than 30 years and have no problem. We remodeled our kitchen to include a dishwasher as a selling point, but I use it now as an additional dish rack if I have a lot of dishes. Simply leave the dishwasher open to air dry. I live alone now and put all my dishes in the racks until they are all used. Then, I put them all away and start over. I know that's not a minimalist way of life, but I like having additional dishes in case I have guests.

When the dishwasher broke and was not fixable I was happy because I replaced that space with a cabinet. I have hand washed dishes for most of my life so getting rid of the broken dishwasher and not replacing it was no big deal. The thought of tossing a dishwasher into the landfill every few years (because they are made so terribly these days) is disgusting to me. We eat 99% of our meals at home and prepare most meals from scratch so we have loads of dishes to wash but this doesn’t bother either of us. It is just one of the chores you do as part of life. I truly believe as well that our hand washed dishes are much cleaner than when we had our dishwasher.

I have always liked hand washing dishes. Like you said, clean dishes are readily available to use when you need them. Sometimes I actually find it relaxing to stand there and wash dishes while listening to nice music.

I agree..Ever since I was a child we practiced handwashing our dishes... because in the Philippines we don't have a dishwasher...but now we are in Canada, I still use the handwashing method when it comes to all our dishes... We only run the dishwasher whenever we host a party..But majority, I do it by hand wash.. less clutter, no more waiting, and we dont need extra of all dishware since we are minimalist..

@Joshua Becker, sadly true that the dishes aren't as clean in the dishwasher as they when they are hand-washed. They used to be. But, the unintended consequence of the environmentalists' campaign to reduce the phosphates (the scrubbing ingredient) in detergents is that now dishwashers have to use more water to clean. Not environmental at all!

I can understand the sentiments behind the message. Personally, I've never used a dishwasher until this year. As a person with chronic illness, on top of having sensory issues, it has been a lifesaver. I don't have much energy to spend in the day so I caught myself eating out too much due to not being able to wash dishes after cooking. Now I've been cooking nearly every day since I got one. But I can see how dishwashing could bring satisfaction to others!

My Mom in all her her wisdom when alive, would say “ Dishes are the least of my problems!” . I have never owned a dishwasher, and always clean my dishes as I cook and after the meal. Simple! 😊

Very nice sentiments, Joshua. My grandmother lived until 86, and never came within 10 feet of a dishwasher! I still remember standing on a step stool beside her at the sink, drying dishes with her line-dried dish towels...good times. I was curious to know if you still continue to mostly wash by hand, 3 years after this video was made?

The most honest video about dishwashers.Bravo!!! I've quit using dishwasher as to me its more of a burden to rinse first then load and unload

I am literally in the middle of selling my dishwasher because of all the reasons you mentioned. 🙌

Always wash up by hand. Sometimes it's a chore but if I put some music on and close the kitchen door, it can be therapeutic. Never liked the feel of glasses when they've been in a dishwasher

I live on the other part of the world and dishwasher is not our thing over here. I never owned one. We hand wash the dishes and keep basin clean and dry after washing.

I also hand wash all of my dishes but I love my dishwasher for all the other things I can cram into it! I wash the numerous glass globes for the lighting fixtures in the bathrooms and kitchen, my register vents, the vent filter over my oven, my grandkids plastic toys, my dust pan, etc, etc. Does a fabulous job of things that don’t get cleaned often enough! My rule is, if it fits and it’s safe, use the dishwasher!

I have a dishwasher and never have used it since living in this apt. I truly agree it is so quick and so clean. No dishes left out. I hand wash always!

I agree that there were times the dishwasher didn't clean a couple of things properly, but still... over all I found I was a lot more productive in the 4 years I lived in houses with dishwashers because I never had any sink and bench top clutter and I could focus on other things. It also made it easier to cook and eat healthy because the cleaning up part was easier. So the only benefit I see to now living a house without a dishwasher is lower power bills.

Love having a dishwasher plus mine is also a drying rack because of the lack of counter space

Yep. Large family here too (7 currently at home)---it's like having guests over all the time😂. Plus friends coming over and teens that cook for themselves and make cookies and maybe 4 meals a day. Our dishwasher broke and we handwashed for a painful montg. We're so in love with our new dishwasher! We can program one of the two daily running times to take place at midnight so we wake up to clean dishes.

I hand washed dishes all my life until about 2 years ago at the age of 55 I got my first dishwasher. I’d never go back. We used to have dishes piled around the sink until we did the dishes, but now they go straight in the washer and reduce all the visual clutter.I love it

I started hand washing my dishes about 3 years ago. And, I agree with everything you've said.

I, too, wash my dishes by hand. Taking care of the things we have is also an act of gratitude.

The issue with hand washing is people don't replace the sponge often enough and it gets bacteria on it. Having said that, I've never used a dishwasher. Just please replace your sponge at least once a week. Also, I never let dishes pile up. I find people with dishwashers let the dishes pile up in it, then once they clen the dishes, they have to pull it all out.

I've always washed by hand and it's always been a time to talk to my son whilst he dries the dishes. Quality time with family and teaches them to clean up straights after too!

Totally agree. I’ve never used a dishwasher in my life although my home has one. I wouldn’t even know how to turn it on. I know some people don’t like it but I enjoy doing dishes I love cleaning up and getting everything nice and organized for the next meal. Great video once again.💗

Joshua, I’m addicted to your videos. You speak so well. It does not feel like preaching or making me feel ashamed for having accumulating stuff over the years. We are constantly decluttering and donating stuff but somehow we still have a very well organized home with hundreds of items we don’t need. It feels like a burden and your ideas help me envision myself with a new way of life. It is a mindset change.

