5 Myths About Dishwashers That Indian Families Believe — Busted

Myth 1

"Dishwashers waste a lot of water. Hand washing is better for the environment."

This is the most common myth — and the most wrong. People imagine a Dishwasher filling up with water like a bathtub. It doesn't work that way.

An average Indian family washing dishes by hand three times a day uses 60–80 litres of water daily. That's because taps are usually left running, rinsing happens multiple times, and scrubbing greasy Indian utensils requires even more water.

A modern Dishwasher uses 9.6 litres per full cycle — for 15 place settings. It recirculates the same water throughout the wash, heats it, and uses it efficiently. That's an 85% reduction in water use.

Myth 2

"Dishwashers can't clean Indian utensils — especially kadai and thali."

This one comes from a genuine place. Most Dishwashers sold in India are designed for European kitchens — pasta bowls, wine glasses, and light food residue. They were never engineered for masala coating, ghee grease, or turmeric stains. So when someone tried one and found their kadai still had curry stuck to it, word spread.

But the problem was never the Dishwasher concept — it was the wrong Dishwasher being used in the wrong kitchen.

A Dishwasher with a 70°C wash cycle — which is what NOVÁK uses — breaks down the oil bonds in ghee and masala effectively. The heat does what scrubbing tries to do with force. Combined with the right detergent and proper loading, a kadai, steel thali, and pressure cooker body come out clean.

Myth 3

"Dishwashers are only for rich families or elite households."

This perception made sense ten years ago when the only Dishwashers available in India were imported European models priced at ₹80,000–₹1.2 lakh. For most middle-class families, that was simply out of reach.

That has changed. Today, a quality Dishwasher is available at ₹44,999 — less than a mid-range smartphone. And with a 7-Day Free Home Trial, you don't even pay the full amount upfront to experience it.

More importantly, when you calculate the value — 270+ hours of your time saved per year, 85% reduction in water bills, and no more post-dinner scrubbing — the cost-benefit argument becomes very different from what it used to be.

Myth 4

"Hand washing is more hygienic than a Dishwasher."

This feels intuitively true. Your hands are doing the scrubbing — surely that's more thorough? But hygiene isn't just about scrubbing. It's about killing bacteria.

The maximum temperature your hands can tolerate in water is around 45–48°C. Beyond that, it's simply too hot to wash with. Most bacteria — including E. coli and Salmonella — survive perfectly well at 45°C. They need temperatures above 60°C to be killed effectively.

A Dishwasher operates at 70°C. At that temperature, 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, and pathogens on your utensils are eliminated. Your kitchen sponge — which hand washing relies on — is actually one of the most bacteria-dense objects in any home, harboring millions of bacteria per square centimetre.

Myth 5

"Dishwashers damage utensils over time — especially steel and non-stick."

This concern is partly valid and partly misunderstood. Here's the nuance:

Stainless steel utensils — perfectly safe. Steel thalis, kadai, pressure cooker bodies, bowls, and cutlery all handle Dishwasher cycles without any damage. They come out cleaner and better than before.

Non-stick pans with intact coating — generally safe on a gentle cycle. However, any non-stick pan with a scratched or damaged coating should not go in a Dishwasher — or any hot water, for that matter. The damage was already done before the Dishwasher.

Copper and brass items — not recommended. The high-temperature wash reacts with these metals and can cause discolouration. Wash these by hand.

Pressure cooker rubber gaskets — always wash by hand. Heat degrades rubber over time.