A what? A dishwasher? What is that?

Have you ever watched the commercial for Mr. Clean Clean Eraser?  There's the part where one of the bottle sprayers asked "what's a sh-o-el?".  Too funny.

Reading a lot of frugal blogs, forum, the dishwasher is always mentioned.  I have even read some people touting the dishwasher as a water saver compared to a bit of hand washing.  I don't know. 

I have never owed or used a dishwasher.  Not even on vacation when there was one available.  Why?

Maybe it's a cultural thing.  I grew up washing dishes.  At my grandmother's house, we thought it was fun.  I was quite a competent dishwasher at the tender age of seven (7).  But as I got older, at my house I was the everyday dishwasher.  Not fun.  This went on for years until I left for college.  Spending my Christmas breaks in New York City, my relatives had no dishwasher either, but I was happy to do as I was staying with them on the break rent-free.  I also was happy to do a lot of housework as I was bored!

Having my own place, I really don't care much for dish-washing.  It's a necessary evil as I see it.  However, I have never had the thought cross my mind of getting a dishwasher.  I have a double sink which I fill up with an adequate amount of water and wash the few dishes I use on a daily basis.  I think if you continuous run the water tap and wash dishes, then obviously having a dishwasher might be a better water saver.  Even if you have a single sink, filling up with water and using a dishpan will save water.

But I am a family of one, not four (use to be!).  I don't use that many dishes per day.  In fact, I leave Saturday dishes for Sunday (yeah!, yeah! you think I'm a nasty girl!). 

The principles I apply now can be applied to an entire family.  Children do what parents do, it's called emulation.  The things I learned early on was what my family did around me, good and bad.  I learned to dish-wash at my grandmother's house from my aunts and uncles and my dear grandma.  I don't recall my first time, I just recall all us cousins getting excited about who's turn it was.  It was not the sole job of one person, it was a team effort at Grandma's house.