# What unusual uses have you found for your dishwasher?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [August 6, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921 "2017-08-06T15:35:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/1 "2017-08-06T15:35:01Z")
Obviously dishwashers are intended to clean dish (and pots and pans and utensils) but their long cycles of jets of soapy water does a fantastic job of cleaning lots of other things that can be hard and/or tedious to tackle by hand.
Here are my top two:
1. Hair brushes and combs. Pull off hair tangles first, and don’t put wood-backed brushes in (and they might not be good for natural bristle brushes either) but plastic/rubber/metal ones come out sparkling clean.
2. Face grills off fans/air conditioners. Yeah, you can sort of clean them with a brush (and LOTS of time) or a vacuum will do a quick but surface clean, but the dishwasher does a perfect no-sweat job for you.
What other uses have you found for your dishwasher?
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/2 "2017-08-06T15:51:02Z")
I prefer washing dishes by hand, then using the dishwasher racks for air drying.
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### Author:  [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/3 "2017-08-06T16:00:30Z")
Glasses. Not drinking glasses, eyeglasses. Prob not recommended with super fancy coated lenses or whatever, but I’ve been putting my bog-standard plastic-framed plastic-lensed in there for years. Come out all sparkly and warm.
You know the rubber gasket in the sink over the disposal? Yeah, it gets gross. Chuck that in there now and then too.
The turntable plate from the microwave.
The drip tray from the water dispenser in the fridge door.
I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m considering it: grill grates. We’re getting new porcelain-coated grates for the Weber gas grill. I measured them. They’d fit. Thoughts?
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/4 "2017-08-06T16:20:29Z")
> [@araminty](#):
>
> The turntable plate from the microwave.
This, and also the glass and wire shelves and plastic door trays from the fridge when normal wiping down just seems to make them more grungy. They fill the dishwasher, so I have to make it a special kitchen-clean-up batch.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/5 "2017-08-06T16:49:51Z")
I’ve never done it, but it’s supposed to work good at cleaning down a rifle stock for refinishing.
And yes, disposal drain plug, various trays and racks, all go in there.
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### Author:  [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/6 "2017-08-06T17:42:18Z")
I never thought about the refrigerator racks!
I wonder if I can get the vegetable drawers in there, too?
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/7 "2017-08-06T17:51:05Z")
I know a lot of people wash sponges in the dishwasher, but according to an article in the NYT, that might not be a good idea:
[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/science/sponges-bacteria-microwaving-cleaning.html?mabReward=ART\_CTS2&recp=1&module=WelcomeBackModal&contentCollection=Opinion®ion=FixedCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/science/sponges-bacteria-microwaving-cleaning.html?mabReward=ART_CTS2&recp=1&module=WelcomeBackModal&contentCollection=Opinion®ion=FixedCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article)
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### Author:  [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/8 "2017-08-06T18:01:28Z")
I seem to remember hearing that the top rack of the dishwasher was a good place for washing baseball caps. I’ve never tried it myself though, I usually just hand wash mine when they get dirty and sweaty.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/9 "2017-08-06T18:12:34Z")
I’ve heard of cat litter box, but a bit too skeeved out to try.
Cooking - you can look up how, I’ve made fish in it
> [@araminty](#):
>
> I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m considering it: grill grates. We’re getting new porcelain-coated grates for the Weber gas grill. I measured them. They’d fit. Thoughts?
Grill grates work fine, as long as they fit.
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### Author:  [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/10 "2017-08-06T18:13:50Z")
The top rack is a great place to wash hats and underwire bras. They don’t get warped and twisted during the process.
It also works pretty well for corded keyboards. Be sure to wrap the cords up so they don’t get tangled in the moving parts. If possible, pop the keys off and put them in the silverware rack. Let it air dry for a few days, put the keys back on and try it out. If it worked, great. If it didn’t, you needed a new keyboard anyhow.
It also works well for greasy motorcycle parts, but I don’t think its a good idea to wash dishes in the same load.
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### Author:  [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/11 "2017-08-06T18:26:24Z")
Stoneless jewelry, the stainless steel and copper scrub pads, pet food and watering dishes, glass shades from lighting fixtures, ceramic figurines for dust removal. Not all at once of course.
