An approximate of 80 million households are believed to possess a dishwasher in their kitchen, but only a few of them are fully aware of the machine’s capabilities. Surprisingly, a dishwasher can be utilized beyond its conventional function of washing dishes regularly. Here are some unconventional yet practical tips to make the most out of your dishwasher.
Wash the Toothbrush
You’re likely aware that harmful bacteria can accumulate on a toothbrush with time. It’s essential to maintain a clean toothbrush to prevent any future health complications. What you may not know is that you can cleanse your toothbrush by running it through the dishwasher.
To properly clean the toothbrush, simply put it in the cutlery rack and run the quick wash setting on the dishwasher. Just remember not to add any detergent as it could render the toothbrush unusable.
Cook Shrimp
Although it may seem unusual, a dishwasher can also function as an oven. This enables you to cook shrimp swiftly and with ease. You might not associate a dishwasher with cooking, but it’s possible.
To ensure optimal outcomes, place the shrimp inside a glass receptacle and ensure that the cover is tightly sealed. Afterward, initiate the rinsing process on the machine to steam the shrimp and produce a flawless meal. The subsequent time you invite people over, offer them some dishwashing shrimp!
Wash Your Caps
Baseball caps tend to accumulate dirt and sweat over time, especially during hot summer days. If you wish to clean the fabric of your baseball cap, using a dishwasher is a viable option. Many people advise against using a washing machine for this purpose.
If you put your caps in a dishwasher, you will be amazed by the results. They will look as bright and fresh as they did when you first purchased them. However, it’s important to avoid using any harsh detergents to prevent any discoloration.
Clean Your Hair Brushes
Similar to how we use toothbrushes every day to keep ourselves clean, hair brushes are a vital tool in maintaining personal hygiene. Consequently, it is highly probable that with regular usage, your hair brush will gradually accumulate both dust and bacteria.
To maintain a hygienic scalp, it’s essential to have a new and debris-free hairbrush. Instead of discarding your used brushes, you can clean them thoroughly by placing them in the dishwasher. By doing so, you can avoid having to purchase new brushes frequently.
Clean Your Shoes
Maybe you haven’t considered keeping your flip flops and shoes in the same location as your dishes and silverware. But it’s perfectly safe to put your shoes in the dishwasher for cleaning because the hot water and steam will sanitize them entirely.
Arrange your shoes and flip flops neatly on the upper compartment of the machine, then start the wash cycle to eliminate outdoor dirt and grime. The washing process will also disinfect and eliminate any hazardous microorganisms.
Rinse Potatoes
Washing potatoes is one of the most unpleasant meal preparation activities in the kitchen. It is not enjoyable to deal with dirty potatoes that were just dug out from the soil. However, with the help of a dishwasher, you no longer need to wash potatoes manually.
This cooking tip will transform the way you prepare food permanently. Rather than cleaning each potato individually, simplify the process by putting all of them in the dishwasher on the rinse cycle without any cleaning agents. You will be amazed by how impeccably pristine the potatoes appear.
Clean Pet Dishes
The dishwasher is not exclusively for washing your dishes. Your pets also deserve to have their food dishes spotless, and you no longer have to spend countless hours scrubbing their bowls to remove the stubborn grime and dirt that accumulates over time.
Instead, simply place the bowls in the dishwasher and select the high temperature option to eradicate any bacteria and microorganisms that may be present. Considering that your pet eats from these bowls, it is likely that there are numerous germs present.
Steam Vegetables
With full commitment to the job, you can make a complete meal inside the dishwasher. The dishwasher can be utilized to prepare various dishes, including steaming vegetables as a dinner accompaniment.
Place the vegetables in a well-sealed glass container and use the standard setting. Once the process is complete, you will have a nicely steamed vegetable serving. It is a practical alternative solution in case of an unexpected oven malfunction.
Clean Your Keyboard
Although it is not a recommended practice by any IT brand, it is a practical solution. Dirty keyboards can be cleaned in a dishwasher if done correctly. Cleaning keyboards can be a challenging task, especially those with raised keys.
Simply, you can clean the keyboard by putting it into the dishwasher after unplugging all the cables. Make sure to skip using any detergent while running a regular cycle as it might harm the keyboard. Afterward, let it dry completely, and you will have a restored keyboard.
Warm Plates
In addition to heating your food, preheating your plates can also be beneficial. This is a technique that only seasoned chefs are aware of, which involves warming up the plates before serving the food to prevent it from cooling down too rapidly.
To keep your food warm, just put the plates in the dishwasher and turn on the plate warmer setting. In case your dishwasher doesn’t have this setting, you can use the traditional “dry/heat” cycle. This will help maintain the heat of your food on the plates, preventing it from getting cold.
