Things You Didn't Know You Could Put in Your Dishwasher

Did you know that the dishwasher in your home is probably one of the most energy-efficient and best cleaning devices you have? There are a lot of things in your home that can be hard to clean that you can put right in your dishwasher!

Kitchen Sponge

There are many items that live right in your kitchen, near your dishwasher, but I bet you never thought about putting them in. The first item on the list is the cleaning or scouring sponge that you use to clean everything in the kitchen. The sponge is a breeding ground for bacteria, including E. Coli and salmonella, and as much as it cleans everything else, it also could use a cleaning from time to time. Let your dishwasher do the hard work for you and throw it right in with your dishes to get it perfectly clean and sanitized.

Sink Strainer

Everything that flows down through your sink goes through the strainer first. What is the best way to clean this grimy and often forgotten item? The dishwasher. The strainer often has little nooks and crannies where dirt buildups and can be hard to clean. Throw out that old dirty toothbrush, and just place your strainer in the dishwasher.

Ball Cap

Another item that's great to wash in your dishwasher is a ball cap. Everybody knows how dirty the inside headband gets and how discolored it can become. The dishwasher is the perfect alternative to the washer. Putting your ball cap in the washer runs you the risk of the hat losing its structure due to the washer’s agitation, making the dishwasher the perfect alternative. Place it in the top rack, on a light, short wash, and it will come out perfectly clean!

Footwear

Another great item to put in your dishwasher is footwear. If you have something similar to crocks and they need a good cleaning, give your dishwasher a try. Just flip them over, place them on the top rack, run them through a short cycle, and they should be as good as new.

Pet Items

Another couple of things on our list are some of your pet items, which can also go on the often forgotten about list. With the amount of dirt and grime that these items can pick up from normal use, the easiest way to clean them and get good results is by putting them in the dishwasher. This includes anything from food dishes, toys, and leashes.

Showerhead

Another often forgotten item in your home that makes a perfect candidate for the dishwasher is the showerhead. Whether it's just dirty and grimy or perhaps some of the spray nozzles aren’t working properly due to buildup, the dishwasher should do a good job of getting it nice and clean. Put it in your dishwasher, run a recycle, and it'll be back to new.

Kids Toys

Another item that works well in the dishwasher is kids' toys, plastic blocks, letters, marbles, and lego. They get handled with sticky hands and often live on the dirty floor, so while they may not look dirty, they are certainly an item that could use a good cleaning from time to time. Simply put them in a mesh bag, place them in the dishwasher, and they'll come out nice and clean.

Light Switch Covers

Another item in your home that's touched very frequently, that's bound to have dirt, grime and germs are light switch covers or outlet covers. Often you can just wipe them, but if you really want to get them clean, take out a couple of screws, put them in your dishwasher, and they'll be sanitized with little effort.

Hand Tools

Finally, you can't forget the items in the workshop. Mechanic's hand tools, wrenches, screwdrivers, and putty knives can get quite dirty and dusty, especially the handles. If you want to get them clean and sanitized, put them in the dishwasher.

That concludes our list of dishwasher-friendly items, but there are many more. Check out our video and let us know in the comments if you can think of other items to add to the list! For more tips and tricks for around the home be sure to subscribe to the Fix YouTube channel.