What science knows about our daily dishwashing routine

Abstract

Every day, dirty dishes and cutlery have to be cleaned in millions of households worldwide. From a scientific point of view, the question of "how"is particularly interesting, because everyday household chores hold great potential for saving resources. This review summarises the current state of knowledge about dishwashing. In general, electric dishwashing proves to be significantly more resource-efficient than manual dishwashing, with comparable or better cleaning results. However, the extent of this depends on consumer behaviour. Therefore, best practice tips (BPT) for manual and electric dishwashing as well as ideas for educating consumers are also collected in this review.