Common dishwasher cycle 'costs more' money to run and doesn't clean dishes as well
Share:
According to experts, a common dishwasher cycle that cleans dishes quickly could actually end up costing you more in the long run. Consumer experts at Which? discovered that fast-wash cycles on dishwashers used more energy and water, cost more than main or eco washes and cleaned and dried worse.
In the watchdog's 2024 product tests, experts tested over 3,000 products across 200 categories including food and drink, and home and kitchen. All dishwashers have three core cycles – main/auto, eco and quick wash. A snapshot test of three big-brand models exposed the limitations of quick wash (also known as 'fast', rapid' or 'express'), according to the experts. Based on five washes per week using the main cycle exclusively, it would cost £62.82 a year, on average, according to Which?'s snapshot test.
By contrast, exclusively using quick wash would cost more – £68.07 on average. The quick-wash cycle was also found to not clean and dry dishes as well as the main program while also using more energy and water, reports the Express. They also found that eco mode doesn't clean and dry quite as well as the main cycle, but it uses less energy and water and is much cheaper to run over a year. By switching to eco, you pay just £46.13 in annual costs.
Over five years, eco mode would save you £83.45 over the main program and £109.70 over quick wash. Harry Rose, Editor of Which? magazine, said: "Every year, Which? 's rigorous and independent tests uncover secrets and bust myths to help people make the right buying decision and get value for money.
