From garden tools to potatoes and flip-flops You can clean these things in the dishwasher

Dishwashers don't just clean dishes. It can also be used to clean other everyday items. blue News tells you what these are - and what you should always bear in mind when cleaning them.

What happens behind the lid as soon as the dishwasher is switched on? Water runs in, is softened, heated and sprayed under pressure onto the items to be washed. Detergent is added in a further rinse cycle.

The materials that are placed in the dishwasher must therefore be able to withstand a certain amount of heat and chemicals. These are certain types of plastic, metal, ceramic and glass.

If we were to rinse by hand the quantities that the machine washes clean in this way, we would not only need a lot of time, but also more water than the appliance.

So why not save on other cleaning tasks in these areas too?

Not only children's cutlery and crockery made of plastic can be cleaned in the dishwasher, but also children's toys made of hard plastic. Lego and play figures in particular do not need to be laboriously cleaned with a toothbrush. A cycle in the dishwasher at a low temperature with a splash of washing-up liquid will do the job.

However, small items such as building blocks or figures should never be put into the machine loose. Place the items in a laundry net for cleaning in the dishwasher and make sure that nothing can fall through the mesh. Otherwise you run the risk of small items disappearing and, in the worst case, damaging the appliance.

You should also be careful with sand toys, as the grains can be poisonous for the machine. Before putting buckets and shovels in the dishwasher, they should be thoroughly pre-washed by hand. Electronic and battery-operated toys are absolutely taboo for cleaning in the dishwasher.

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It can also be worthwhile for dog owners to reserve a machine for their four-legged friend's things from time to time. The pet's plastic toys can also be washed together with the pet's bowls.

But be careful: in the interests of hygiene, it's better not to wash your own dishes.

Unfortunately, the dishwasher cannot completely replace the sponge and washing-up brush. There are always a few sensitive items that can only be washed by hand. However, the washing-up utensils themselves can do with a wash in the dishwasher from time to time.

Greasy soap dispensers and dishes as well as calcified toothbrush holders also get nice and clean again in the dishwasher, provided they are made of a suitable material such as glass, ceramic or plastic.

Finally, there is another part of the bathroom that can benefit from a hot shower in the dishwasher from time to time: the shower head or its limescale trap.

Hairbrushes and combs can take a long time to clean by hand - or you can let the dishwasher have a go here too.

However, this is a prerequisite: They must be made of plastic. And very important: To ensure that the machine survives the procedure, all hair must be removed beforehand.

The dishwasher method is not suitable for wooden brushes with bristles.

The time-consuming cleaning of the grease filter inserts from the extractor hood can also be safely left to the dishwasher, provided they are made of stainless steel.

If you are planning to prepare a large portion of potatoes, you can use the dishwasher as a kitchen aid to wash the potatoes. It goes without saying that neither detergent nor excessively high temperatures should be used.

In addition, the tubers must not be full of soil. The principle can also be applied to apples or similar fruit and vegetables.

Assuming that the plastic will survive the wash cycle, you can theoretically also put flip-flops in the dishwasher at a low temperature for cleaning.

However, sand, soil, small stones or anything else that sticks to them and could damage the machine must be washed off first.

This also applies to smaller garden tools: the dishwasher can do the final cleaning. However, soil and other crumbs must be scrubbed off first. Scissors with grease are unsuitable for the dishwasher.

From time to time, the dishwasher itself also needs cleaning and should be rinsed with a suitable detergent when empty.

Strainers and spray arms must be cleaned by hand from time to time and rinsed. The rubber seals on the flap should not be forgotten.

Only if it is regularly maintained can the machine continue to make everyday life easier - occasionally beyond washing up in the kitchen.

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