When hand-washing, it's possible to examine the dish or utensil, and scrub harder, let soak, or give a special treatment such as baking soda (tea and coffee sta

When hand-washing, it's possible to examine the dish or utensil, and scrub harder, let soak, or give a special treatment such as baking soda (tea and coffee stains), ammonia (heavy baked-on grease), oxalic acid ("Barkeeper's Friend") to polish copper or remove some forms of burn, scouring pads (typically plastic, copper or steel wool, may include soap or other chemicals for treating hard-to-remove foods, such as S.O.S or Brillo pads). Dishwashing machine detergent is another option (a little goes a long way, though as the detergent itself dissolves poorly, it's necessary to spread and/or circulate it over dishes where used). Vinegar + baking soda paste is useful for baked-on grease. Chlorine bleach may be used to remove some organic stains or disinfect where needed (this last is rare in my experience), though it should not be combined with ammonia-based products. Knowing what cleaning treatments work and when they're appropriate is another bit of practical knowledge often lost. There's also knowledge of what chemicals not to use together It's also possible to pre-soak specific items, either in the sink or by filling them (e.g., pots and pans) and letting them sit on the sink. Many people self-sabotage cleaning by failing to give the cleaning solution time to work, which can be a few seconds for light soiling to hours for chemical stains or baked-on stains. The automatic dishwasher is also hard on the actual dishes and utensils, in my experience, and tends to pit or damage ceramics, glassware, and stainless-steel or aluminium utensils and pots. And when washing a large number of items, ironically, filled basins to soap and rinse may use less water than multiple dishwasher loads. Though again, when the difference is measured in single-digit gallons (or up to around 20--40 litres), the overall efficiency savings largely pale against other household water usage (bathing, handwashing, laundry, other food prep, etc.). Again, I see no reasonable basis for shaming those who prefer hand-washing. Cycle time and efficacy can be markedly better, total water and energy efficiency are comparable. Machine-washing is more consistent over larger populations (given equivalent equipment), though might degrade with age of the machine. It's mostly a ... wash.