Using the dishwasher for things other than dishes?

[kamilla626]

Occasionally I put our toothbrushes in the dishwasher, and a few times when dd was a baby (and I was more concerned about germs) I put a bunch of her toys in the dishwasher with just a teensy bit of regular dishsoap.

Anyone use their dishwasher for toys? Plastic/nylon sandals? Outdoor toys? Bath toys?

Am I just weird?

[`guest`]

Yeah, and my neighbor told me to use it for baseball caps, so go figure.

[happyfrog]

i run my broom thru it. i used to wash it in the sink. d/w much easier. (this is kitchen floor ONLY broom, though).

nak

[mirlee]

I wouldn't do my toothbrush, but I have done bath toys, other toys, plastic bins, my dish scrubbie, my dish rack (I have some things that need to be handwashed)

[3boysmom]

I do toothbrushes (when we have an illness going around the family) and I used to do the kitchen sponge. I now put the sponge in the microwave everyday to disinfect/deodorize - works much better. When my kids were smaller, I did run their plastic baby toys through the dishwasher regularly.

[LISSA~K]

I always have run plastic toys through. And toothbrushes too...learned that from a hygenist friend. I wouldn't do sponges theough, I just use washcloths for sponges and throw them in the wash.

[Ellp]

One of the cooking shows (Alton Brown?) has cooked a whole salmon in the dishwasher. Minus the detergent of course... He wraps up the whole fish plus aromatics really well, so that the water doesn't get in, and the whole fish gets perfectly cooked in 1 wash cycle.

Personally I've never done it because it would be way to expensive to mess up!

[greenmansions]

my bil is a chef and uses the dw to proof dough - he runs it for a bit til it gets warm and wet inside, then stops it and puts his dough inside (in a bowl)

[Periwinkle]

Just dish sponges. The salmon idea is too funny!!

[whoamama]

Note to the OP: never, never put dishsoap in the dishwasher. My kids did this once, suds were everywhere, they actually leaked out of the door. I spent many hours cleaning up...