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master gardener
Posts: 3956
Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
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Approved submission
To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - wash dishes without a dishwasher
     - use minimal soap
         - must be greywater friendly soap (the soap usually says "greywater safe" or "readily biodegradable")
     - fill a dishwasher with clean dishes using less than 3 gallons of water
         - or approximate equivalent
             - might require five rounds in a small dish rack
         - yes, you are using the dishwasher as a dish drying rack


To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must:
- post a picture of the dirty dishes in the sink
See attached
- post a progress picture of the dishes being washed
See attached
- post a picture of the completed dishes with obviously less than 3 gallons water used
See attached
- describe the soap used, its grey water friendliness, and a link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap
"ECOS Pro Dishmate Manual Dishwashing Liquid, Free and Clear, 1 Gal., Highly-effective ECOS Pro Dishmate Manual Dishwashing Liquid cleans and cuts grease without drying out skin. Unique formulation leaves less residue on dishes for a quicker rinse time and reduction in water usage. Free and Clear. Hypoallergenic, readily biodegradable, pH balanced formula is made using sustainable, plant-derived surfactants. Product is free of dyes, greywater and septic safe. Recognized by the EPAs Safer Choice (DfE) and USDAs BioPreferred Program. NSF A1 registered."

Dish1.jpg
Dirty dishes in the sink
Dirty dishes in the sink
Dish-2.jpg
More dirty dishes!
More dirty dishes!
Dish-3.jpg
Dish/Cleaning Vessel
Dish/Cleaning Vessel
Dish-4.jpg
6 Qt (A challenge!)
6 Qt (A challenge!)
Dish5.jpg
Start with the utensils and cups
Start with the utensils and cups
Dish-6.jpg
Jenga
Jenga
Dish-7.jpg
My finished wash
My finished wash
Dish-8.jpg
A final touch
A final touch
Staff note (gir bot) :

Jessica Michell approved this submission.
Note: Impressive Jenga skills, my man.

 
pollinator
Posts: 60
Location: Tennessee Zone 7
23
kids home care books cooking medical herbs writing
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Thought I was ready to submit this, but see that Mrs. Meyers is not an acceptable soap.  Can someone please recommend a soap available in a regular store that fits the bill?  TIA.

Does Dr. Bronner's Castille soap fit the bill?  Couldn't find the words "grey water friendly" on it, but San Diego Sustainable has it listed as such.
 
pollinator
Posts: 162
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I washed dishes by hand growing up as we did not have a dishwasher. I remember filling up both sinks with hot water, one with soap and one without. However, I have limited space in my kitchen now to take all the dishes out of the sink. Plus that uses too much water.

I watched the videos and thought about how to do this. I really want to start washing dishes with less water. Yes, I'm that person that washes and rinses over constantly running water. No more. I described what I did this time with the pictures. I think this will be the regular way I do it.

I purchased two 8 quart dishpans at Dollar Tree to cut down on water use.

The soap I used was Rosey dish soap from Thrive Market. https://thrivemarket.com/blog/get-to-know-rosey-with-thrive-markets-product-innovator-for-home-cleaning
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biodegradable soap used
biodegradable soap used
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sink full of dirty dishes
sink full of dirty dishes
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I put one of the dishpans in the sink and filled with a small amount of warm water and soap
I put one of the dishpans in the sink and filled with a small amount of warm water and soap
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I started washing the dishes from the other sink, rinsing them off and filling the dishpan up more
I started washing the dishes from the other sink, rinsing them off and filling the dishpan up more
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once the first dishpan was full and the other sink was empty, I did the exact same thing in the second dishpan
once the first dishpan was full and the other sink was empty, I did the exact same thing in the second dishpan
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filling up the dishwasher to dry
filling up the dishwasher to dry
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all done
all done
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the dishpans hold 8 quarts
the dishpans hold 8 quarts
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bottom of dishwasher drying
bottom of dishwasher drying
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top of dishwasher drying
top of dishwasher drying
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silverware rack drying
silverware rack drying
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to be sure I used less than 3 gallons, I poured all the water into a 2.5 gallon glass container. Yay! I only used about 2.5 gallons.
to be sure I used less than 3 gallons, I poured all the water into a 2.5 gallon glass container. Yay! I only used about 2.5 gallons.
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
Posts: 22
Location: Baltimore, MD
8
transportation tiny house bike
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Approved submission
I don't have a dishwasher, so I wash dishes by hand. Used seventh generation, plant based, no fragrance, grey-water safe dish soap.
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Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
Theresa Garrison
pollinator
Posts: 60
Location: Tennessee Zone 7
23
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Approved submission
Used Dr. Bronner's peppermint castille soap.  Wow on the pungency of the peppermint.  Probably should've used less than two squirts.  Grey water friendly per https://ecologycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Greywater-Cleaning-Fact-Sheet.pdf

18 cups hot water + 2 squirts of soap to begin with.  Silverware first, then cups, then bowls and plates.  Rinsed with 2c boiling water from kettle.  Washed messy stuff next.  Rinsed with another 4c boiling water (more because I wanted to make sure the cutting board was sterilized).  Put the cast iron pans upside down on a hot stove to dry thoroughly.  The washing pan was dirtier than when I started, so I used another 4c of boiling water to clean it and wipe out the sinks.

