10 Household Items You Can Clean In The Dishwasher

What do you wash in a dishwasher? If your answer is dishes, you are really missing out on some awesome cleaning power. Here are some of the additional things you can clean in your dishwasher.

1. Kitchen exhaust filter

Rather than having the filter buildup with a gunky mess, just put it in the dishwasher monthly or as often as is recommended by your range hood manufacturer. A good detergent and the high-temperature water will cut through the grease without any problem.

2. Dish sponges

Germs love moisture and sponges are the perfect breeding ground for everything nasty in your kitchen. Use the “heated dry” setting on the dishwasher to kill the majority of germs on your kitchen sponge.

3. Plastic toys

There are also plenty of germs hiding out in the toys your children are playing with. You can clean plastic toys on the upper rack but don’t put any in the dishwasher if they have electronic components.

4. Toothbrush holders and soap dishes

Sure, you could clean these by hand but why would you? Don’t look too closely at these before you clean them, they get really gross!

5. Pet dishes and toys

Speaking of gross, your pet dishes and toys can also get quite nasty and they do in a hurry. Throw them in for a cycle in the dishwasher and they will come out sparkling clean. Just make sure they are dishwasher safe and you might want to run them as a separate load.

6. Scrub brushes

Don’t forget about the scrub brushes when you do your sponges. A quick run in the dishwasher and they will be ready to go.

7. Plastic hairbrushes and toothbrushes

You can typically clean these in the utensil basket or on the top rack. Just make sure that they are racked properly and remove all of the hair from the hairbrush so you don’t clog the drain filter.

8. Dish racks

This goes along with the same category as scrub brushes and sponges. Wipe them gently to remove the grimy build-up and put them in the dish rack and run them through a cycle.

9. Light fixture glass globes

Why would you wash these by hand when you can just put them in the dishwasher and let it do the dirty work for you? Make sure you secure them so they don’t break.

10. Removable cup holders

The next time you clean your car, remove the cup holders and put them on the top rack.

You can see more in this video: