Here are two simple tricks to help you save water and lower your bills when using the dishwasher.

When prices are high, we look for ways to save on everything we can. When we see those water and electricity bills going up, we start looking for ways to bring the costs down. Using a dishwasher can help you save water, protect the environment and save money. We’ve put together some tips on how you can do this.

Here’s how to save water when using the dishwasher

• A standard dishwasher uses about 10 litres of water per cycle. Doing so makes little difference whether it’s completely full or not. Therefore, if you want to save water when using your dishwasher, it is better to fill it up completely. This will allow you to wash more dishes in one cycle using the same amount of water and detergents, which are also not cheap.

• Another way to save water and electricity is to use the “eco” mode. This washes the dishes at a slightly lower temperature, which is still enough to get them clean. It’s also worth noting that the energy saving information on the appliance often refers to using it in ‘eco’ mode.

Just a heads-up: the ‘auto’ cycle doesn’t always save electricity or water. It’s also a good idea to give your dishwasher a clean regularly, as a dirty appliance won’t clean your dishes properly. This means you’ll have to wash them in the sink yourself. This uses more water than is necessary.

Want to save money on dishwashing? Change your habits

Changing some of your habits when using household appliances can help you save money on washing dishes.

• When putting dishes in the dishwasher, try to keep the water flowing freely between them. This will save you having to re-wash unwashed plates or pots.

• Also, do not allow dishes to block the arms of the dishwasher as this will make it ineffective.

• One bad habit that can really add up is switching to a short wash cycle. It saves time but not money, electricity or water. Only use these cycles in exceptional cases, as it seems counterintuitive, but the shorter cycle uses more electricity than the normal or “eco” cycle.