How to Conserve Water when Doing Dishes

Co-authored by Gevorg Grigorian

Last Updated: September 1, 2024

Saving water is important for the environment and for your water bills! Doing the dishes uses up a lot of water, but you can save up to 20 gallons per wash by keeping the sink off as much as possible, using the most efficient dishwasher settings, and avoiding using the garbage disposal or soaking dishes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Saving Water Before You Wash

Download Article

You can save water by installing an energy-efficient faucet to restrict the water flow. This is especially useful if you have a household member who leaves the tap running!
2
Consider using disposable dishes. It is difficult to tell how much water gets used to produce dishes, but disposable dishes like paper or plastic plates use much less water in your home. Try scraping or wiping food off plastic plates instead of rinsing them off.
- If you choose to use disposable plates, double check your city's bylaws on recycling and household waste management. Some cities will not accept plastic plates for recycling and others may consider used paper plates to be part of organics (biodegradable) waste instead of regular garbage. ^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
Advertisement
Don’t use the faucet to power-wash food off your plates. Scrape off solid food and garbage with a utensil over the garbage can or compost bucket. Don’t use the garbage disposal to get rid of food scraps--it uses water too.
Before you start washing, put all the dirty dishes including porcelain, ceramic, and even plastic, next to the sink or dishwasher so you don’t have to turn the faucet on and off while bringing the dishes over. Be sure to check the rest of your home for stray coffee cups or snack plates.^{[2]
X
Research source}
The sooner you start washing your dishes after eating, the less water you’ll use. If you let food harden on your dishes, you’ll need to use more water to soak them and wash them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Washing Dishes by Hand

Download Article

Using too much detergent can increase your water usage--if you have big, fluffy suds towering over your sink, you’ll need much more water to rinse those dishes off. Use the amount specified on the label, and add more only if necessary.^{[3]
X
Research source}
Instead of washing each dish individually in running water, fill up your sink with water and detergent, turn off the tap, and wash a stack of dishes at a time. Don’t drain or refill the sink unless the water becomes cold, dirty, or loses all its suds.^{[4]
X
Research source}
Don’t run the tap over your clean dishes to rinse them off! Instead, fill up the sink or a large bowl with cool water and rinse your dishes by immersing them in the water. You won’t need to refill the rinsing water unless it gets very soapy.
Put a tray under your drying rack to catch water dripping off your dishes. You can use this water for your plants or for washing your countertops.^{[5]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Dishwasher to Save Water

Download Article

Keeping your dishwasher in good repair will save you water by cleaning more effectively. Check regularly for clogs, broken spinners, and other problems. If your dishwasher needs replacing, consider buying an energy-efficient model to save even more water.
Many newer dishwashers don’t require pre-rinsing at all, so if you have one, you can skip rinsing completely. If you do have to rinse dishes before running the dishwasher, use the washer’s pre-rinse cycle instead of rinsing them in the sink--it uses less water.
Don’t run a load of dinner plates on the pots and pans setting--it wastes water! Use the lowest setting on your dishwasher that will still get your dishes clean, and save high settings for big messes.
If your dinner didn’t use up enough dishes to fill the dishwasher, wait until after breakfast to run it. Running partially-filled dishwasher loads wastes water. If you need a specific dish but the dishwasher isn’t full yet, wash it individually by hand in a bowl of warm soapy water instead of running the entire dishwasher.

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do you shower without wasting water?

Susan Stocker
Professional Cleaner
Susan Stocker runs and owns Susan’s Green Cleaning, the #1 Green Cleaning Company in Seattle. She is well known in the region for outstanding customer service protocols — winning the 2017 Better Business Torch Award for Ethics & Integrity —and her energetic support of green cleaning practices.

Susan Stocker

Professional Cleaner

Expert Answer

Turn off the water when you lather up! When you first step into the shower, wet your body just to get it wet. Then, you can lather up everything and turn off the water when you're rinsing off. You can also set a timer outside of the shower for 7-10 minutes so you don't stay in there for too long.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 4
Question

How much water can I save if I don't run the water?

Community Answer

On average, probably 15-20 gallons if not more.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 2 Helpful 12

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Reader Videos

Submit a Video Tip!

Share a quick video tip and help bring articles to life with your friendly advice. Your insights could make a real difference and help millions of people!

Submit a Video

Tips

To be effective at conserving water, make sure the rest of your household is willing to cooperate and take these steps as well.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
Dishwashers use less water than hand-washing, so if you can afford to install one, do it.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0
Don't dawdle. If the water is running, work as quickly as possible. Turn it off as soon as you're done with that step.

Thanks
Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

Don’t use so little water that you can’t clean your dishes. If you have to choose between using more water and maintaining good hygiene, always choose hygiene.

Thanks
Helpful 9 Not Helpful 2