We've never quite straightened out the dishwasher debate here on Re-Nest: is it more or less green than hand washing? All opinions aside, one thing's for sure: there are steps you can take to make your dishwasher, that lifesaver in the kitchen, even more efficient and effective. Take this tip, which also applies to the washing machine.

In an article in The New York Times earlier this week, we learned two very important things. Soaps today are extremely concentrated, and dishwashers (and washing machines) are very water-wise. When you put those two facts together, you get a recipe for energy and resource efficiency.

According to the Times, because the appliances use less water (compared to earlier models), they also need less soap. We tend to fill up the soap bucket in our Energy-Star rated dishwasher, but it turns out we've been wasting our precious eco-friendly detergent, one load at a time.

The same holds true for your washing machine: since it uses less water, and since soaps are becoming more concentrated every day, be sure to pour only to the line on the detergent cap.

Read the article: For the Dishwasher's Sake, Go Easy on the Detergent

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• The Best Green Dishwasher Detergent
• Need a Cheap (or Free) Dishwasher? Try Craigslist

(Image: Flickr member zenobia joy, licensed under Creative Commons)