Ripe Avocados
Purchasing avocados can be a challenging experience, specifically when it comes to locating the suitable ones. While seeking avocados at the supermarket, you might come across avocados that are either too overripe or unripe. Nevertheless, you can tackle this problem by employing your dishwasher.
Purchase some green avocados which are not yet ripe and put them on the highest level of the appliance. Afterward, initiate the regular setting for ten minutes and the avocados will come out smoothly and ready to use. You should test out this trick as soon as possible and be grateful to us later!
Clean Your Vacuum
Cleaning vacuum components can be a daunting task, especially if you’ve neglected them for a while. Due to the accumulation of dust and debris that is drawn in every day, your vacuum may appear to be a complete mess.
Fortuitously, it is feasible to clean the vacuum components effortlessly by putting them in the dishwasher, which also guarantees disinfection of the items, resulting in a more pristine vacuum. However, it is imperative to ensure that the items are dried promptly after washing to prevent any harm.
Clean Vents
We assume that you have not thought much about cleaning the vents. But, if you have been contemplating about it lately, then this helpful trick will enhance your efficiency and save time.
Just insert the vents into the machine and run the regular cycle without any detergent. This will eliminate any dirt or dust from the vents and enable you to keep your house dust-free. Remember to promptly dry the vents once they’re taken out of the machine though.
Clean Trash Cans
It is understandable that trash cans harbor a large amount of bacteria in your household. Despite your efforts to regularly sanitize them, a layer of bacteria will persist on their surfaces. To prevent the transmission of germs, it is crucial to keep the lids of your trash cans clean.
To thoroughly clean and eliminate any bacteria or odor from your kitchen, disinfect the lids in the dishwasher using a regular cycle with detergent and the high heat setting.
Clean Car Floor Mats
It’s easy to picture how car floor mats accumulate dirt fairly fast. Since we step on them during different weather circumstances and seldom remember to clean them, it becomes a necessity to do so at some point to keep the car interior tidy.
A simple and effective method for cleaning your car mats is by placing them in the dishwasher. For optimal results, run a regular cycle and your mats will be brighter and cleaner than ever.
Clean Mop Heads
Typically, mops are utilized to tidy up your residence, but have you ever reflected on the concept of cleaning the mop itself? Since mop heads accumulate an ample amount of dirt while cleaning floors, it’s essential to establish a regular cleaning practice to maintain a sanitized and hygienic environment.
A good way to avoid bacteria pile-ups and bad smells is to place the mop head in the dishwasher and run the high heat setting. This will not only wash the mop thoroughly but it will also disinfect it and kill bacteria.
Clean Nail Clippers
Nail clippers are one of those items that you don’t really think of when planning a cleaning session. However, even nail clippers need a good wash from time to time to ensure there is no debris or bacteria hiding under there.
You can sanitize the nail clippers with the high heat setting in the dishwasher. Simply place them in the cutlery rack and run the regular cycle at high heat. However, make sure to dry them off after the wash to avoid rusting.
Decalc Shower Faucet
Shower faucets are likely to catch a lot of calcium sediment, especially in areas with extremely hard water. This can lead to damage or malfunctioning, which is the last thing you want in your shower.
Luckily, you can use the dishwasher to decalc the shower faucets with ease. Not only will the dishwasher remove any sediment stuck to the faucet but it will also disinfect it and remove any mold or bacteria.
Cook Steak
We just cannot get enough of these cooking hacks with the dishwasher. It is so fascinating that you can use these machines to prepare food. This time, you can try your hand at cooking steak in the dishwasher instead of using the grill.
Put the steak in vacuum-sealed packaging and place it on the top rack in the dishwasher. Activate the high heat setting with a 90-minute cycle to prepare the meat. Get ready for one of the most uniquely cooked delicious steaks you’ve ever tried!
Wash Hair Ties
Just like hair brushes, hair ties can get pretty dirty too and they are one of those items we don’t think about cleaning that often. However, even hair ties can accumulate harmful bacteria over time, which is the last thing you want to sit on your head.
You can clean your hair ties with ease by placing them in a small bag and putting them in the cutlery rack of the dishwasher. Run a quick cycle with a small amount of detergent to give the hair ties a nice fresh smell without damaging them.
Wash Zip-Lock Bags
Zip-lock bags can always come in handy in the kitchen or around the household. The only problem is that they are wasteful since we usually throw each one away after using it. Luckily, there is a way to be more eco-conscious when it comes to this matter.
You can easily clean the used zip-lock bags in the dishwasher using the low heat setting. Make sure not to turn the temperature up to the highest setting, as it could melt the thin plastic bags. Once the cycle is done, dry the bags and they will be ready for use.
Clean Garden Tools
You probably never thought of putting garden tools in the dishwasher but that day has finally come. If you have garden tools and they are a bit too dirty, it is time to give them a thorough wash in the machine.