I don't think it matters if you use a dishwasher or by hand. The key here is to do the dishes right away after every meal. The only valid point here is if you have to wash a dish by hand if you need it before the dishwasher is run.

I've always hand washed my dishes and find it very therapeutic as well as scenting my small apartment. I make an effort to use scents that are citrus based to clear the air after food prep.

After every meal, my brother and I washed the dishes. It was a chore that we would have loved to pass on, but having to work together, it was also a way that we bonded as brothers.

Perspective is everything. I'm 38 years old and I grew up without a dishwasher. When I finally moved out, got married, and had my daughter we were handwashing everything. My wife and I both hate washing dishes and so they would pile up for days, sometimes a whole week getting moldy and stinky, a perfect recipe for vermin or other contaminants. My Saturday mornings would be spent tackling Mount Dishmore; a week's worth of dishes, sometimes taking over 3 hours! It took some convincing from my wife, but we finally caved in and bought a portable dishwasher. I absolutely love it and I can't believe I've gone this long without one. It has dramatically changed our lives: no more Mount Dishmore on Saturdays and we finally have our evenings to ourselves instead of being at the sink. It's so nice having a clean sink every time I walk into the kitchen now! I see your point about project fulfillment but I get enough of that at work and in my hobbies, the last thing I want to do is spend time of my life washing dishes. This is a well-thought-out video, but the clear bias here is that you more than likely grew up with dishwashers and have taken it for granted, making the decision to go back to basics easier. Just my two cents, anyway. +1 Like to your video!

I love to wash my dishes by hand. I live alone and I use my dishwasher as my dish drainer so everything in there is always clean. I got very tired of always having dirty dishes in the dishwasher because it took two or three days to get a full load. My dishwasher is fairly new but it doesn't get my dishes as clean as Dawn and hot soapy water. The other benefit is that I have a much cleaner kitchen because when you have hot soapy water you will wipe everything down a whole lot more often.

Idk... the dishwasher really cleans and sanitizes my dishes and they are brighter than just me washing by hand (I didn’t have a dishwasher for 12 years and I could not imagine not having one)

Depending on how late you came back home from work and how late you finish your dinner a dishwasher is essential. If you want avoid fisical clutter you should just put right away in the dishwasher, also quickly eliminate leftover with some paper towel and preswash with water to avoid “leftovers” in your dishes. Routinely start in the evening and unload in the morning storing back in your cabinets. This can be an option :)

I grew up without a dishwasher. I really like having one and use it every day!

I’m not understanding why you couldn’t load your dishwasher and clean up straight away. It is a huge waste of water washing dishes the way you showed. Half of my home country (Australia) is in drought, and has been for some time. It seems incredibly wasteful when we appreciate how precious water is.

I always put my dishes straight into the dishwasher, so we have no clutter. The dishwasher has been broken for a week, and I am spending a lot of time washing dishes, because I cook every meal from scratch, so we have a lot to wash. Loads more time then I would spend loading and unloading the dishwasher. A good dishwasher cleans as well as me or better, as long as I keep it clean and load it properly. Plus, a dishwasher uses a lot less hot water than hand washing does. Im going straight back to it, when it’s fixed.

I like the feel of the water on my hands. I wash up while I listen to audiobooks or youtube.

I haven’t used my dishwasher for years for all the reasons you mentioned. 👍🏻

I live in NYC.. my apt is pretty small so we dont have a dishwasher. I always wash my dishes after usin them.. Like you said and my mom has always said if you do it right away its faster and easier so I put some music on and start washin them.😌

I've been doing this for three years now, when I first got married we didn't have a dishwasher, when we moved our new apartment had a dishwasher and I was excited, but quickly decided it wasn't for me, it took about a week for the dish washer to be full enough to be worth running, but I would have to hand wash my pots and pans, and measuring cups because I use them daily. Then I started minimizing and for the sake of my sanity (and not using excessive amounts of water) I went back to hand washing and haven't looked back. The only issue I have with it is that sometimes it's hard to keep up with, I have chronic illness and sometimes I just don't have the energy, or it's too painful to stand and wash dishes. My husband has really stepped up lately and has been washing the dinner dishes for me, it's such a blessing because even though we eat simple meals, making dinner after a day full of double toddler drama is exhausting.

Joshua, I too love hand washing dishes. I think it is relaxing (warm water soak), conversation time with spouse and very rewarding. Thanks for sharing.

I have always hated dishwashers. Even as a child. Seemed to make a lot of the cups dirtier than they were in the first place.

I love this! I've never been a fan of dishwashing machines. There is a feel of satisfaction and less clutter when done manually.

Agree totally - plus how much electricty can you save? How much, coal burning electricity? How much does it cost to buy and repair a dishwasher? How many dishes can be dispensed with without one? How much does it cost to buy those extra dishes so you never run out? If we buy fewer crockery pieces how much less pollution in our factories can we reduce? Simple lifestyles have fewer worries.

I think you missed the mark about this. While I love washing dishes by hand most days when there is something more important to do like playing with my grandkids I load it up and spend that time with them. One of the nice things about it is you can put your dirty dishes in there right after you use them! No clutter. It is a time saver when you need it.