Ernst & Haas Management Co Blog

 Believe it or not, your dishwasher can be used for more than just dishes. To be exact, it can be used for 11 other unexpected items: (Courtesy Sarah Stebbins, Yahoo!) 1. Baseball Caps: Caps can often get bent in the washing machine, but hold their shape in the dishwasher, especially inside a contraption like the Ball cap Washer. Don't wash them with dishes; food can get trapped in the cloth. 2. Action Figures and Other Small Toys: These can ride in a mesh lingerie bag on the top rack, but don't wash Barbie or she'll have a horrible hair day. 3. Rain Boots: Boots should have the liners removed and laid horizontally. Hook flip flops on tines in the top rack. (FYI, Crocs are not dishwasher-safe). 4. Tools: Tools with metal or plastic handles hold up fine. 5. Ceramic Cabinet Knobs: These do well in the silverware basket, so if you feel like embarking on the process (remove, wash, replace), go for it. 6. Hairbrushes and Combs: Plastic brushes and combs can take a spin, but not wood or natural boar-bristle brushes. 7. Fan Grilles, Switch Plates, and Vent Covers: If they're plastic, aluminum, or steel then they're good to go. Enameled, painted, or plated should stay out. 8. Shin Guards, Knee Pads, and Mouth Guards: Toss them all into the top rack. 9. Light-Fixture Covers: These are fine in the top rack, as long as they're not antique, enameled, or painted. 10. Garden Tools: Because these may have come in contact with pesticides or animals, don't mix them with a load of dishes. (And don't wash those with wood handles.) 11. Potatoes: These can get nice and clean in the top rack with a rinse-only cycle (no detergent)/ Sound crazy? It makes mashed potatoes for 20 a lot quicker! What NOT to put in the dishwasher... 1. Cast-Iron, Enameled-Cast-Iron, and Copper Pots and Pans: Cast iron rusts, enameled cast iron chips, and copper dents. 2. Formal Dishes and Nice Flatware: Rule of thumb: If it's something you would cry over harming or losing, don't put it in. If you do put sterling silver in the dishwasher, use about a tablespoon of detergent and don't mix it with stainless-steel flatware; a chemical reaction between the metals can discolor the silver. 3. Wooden Spoons: These often warp and crack. If you don't mind replacing them frequently, throw them in. Otherwise, wash them in the sink. 4. Good Kitchen Knives and Steak Knives: These aren't cheap, so why risk dulling their blades? 5. Crystal Glasses: These are especially vulnerable. Food particles can etch them and heat can cause cracks. After hand washing (it's usually safer than using the china/crystal setting), dry with a cloth that hasn't been laundered with fabric softener, which can leave a film. 6. Insulated Mugs and Containers: These feature vacuum seal, which can be destroyed if water seeps in. 7. Brass Items: Hot water can remove the natural protective layer that forms on brass. 8. Wooden Cutting Boards: These can swell and contract, leaving them teetery and essentially useless on a counter. Most bamboo boards are susceptible, too.