With steam and hot water generated in the machine, your garden tools will be clean, disinfected, and as bright as new. However, make sure to run a separate wash cycle for your garden tools and don’t mix them up with your actual dishes and kitchenware.
Clean the Dishwasher
Did you ever think about cleaning the dishwasher itself? Imagine that, even the dishwasher needs a good cleaning every now and then! If your dishwasher is getting a funny odor, make sure to pour in some clear vinegar at the beginning of an empty cycle.
Start the cycle and let the vinegar do its thing. It will clean any remaining grease or oil on the walls of the machine that are causing the bad smells. You will be left with a shiny dishwasher, just like it was when you bought it.
Clean Cabinet Knobs
If you don’t mind a bit of screwdriver work, you can use the dishwasher to clean your cabinet knobs. If you think about it, cabinet knobs are one of those things we touch every day but we always forget about them when cleaning the house.
Now that you remember that you have cabinet knobs, you can use a screwdriver to gently take them off and place them in the dishwasher. After you give them a good wash in the steamy dishwasher detergent mixture, they will surely be ridden of any unwanted bacteria.
Cook Salmon
That’s right, you can even make salmon in your dishwasher. If steak or chicken sounds too simple for you, try making some really unique salmon without using the oven or the grill.
Just wrap the salmon in tin foil and make sure water cannot get to it from any direction. However, don’t forget to season it first if you want the best flavor out of the dishwasher cooking session. Let the salmon cook on a regular cycle for about 45 minutes and you’re good to go!
Prepare Eggs
There are already around a million ways to prepare eggs but we are just about to add another one. As one of the most popular breakfast foods around the world, people are constantly looking for new ways to cook them.
You can be the first one in your friend group to start this unique trend. Just place the eggs inside the washer and set the right washing cycle. If you want to go for a hard-boiled egg, choose a hot temperature. For a soft boiled egg, go with the colder settings.
More Cleaning Tricks
Here’s another convenient way you can give your dishwasher a thorough cleaning after you’ve tried out all these hacks (especially the one with the potatoes). Add some Kool-Aid to the machine to get the best results.
The citric acid from the Kool-Aid will help remove stubborn stains and add some shine to the interior of your machine. However, make sure to explain yourself before doing this as your household members might think it’s rather odd.
Clean Makeup Brushes
If you know how tiring it is to wash makeup brushes all the time, you are probably looking for an easier solution. Did you know that you can just put them in the dishwasher and let the machine do all the hard work?
The hot water will help remove all the dead skin and bacteria off the brushes and thus disinfect them for the next use. However, make sure not to use the highest temperature setting to avoid any damage to these delicate products.
Cook Lobster
Okay, by now you might think we are joking with all these cooking tips but we are as serious as we can get. If you’ve tried the chicken or the shrimp hack, you will love the lobster cooking trick with the dishwasher machine.
If you want a fancy dinner prepared in a rather strange manner, do the following: cut the lobster into small pieces, season them and place them in a glass jar. Close the jar tightly to prevent air from going inside and run the normal cycle on the machine. Voila, your dinner will be ready soon!
Reuse an Old Dishwasher
When an old dishwasher just stops working, it doesn’t mean you have to get rid of it. There is always a way to reuse old things and give them a new purpose. In this case, you can use the old dishwasher as a garden bed.
Fill it with dirt and compost, plant some flowers and you will be surprised how beautiful it can look after a while. You can even go a step further and grow veggies in the new garden beds if gardening is your thing!
Clean the Dryer Filter
Dryer filters tend to get dusty and they sometimes collect lint too, which makes them very difficult to clean by hand. However, you can clean the dryer filter by placing it in the dishwasher and using the hot water settings to get all the dirt out.
This will remove any debris that might be blocking the filter and make your dryer work better than ever. What a way to use one machine to get the other machine to work more efficiently! Talk about household hacks!
Clean the Dishwasher with a Toothbrush
Cleaning your toothbrush in the dishwasher isn’t the only way these two items can work together. This hack can go both ways, as you can also use a toothbrush to clean the dishwasher. Before it gets too confusing, we’ll break it down.
Dishwashers have a lot of small parts that might not be as reachable as the majority of the interior. These are the parts that can accumulate the most dirt and debris over time, which can cause bad smells and malfunctioning. Instead of letting your dishwasher get too dirty, give it a good cleaning every once in a while using a toothbrush to reach those hard-to-reach places.
Wash Cleaning Brushes
One more thing you can wash in the dishwasher are cleaning brushes. After sweeping the entire household, your brushes are likely to get dirty and filled with dangerous germs.
Place them on the top rack of your dishwasher and run the load on a normal cycle to wash all your cleaning tools and accessories. This way, they will be fresh and ready to use the next time you have to clean the house.
