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Yes, you can wash these

10 items in the

dishwasher

by Maria Gracia Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Top Ten list is available. Have you ever seen the episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where Raymond accidentally places the Thanksgiving salmon in the dishwasher? While it may seem far-fetched, dishwashers can be used to clean a lot more than just dishes. Here are some of my favorites... 1. Baseball caps. The dishwasher is a great place to clean dingy and sweaty baseball caps. If you have a lot of caps, consider purchasing a ball cap washer which is a plastic frame that will maintain your cap’s shape in the dishwasher. Keep your hats on the top rack. 2. Personal hygiene accessories.  Make-up brushes, toothbrushes, plastic hairbrushes, and combs can all be sanitized and cleaned in a dishwasher. First, remove any hair from hairbrushes. Then place these items on the top rack in a dishwasher basket or lingerie bag. Avoid any wooden products, like wooden hair brush handles…the heat from the dishwasher may crack or warp the wood. 3. Bathroom accessories. Bathroom accessories, like soap dishes, toothbrush holders, light switch plates, and bathtub toys, can be cleaned in the dishwasher. 4. Kitchen accessories. Kitchen accessories and tools should be washed regularly to prevent the build- up of bacteria. Some of these items include: kitchen brushes, scrub brushes, stove knobs, sink drain stoppers, drip pans from stove, gas grates, dish racks, refrigerator shelves, and light switch plates. The kitchen items that are plastic should be kept on the top rack and combine all the small parts into a dishwasher basket. 5. Small toys. Plastic toys like action figures, teethers and baby toys can be sanitized on the top rack of the dishwasher. Remember to keep small pieces together in a dishwasher basket. 6. Fan grills and vent covers. Who wants to clean all the grooves in a vent cover? The easiest solution, use your dishwasher for all plastic, aluminum, and steel covers. 7. Glass light fixture covers. Make your lights shine even brighter by giving glass light fixture covers a run through your dishwasher. Use the top shelf and leave enough space between fixtures so they won’t break. DO NOT wash antique, enamel, or painted glass covers in the dishwasher. 8. Sports equipment. Decrease the amount of bacteria on items like knee pads, shin and mouth guards, and beach flip flops by running them through the dishwasher. 9. Potatoes. If you’re hosting a party or are having another family for dinner, use the top rack of your dishwasher to rinse the potatoes…seriously. It will save you time and ensure all the dirt is removed from the taters’ crevices. If washing veggies…DO NOT use detergent, use the RINSE CYCLE ONLY, and keep the veggies on the top rack. 10. “That’s Just Crazy” items. There are other everyday items that can be cleaned in your dishwasher, like gardening tools, shoes, car parts, dust bins, Silicone oven mitts and trivets, hubcaps, dog collars, and garbage can lids. Before you put something in the dishwasher, first inspect it for any plastic components that might not withstand the water pressure or heat of a normal dishwashing cycle. By the way, although this is super-strange and I’m pretty sure I won’t be trying this anytime soon, there ARE dishwasher salmon recipes available on the Internet. Back to Top Ten Index