Americans mostly have dishwashers. I think the problem is that dishwashers vary a lot in how much crud they can handle. Growing up we had a detachable unit that

Americans mostly have dishwashers. I think the problem is that dishwashers vary a lot in how much crud they can handle. Growing up we had a detachable unit that hooked up to the sink. That limited its ability to discharge any solid particles, which meant that in practice we would pre-wash most dishes and use the dishwasher to ensure the dishes were spotless and sterilized. Too much gunk and you'd have to frequently clean out the filter, a disgusting task. Plumbed-in dishwashers are not supposed to have this problem, and I have not found them to. You just have to scrape off any solids into the garbage before putting the dish in. The dishwasher performs better with dirty dishes and you save a lot of water. But I've definitely noticed that some people are very hesitant to just put stuff in the washer, which can result in a pileup at the sink. Usually what happens is that a pot with nasty stuck-on bits gets put in the sink and filled with water, and then someone trying to rinse off a dish gets put off by the dirty pot and just puts the dish in the sink, and then before you know it you have a sink full of dirty dishes and gross water. My traditional policy to avoid this is to prohibit leaving any dishes in the sink at all, which was my family's rule. Unfortunately, my current roommate comes from a family with the exact opposite rule -- leaving dishes on the counter is forbidden, they must go in the sink.