Total water used - 18 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 28 cups

dishes01.jpg
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dishes03.jpg
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dishes05.jpg
[Thumbnail for dishes05.jpg]
dishes06.jpg
[Thumbnail for dishes06.jpg]
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
gardener
Posts: 2108
Location: Zone 8b North Texas
563
3
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Submission flagged incomplete
I have washed these dishes in the sink using biodegradable dish soap in less than 3 gallons of water.    
   

Dirty dishes in the sink


Cleaned out dishwasher rack using to air dry clean dishes.


This is the soapy dishwater I used to wash all these dishes.


Halfway done washing the dishes.  Haven't rinsed any at this point.


Rinsed all the dishes in this pot with only the water in the pot.  Ran it slowly over some and splashed what was there on others.


Melaleuca Lemon Brite Biodegradable dish soap
Biodegradable dishsoap as seen on the label.


Finished.  Clean dishes drying in the dishwasher racks.

Submitting this for BB certification
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: Looks like you need to do some more dishes to get a "full" dishwasher load

 
Tina Wolf
gardener
Posts: 2108
Location: Zone 8b North Texas
563
3
hugelkultur forest garden foraging earthworks food preservation fiber arts bee medical herbs seed wood heat composting
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Approved submission
To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
 - wash dishes without a dishwasher
     - use minimal soap
         - must be greywater friendly soap (the soap usually says "greywater safe" or "readily biodegradable")
     - fill a dishwasher with clean dishes using less than 3 gallons of water
         - or approximate equivalent
             - might require five rounds in a small dish rack
         - yes, you are using the dishwasher as a dish drying rack

To show you've completed this Badge Bit, you must:
- post a picture of the dirty dishes in the sink
- post a progress picture of the dishes being washed
- post a picture of the completed dishes with obviously less than 3 gallons water used
- describe the soap used, its grey water friendliness, and a link to the verifiable biodegradeable dish soap
- OR post a 2 minute video of you washing the dishes by hand

I have washed these dishes in the sink using biodegradable dish soap in less than 3 gallons of water.  
Our dish washer does not clean the dishes so we only use it to dry them.

Melaleuca Hand Dish Washing Soap
1-Dirty-dishes-to-wash.jpg
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3-Biodegradable-Melaleuca-dishsoap.jpg
[Thumbnail for 3-Biodegradable-Melaleuca-dishsoap.jpg]
https://www.melaleuca.com/productstore/cleaning-and-laundry/lemon-brite-hand-dishwashing-liquid-3pack]Melaleuca Hand Dish Washing Soap
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[Thumbnail for 9-Removed-skillet-to-show-dishes-filling-the-back.jpg]
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.

 
Posts: 42
Location: Spain
8
cat trees homestead
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I'm always washing up by hand. And I think I can rival the efficiency of dishwashers. Especially in energy use but also water use.

While researching, I found that how water is good for getting oily stuffs clean and kill some bacteria but both things can be combated with elbow grease as well. Most pathogens are cleaned off using dish soap, so hot water (especially in the summer months) is not needed, thus a big energy saver.

Regarding water use, I found my preferred technique reducing water needs to very little, a bit less than modern dishwashers.
I use 2 sinks, dirty dishes on one side, as I clean the dishes with a lufa sponge, which is biodegradable, I stack place them unrinsed in the other sink.
I only start rinsing when all dishes have been sponged. This way, the water that trickles down onto the dishes below giving them a pre-rinse. While we didn't have a solar heater, I used rinse with cold water in the summer months and warm water in winter (otherwise it's getting painfully cold).
I attached pictures of the water collected with the plugged sink. I think I meet the 3 gallons requirement but you be (literally) the judge.

I also took a time lapse of the process



I am glad about the nudge to move to more sustainable dish soap, I heard that soap generally is not a problem in grey water systems, but now I know there's a step beyond. So I got this dish soap only using biodegradable ingredients, that also has the EU Ecolabel.
readily-biodegradable-dish-soap.jpg
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Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as an edge case.
BBV price: 0
Note: The link to the soap is missing.  Existing link isn't for soap.

Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: Looks good!

 
Eric Wiese
Posts: 42
Location: Spain
8
cat trees homestead
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I added the link to the dish soap in my BBN submission post. I hope that updating the original post works, I don't want to spam the server with the same pictures again :)
 
Posts: 90
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We've been cleaning dishes by hand for several months now. This is my first attempt of keeping track of water usage. It's amazing how much water we use. I learned a lot in this process. I took pics of the soap bottle. It reads on the back that it's 'readily biodegradable.'
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13 qt bowl - 3.25 gallons
13 qt bowl - 3.25 gallons
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I forgot to take a 'progress' pic earlier
I forgot to take a 'progress' pic earlier
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I used a 4 cup glass bowl to keep track of water. Filled it up 11 times.
I used a 4 cup glass bowl to keep track of water. Filled it up 11 times.
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Staff note (gir bot) :

Tina Wolf approved this submission.
Note: Looks Great!

