How to Sanitize Your House with Your Dishwasher

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How to sanitize your home with your dishwasher.

If you are like me, all of your family members are home all day long since we are all social distancing due to COVID-19.

I am used to working from home because I’ve done it for years, but the rest of my family are going stir crazy. We have gotten so much done around the house though, so that’s a bonus!

I have been concerned with catching this virus because we have asthma in our family. My daughter has a reactive airway and my son and I have asthma. We have been very careful, but it’s making me want to disinfect everything in the house. I know the virus isn’t secretly living in my home, or we would all be sick, but I do have the bug to clean. The Corona Virus + Spring Fever = Spring Cleaning x 1 million!! Right?

Well, today I thought I’d share with you a few tips I’ve used throughout the years on how I keep my kids’ toys clean. Don’t get me wrong, I DO let my kids get dirty. I let them play in the dirt and mud and I make them play outside all the time. I’m not a germ-a-phobe. But, toys are disgusting, and they need to be thoroughly cleaned often.

I’m going to teach you how to sanitize your things using the dishwasher.

Items that CAN go in your dishwasher:

Hair Brushes (after you’ve cleaned the hair off of them)
Pacifiers
Retainers
Toothbrushes
Toothbrush holders
Cleaning sponge
Kids and Dog toys
Bathtub toys
Tools
Removable cup holders from your car
Rubber boots
Flip flops
Baseball hats
Tennis Shoes
Mouthguards
Dog collars
Keys
Make-up brushes
Hair elastics
Razors
Lightswitch covers
Mop head
Refrigerator shelves
Fingernail clippers

Wow! That’s a long list, and I”m sure there are more!

How to sanitize your house with your dishwasher.

Now let’s talk about how to safely wash these things in the dishwasher:

The top rack of the dishwasher is safest.
If you are concerned that something will melt, don’t wash it in the dishwasher.
For items that won’t melt, the bottom rack is ok.
Use the heat to dry setting for extra germ-killing power.
For small items that can be washed on the bottom rack, put them in the silverware compartment to keep them from falling down to the heating elements.
For small items that need to be on the top rack, use a baby bottle basket or a mesh bag to put them in.
Don’t add things with stuffing (like stuffed animals) to the dishwasher. These need to be put in the washing machine on a delicate cycle because it helps ring out the water.
Don’t put anything in the dishwasher with electronic parts.
Don’t put anything wood in the dishwasher.
Depending on how dirty the item is, you can use a light wash with a heated dry. The heat from the drying cycle is what disinfects.

I hope you are all staying safe and not going insane homeschooling your kids. But if you are, distract yourself with cleaning things in the dishwasher and your kids will think that you’ve finally lost it! Ha ha!

Have you tried washing things in your dishwasher besides dishes that are not on my list? Let me know in the comments!