# Surviving a cycle inside a dishwasher **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 22, 2023, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916 "2023-08-22T10:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/21 "2023-08-23T11:52:19Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > But did she use hot water? It was probably just the warm cycle, though it might have been hot since she was washing camping clothes. But as @YamatoTwinkie pointed out, dishwashers typically run hotter than clothes washers. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/22 "2023-08-23T12:11:01Z")
This article implies that, not only can some insects survive inside a dishwasher on a steady basis, it actually takes a special effort to kill them. [**How do I get rid of fruit flies in my dishwasher?**](https://eatingexpired.com/how-do-i-get-rid-of-fruit-flies-in-my-dishwasher/#How_do_I_get_rid_of_bugs_in_my_dishwasher) ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/23 "2023-08-23T12:45:14Z")
I think that’s really because of the dishwasher drain & air gap provides an entry point into the dishwasher - not that the insects are readily surviving inside of it during a cycle. The listed solution for “getting rid of fruit flies”, for example, is to attract them _into_ the dishwasher and then run it. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/24 "2023-08-23T14:15:11Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > The mixture of hot water and detergents is probably a problem for many critters. I learned as a young boy that spraying ants with a mixture of water and detergent (ie. soapy water) kills them really quick, whereas plain water of the same mild temperature obviously did nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/25 "2023-08-23T16:17:06Z")
Ah! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/26 "2023-08-24T04:07:44Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > > [@Cervaise](#): > > > > Oh, and I’m unable to find “respirator face mask for monitor lizard” on Amazon. 😃 I guess you _can’t_ get absolutely anything on the internet. > > But if you search for _porn_ involving a monitor lizard wearing a respirator face mask you will probably find something. Rule 34! Hell, you might even get a prompt asking what _kind_ of dishwasher you’d like shown in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/27 "2023-08-24T08:16:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IANA herpe-anything Thank goodness. I’m having flashbacks to the “Jared has aides” episode of South Park. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916/28 "2023-08-24T08:40:10Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I’m unable to find “respirator face mask for monitor lizard” on Amazon. That’s gotta screw with your “Suggested For You!” results for a while. I’d think a three-foor anything would interfere with the functionality of a dishwasher, presuming you could successfully stuff the critter in there in the 1st place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/surviving-a-cycle-inside-a-dishwasher/988916.md?page=1)