 
Posts: 38
Location: Hemingford Nebraska
21
3
transportation hugelkultur forest garden earthworks building solar
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Our household does not have a dishwasher. I use water off the wood stove to wash dishes and bathe in the winter. Here is our process of dishwashing every morning as well as the link to our detergent - https://www.bio-pac.com/oasis-biocompatible-cleaners/
PSX_20240110_061408.jpg
Heating water on the stove
Heating water on the stove
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Adding detergent
Adding detergent
PSX_20240110_061528.jpg
Adding hot and cool water
Adding hot and cool water
PSX_20240110_061554.jpg
Washing
Washing
PSX_20240110_061627.jpg
Rinsing
Rinsing
PSX_20240110_061659.jpg
Allow to dry
Allow to dry
PSX_20240110_061719.jpg
Completed dishes
Completed dishes
PSX_20240110_061740.jpg
No water goes down the drain
No water goes down the drain
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note: To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:   - wash dishes without a dishwasher       - use minimal soap           - must be greywater friendly soap (the soap usually says "greywater safe" or "readily biodegradable")       - fill a dishwasher with clean dishes using less than 3 gallons of water           - or approximate equivalent               - might require five rounds in a small dish rack           - yes, you are using the dishwasher as a dish drying rack

Staff note :

Keep going! Needs to be enough to "fill a dishwasher with clean dishes". Another round that size should do the trick!

 
Posts: 14
Location: Kaitaia, New Zealand (Zone 10b)
4
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Edge case submission
Since I am from out of country, my measuring instruments are all metric. 3 gallons equals 11.3l so here we do our nightly dish wash with 10l of water and using eco store dishwash liquid

https://ecostore.com/nz/ultra-sensitive-dish-liquid-682/

IMG_2615.jpeg
The nightly wash
The nightly wash
IMG_2612.jpeg
Measuring bucket 20l (6 gallon)
Measuring bucket 20l (6 gallon)
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Bucket filled to 10l of hot water
Bucket filled to 10l of hot water
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Half way there
Half way there
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Dishwasher stacked - funnily enough we use it as a dishrack every night!
Dishwasher stacked - funnily enough we use it as a dishrack every night!
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All finished
All finished
IMG_2622.jpeg
Almost 10l of water to use later
Almost 10l of water to use later
thumb-IMG_2609.jpeg
Eco store ultra sensitive dish liquid
Eco store ultra sensitive dish liquid
Staff note (gir bot) :

Elizabeth Horsley flagged this submission as an edge case.
BBV price: 0
Note: Could you include a pic of the ingredients on the dishwashing liquid? It should also say something like "greywater safe" or "readily biodegradable."

Staff note :

This soap is not readily biodegradable and has chemicals that are acutely toxic to aquatic life. 

 
Evan Ward
Posts: 14
Location: Kaitaia, New Zealand (Zone 10b)
4
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A follow up to my earlier post - here is the photo of the dish liquid….

Aaaand I just learned how to edit posts - and I have included the photo on my origianl bb submission.

Also changed this from a bb submission to a normal post - sorry for the confusion...
IMG_2609.jpeg
Eco store ultra sensitive
Eco store ultra sensitive
 
Posts: 24
Location: Oregon
14
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All my pipes are frozen, so Im doing dishes with some water I heated up on the fire stove. Here is a link to my soap.
<https://www.amazon.com/MRS-MEYERS-CLEAN-DAY-Biodegradable/dp/B01MG2BJF0?ref_=ast_sto_dp>;
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Dirty Dishes + basin of clean water
Dirty Dishes + basin of clean water
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Biodegradable soap
Biodegradable soap
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Action shot was a bit difficult to get a good angle on
Action shot was a bit difficult to get a good angle on
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Finished dishes
Finished dishes
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone flagged this submission as not complete.
BBV price: 1
Note:  - fill a dishwasher with clean dishes using less than 3 gallons of water          - or approximate equivalent              - might require five rounds in a small dish rack

Staff note :

Keep going! Post another round of dishes to complete this BB.

 
Macey Vaughan
Posts: 24
Location: Oregon
14
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Round 2 of dishes! I was the author of the last post on this thread as well. Here is a link for the soap used. <https://www.amazon.com/MRS-MEYERS-CLEAN-DAY-Biodegradable/dp/B01MG2BJF0?ref_=ast_sto_dp>;
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Before
Before
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Action shot
Action shot
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Says biodegradable on the bottom.
Says biodegradable on the bottom.
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Clean dishes
Clean dishes
Staff note (gir bot) :

Someone approved this submission.
Note: This BB is complete!

 
Normally trees don't drive trucks. Does this tiny ad have a license?
Rocket Mass Heater Plans: Annex 6
https://permies.com/wiki/138231/Rocket-Mass-Heater-Plans-Annex
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