I have never understood how a dishwasher saves time since you've still got to rinse it before. I am deeply skeptical of these machines
I have never understood how a dishwasher saves time since you've still got to rinse it before. I am deeply skeptical of these machines
Yes absolutely. It saves both water and energy. The dishwasher reuses the same water and heat. Make sure you're using the pre-wash detergent properly. All you've got to do before you put stuff in the dishwasher is dump all the loose stuff in the trash, you can use a fork or paper towel instead of water if you're concerned about that, no scrubbing at all. You may need to clean the filter (which is probably disgusting) as well.
In fact, watch this 30 minute video about dishwashers that really gets into how they work (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rBO8neWw04). There's also a sequel about the different types of detergents.
My parents do washing up with a bowl of water in the sink, rather than blasting the tap like I do. I’m guessing that’s even more efficient than a machine
At that point you would need to specifically compare your dishwasher vs your parents' technique. I would guess they would still fall behind higher efficiency dishwashers but would beat the bottom of the barrel ones. I think the higher capacity, insulation, and detergent efficiency of the machine would still give it the win overall.