Wondering if glass tree ornaments would work? Hmm.
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### Author:  [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/12 "2017-08-06T18:34:24Z")
I had an apartment for a while that did not have a laundry facility on site, so washing clothes was a pain. I would usually go to a coin laundromat down the road a ways, but was not always up for it.
I found that cleaning clothes in the washer gets a somewhat acceptable job done. Obviously no agitation, but it hits them with enough soapy water that at least they won’t smell anymore.
Wring 'em out and hang them in front of the heat vent, and they are all ready to go in the morning.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/13 "2017-08-06T19:02:49Z")
> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> I’ve heard of cat litter box, but a bit too skeeved out to try.
>
> Cooking - you can look up how, I’ve made fish in it
>
> Grill grates work fine, as long as they fit.
I put the grates from my gas cooktop in the dishwasher. Also, those sponges we use for washing dishes-- the ones with a sponge on one side and the abrasive pad on the other. They start to smell after awhile, but are still perfectly good otherwise. The dishwasher take the smell out. I rotate one in and one out, and they last a good while. I hate throwing stuff away that isn’t recyclable.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/14 "2017-08-06T19:07:33Z")
[You can cook food in a dishwasher.](http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/5-foods-you-can-cook-your-dishwasher)
You can also convert a dishwasher into a flux cleaning machine for circuit boards. You better be careful about it though, common flux cleaning fluids contain isopropyl alcohol and acetone which are very flammable and will erode plastic parts. Water based cleaning solutions are usually less effective but before you spend thousands of your hard earned dollars on a new flux cleaning machine you might consider this.
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### Author:  [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/15 "2017-08-06T19:08:48Z")
I don’t do that, but some people de-oil their reactive resin bowling balls using dishwashers.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/16 "2017-08-06T19:11:56Z")
> [@kanicbird](#):
>
> I
> Grill grates work fine, as long as they fit.
Grease filters for cooking fan systems work also. You can do the ones from your kitchen stove hood. Restaurants do it all the time with their large filters. It can make a mess in the dishwasher though, requiring a couple of extra cycles to get all the residue out. Avoid grease cutting solutions that linger in the washer. You can spray some on ahead of time to soften the caked on stuff and then rinse them well before they go in the washer.
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### Author:  [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/17 "2017-08-06T19:41:43Z")
> [@flatlined](#):
>
> The top rack is a great place to wash hats and underwire bras. They don’t get warped and twisted during the process.
>
> It also works pretty well for corded keyboards. Be sure to wrap the cords up so they don’t get tangled in the moving parts. If possible, pop the keys off and put them in the silverware rack. Let it air dry for a few days, put the keys back on and try it out. If it worked, great. If it didn’t, you needed a new keyboard anyhow.
>
> It also works well for greasy motorcycle parts, but I don’t think its a good idea to wash dishes in the same load.
When washing caps and bras, what are you doing for detergent? Using regular dishwasher soap? Isn’t that going to ruin your bras?
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### Author:  [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/18 "2017-08-06T19:44:39Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Also, those sponges we use for washing dishes-- the ones with a sponge on one side and the abrasive pad on the other. They start to smell after awhile, but are still perfectly good otherwise. The dishwasher take the smell out. I rotate one in and one out, and they last a good while. I hate throwing stuff away that isn’t recyclable.
You should really ruin your day by looking at the link in post #7. (Now that I have read that article, I am not sure what I’m going to do about sponges. Maybe have 7 and keep them in rotation, so that each day’s has a week to fully dry out? I dunno.)
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### Author:  [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/19 "2017-08-06T23:12:02Z")
I wash milk crates and small stepstools in the dishwasher. If your upper rack is removable, you can fit surprisingly large things in there.
I don’t use sponges for dishwashing, just Scotch Brite pads, which seem to come out very clean in the dishwasher.
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### Author:  [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-unusual-uses-have-you-found-for-your-dishwasher/792921/20 "2017-08-06T23:16:45Z")
Have used the “heated dry” feature to keep food warm: Mashed potatoes and stuffing on T’giving; worked great. As long as no one turns on the wash part.
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