The answer to dish washing drudgery

Press, 31 August 1989, Page 28

The answer to dish washing drudgery

H ow many hours do you spend in the kitchen washing dishes or getting rid of food waste? Preparing and cooking meals can be an enjoyable activity, but the fun stops when it comes to clearing up. If you are serious about eliminating messy and mundane kitchen chores, consider having a dishwasher and waste disposer installed, suggests the Plumbing Information Bureau. These two useful amenities will make life a lot easier. There is a wide range of dishwashers available in New Zealand, including locally made and imported models. The machines can be freestanding or built-in, either under the kitchen bench or in place of a cupboard. Mobile kits with castors are available for converting the machine, if manoeuvrability is desired. The dishwasher can be plumbed to the hot and cold water supply or to the cold water only. Consult a plumber for advice on positioning and installation. Dishwashers have been considerably refined in recent years. Today’s models provide an efficient wash at minimum costs. Advanced technology has produced automatic machines. You select your own wash combination depending on the load you are washing. Heavy insulation means that operating noise is reduced to a minimum. Forget all you have heard about having to wash half the dishes by hand, as modern machines will take most utensils, including pots and pans. Only very lightweight plastic and wood are unsuitable for most dishwashers. Some machines have a scrub cycle, but pans with burnt-on food should be dealt with before being put into the machine.

Dishwashers can cater for up to 14 place settings. Prices range from about

$940 for a locally manufactured model up to $3OOO for a fully featured imported model. Another boon in a busy household is a waste disposal unit. Food, scraps can be scraped into the sink and disposed of through the domestic waste system, eliminating messy disposal in the rubbish tin.

Units can be bought in conjunction with a new sink. Most sinks are designed to accommodate waste disposers. The units can also be easily fitted to an existing stainless steel sink. It is a simple matter for a plumber to install a waste disposer. The only visible difference is a larger plughole in the sink.

The outlet is connected to the sewer and food waste ground into particles is simply washed away.

Waste disposers will

take peelings, egg shells and chicken bones as long as there is an ample flow of water down the plug while the unit is working. Tougher food waste such as chop bones and corn cobs is not suitable for domestic waste disposers.

There are several waste disposer manufacturers in New Zealand. Prices

range from around $295 to $745. Manufacturers’ warranties vary from one to five years. Waste disposers are cheap to run, using less energy on average than an electric clock.

Installation requires only relatively straightforward