Prepare Lasagna
If you are cooking a dishwasher dinner for multiple people, consider adding more kinds of dishes to it. For example, you can prepare lasagna in the dishwasher the same way you would in an oven. The only difference is that your guests probably never tried a dishwasher lasagna.
Prepare the meal the same way you would in an oven, just this time wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Place it in the dishwasher and activate the normal cycle with the “heated dry” option. The additional heat will cook the lasagna perfectly.
Clean Light Fixtures
While this is not as shocking as cooking in the dishwasher, it is a great trick to keep your household clean. Light fixtures are one of those items that get dusty the most but we rarely have time or patience to deal with them.
Luckily, you can place your light fixtures in the dishwasher and get amazing results with little to no effort at all. Make sure not to include any electrical pieces and don’t forget to set the dishwasher on a low temperature.
Access Hot Water
Here’s one hack that will help improve the efficiency of the machine. Sometimes, dishwashers cannot access hot water right away so it takes them time to heat it up and complete the cycle while delivering the expected result.
However, this little trick will help the machine run with hot temperature right on the first cycle. Before you turn it on, run the faucet in the sink until hot water comes out. That way, it will be readily accessible as soon as you turn on the machine.
Refresh Kitchen Sponges
Kitchen sponges are constantly submerged in water and cleaning supplies. No wonder why they get soggy and smelly so quickly. However, you don’t have to throw away the soggy sponges every time.
You can use your dishwasher to freshen them up at a high temperature that kills any harmful bacteria. This will remove unpleasant smells and make your sponges look as good as new. Place the sponges in the machine and turn on the rinse feature at high temperature.
Warm Up Food
A dishwasher can not only serve as a backup oven but it can also serve as a microwave in times of need. That’s right, you can use it to warm up food and leftovers from last night’s dinner and make yourself a very impressive breakfast.
Just place the food in the dishwasher, either wrapped in aluminum foil or closed tightly in a glass jar. Then turn on the “heat/dry” mode without any water and your meal will be heated up sooner than you would expect it!
Use it as a Dish Rack
Some people get rid of their dish racks after purchasing a dishwasher thinking they won’t be washing dishes by hand anymore. However, sometimes you only have one or two pots you need washed right away and it makes no sense to waste water and detergent in the machine on two dishes.
That’s why you still have to wash some dishes by hand even though you own a dishwasher. The only problem is, you no longer have a dish rack. Luckily, you can use the racks inside the dishwasher to dry the dishes you washed by hand and save space at the same time.
Disinfect House Keys
We use house keys every day and we tend to place them on dirty surfaces outside our home. When you come back, you most likely place the keys in a drawer or the shelf in the hallway. However, do you ever think about all the bacteria that can pile up on these keys?
A good way to disinfect house keys is to place them in the cutlery rack of the machine and run the regular cycle. However, instead of letting them air dry, make sure to take the keys out right away and dry them to prevent rust from forming.
Cook Chicken
We have already made lasagna, shrimp, and steamed veggies in the dishwasher so why not try chicken as well? Cooking chicken can now be easier than ever as long as you have a dishwasher with all the regular washing features.
All you have to do is season the chicken the way you normally would and wrap the pieces (or the entire chicken) in aluminum foil. Place it in the dishwasher and run the normal cycle to prepare the meat. Once done, you will have a perfectly cooked chicken to serve.
Clean Faux Flowers
Faux flowers are a great decorative solution for people who don’t have a green thumb. Sometimes, maintaining plants gets so difficult that you wish to replace all of them with plastic decorations.
The only downside of having faux flowers is that they accumulate a lot of dust over time. However, you can clean them easily on the top rack of your dishwasher but make sure not to use detergent during the cycle.
Clean Sports Equipment
Baseball gloves, shoes, and other sports equipment can be difficult to clean. Besides the dirt from the outdoor terrains, these items are often covered in sweat and bacteria, which is why they need a thorough wash after use.
You can wash your sports equipment in the dishwasher by turning the machine on to the highest speed without any detergent. That way, you will sanitize all the equipment and give it a thorough wash without damaging it.
Wash Pet Collars
Did you ever think of washing your pet’s collar? They get dirty quite easily and you need to wash them on a regular basis. Luckily, you can just throw them in the dishwasher to save time and they will come out looking as good as new.
However, make sure not to use detergent while washing the collars, as this could cause irritation on the pet’s skin. When it comes to pet products, washing should be kept natural and odor-free. One more thing, make sure not to wash leather collars in the dishwasher.
Clean Your Child’s Toys
Cleaning children’s toys can be a tiring task, especially if you have a full box of them to go through. Luckily, you can just place them in a dishwasher and get it over with all at once. Run the regular cycle with detergent to make sure the toys are thoroughly cleaned.
However, try not to put any small parts or toys with detachable parts in the dishwasher, as these can get stuck in the drainage system. Overall, cleaning toys in the dishwasher will become your next favorite household task!
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