15 Surprising Things You Can Put in the Dishwasher ...

Those glass globes from light fittings are always a pain to wash. Despite how fragile they look, they are strong enough to be washed in the dishwasher. A space on the top shelf with plenty of room around can leave them sparkling. Exceptions are antique and gold-leaf globes as these are liable to break and get damaged.

Showers and faucets are some of the things to put in the dishwasher as it’s a great way of removing the small clogs from the holes. Run them on the pots and pans cycle with your items on the top shelf and watch how their performance shoots up. Give it a try the next time you think you need a replacement.

Hair brushes, combs, clips, and other plastic hair care items can also be put in your dishwasher. These are great items to clean in a dishwasher because of how well plastic fares under the hot temperatures. Don’t include wood or natural bristles on your list of things to wash in a dishwasher - the water and heat will damage them.

Baseball hats and visors are two surprising things to put in a dishwasher. Why would you want to exile the washing machine from this duty, though? Well, if you are only doing a small wash, such as with the above items, you can place these head down and do two jobs at once. Avoid washing them with dishwater chemicals since they contain bleaching agents.

We all known how dirty and sticky small plastic toys can get when they get into the hands of children. They are ideal things to clean in a dishwasher, though, because they can withstand the harsh water and temperatures. Put them in a small basket or mesh bag on the top rack for the best results. A normal cycle will suffice here.

Our pets make a mess of their toys and bowls. Nobody enjoys cleaning them. Luckily, these are dishwasher safe items. Any toys and bowls, other than rope toys, can be placed on a normal cycle and the material will hold up without any problems. Don’t do this too many times with toys, however. Sooner or later it’s best to just chuck some particularly messy toys.

Dish sponges and dish brushes are two perfect items to go in your next wash. They can be loaded up with the regular dishes and can be wedged between your crockery. You don’t need a special place to wash these.

Something you might not have thought of is the appliances you use in your kitchen. Instead of scrubbing away at the grime coating your burner caps and sink plugs, put them in the dishwasher. In just a few short minutes, they will be sparkling. Most removable parts of small appliances are dishwasher safe items, but do check first. Normal washing cycles can be used here.

Sugar bowls, pepper shakes, and butter dishes are just some the things to put in a dishwasher. It’s important they are cleaned regularly since they tend to become greasy and grubby rather quickly. As long as they are empty, putting them in with your normal load of dishes is enough to bring them back up to their glittering best.

Personal care items are on the list of things to wash in a dishwasher. The reason they are able to work well with the conditions is because they are normally made of plastic, or other similar tough materials. Any of these items can be put on a normal cycle with your next load of dishes. Toothbrushes, holders, and nail brushes will be more than fine here.

Do your dish drain stoppers get as dirty as mine do? The kitchen sink drain stops get quite nasty if they aren't washed regularly, especially underneath in all the grooves. I like to put these in the dishwasher to allow them to get thoroughly cleaned and they come out sparkling white again. Afterall, you don't want to run dishes in a sink that has a dirty drain stop. That sort of defeats the purpose!

Many people wash their coffee pot by hand, and I certainly do most of the time. Yet, every once in a while, it's good to let it run through the dishwasher to remove extra film you won't get off by handwashing. It isn't necessary, but it does come out incredibly clean.

After your summer grilling starts to wind down, try placing all your grill tools in the dishwasher to give them a good clean wash. Most of them will have lots of charcoal and other gunk stuck in the brushes and such. Putting them in the dishwasher allows them a good yearly cleaning when you won't be using them so much.

This is one of my favorite things to wash in the dishwasher. Our sink strainer gets so yucky, especially in the compartment where the spoons sit to dry. Mold and mildew often build up there quicker than the rest of it. If you have a sink strainer that gets like this, place it in the dishwasher on the bottom rack and give it a good wash. It comes out sparkling clean and you won't have to handscrub it with a toothbrush just to get all that mess off.

I love getting flowers for gifts from people, and always have an abundant amount of vases I'm leftover with. By the end of the week, those flowers get pretty stinky as they start to die away, and I always like to wash the vases in the dishwasher to get them squeaky clean. A film from flowers can build up around the sides of the vase, which can be a pain to get off, so putting them in the dishwasher is a simple solution that works every time.

With these things to put in a dishwasher, it gives you a lot of cleaning options. Overall, putting any of these things to clean in a dishwasher will save you time, effort, and money as you are using fewer washes. There are so many other things to wash in a dishwasher, though, and most of them are found through experimentation. Do you know of any other things to put in a dishwasher, or any failed dish washing experiments? I have heard tell that some people poach a whole salmon in their dishwasher!