Abstract

Technological advances have continued to improve the cleaning and water efficiency of automatic dishwashers. However, research indicates many consumers waste water and energy through their actions and decisions during the dishwashing process. To gain more current information on prevalence of dishwashers, usage, and satisfaction, a ma)or university conducted a kitchen usage study of over 700 consumers through a telephone survey. The results indicate that dishwashers were available in 64% of the households and most consumers are satisfied with their dishwasher cleaning results. Consumers use water unnecessarily, however, by pre-rinsing dishes at the sink before placing them into the dishwasher. Numerous factors underlie this behaviour. It seems clear that consumer education about efficient dishwashing procedures is needed.

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The careful management of water and energy resources is becoming increasingly important in both Canada and the United States. Today's dishwashers incorporate technologies that improve water and energy efficiency as well as washing performance and reduction of noise levels. The study described herein gathered information about saturation of the dishwasher market, usage patterns, and general satisfaction. One usage pattern of particular interest was whether or not consumers pre-rinsed their dishes before placing them into the dishwasher. With increasing concern about water and energy usage, information in this paper will provide insight into the extent that consumers are taking advantage of new dishwasher technological advancements in their operation of dishwashers to obtain the maximum efficiency from the unit. No matter how efficient or technologically advanced the dishwasher design might be, ultimately it is the consumers' actions related to pre rinsing, cycle selection, and other operation actions that dete rmine total energy and water usage.

Introduction

History

Generations of people have struggled with the daily chore of washing dishes which was a manual task until the first machine for dishwashing was patented in 1850 by Joel Houghton (Lindsay, 1980; Whirlpool Corporation, 1993). This wooden machine contained a hand-cranked wheel that splashed water on dishes. Another attempt at designing a dishwasher took place in the early 1880s when Josephine Cochrane of Shelbyville, Illinois began experimenting in her backyard woodshed. Mrs. Cochrane, a wealthy socialite, was very disturbed over her servants' chipping and breaking her fine china. Not wanting to wash the china herself, she decided there must be a better way. She designed wire dish compartments that fastened around a wheel in the middle of a copper tub. Hot, soapy water splashed over the dishes as a crank turned the wheel. Word of her device spread and she began receiving orders from friends, as well as from restaurants and hotels where dish breakage was also a frequent and costly problem (Panati, 1987). Mrs. Coc hrane's company, the Gals-Cochran Dish-Washing Machine Company, patented her device in 1886 (Fenster, 1999). She entered it in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair where it won the highest award (Panati, 1987).

Josephine Cochran's commercial washers were selling very well, and so in 1914, her company developed a smaller model for homes. The home model was not the success she had hoped...