hmmmmm. I got nothing. sneakers in WM is about it and that's not crazy

Baseball caps. Works great and doesn't alter the brims which have been bent oh so carefully to DH's standards.

D/W..ball caps, plastic toys/cars/trucks. At the end of the season I wash all the hummingbird feeders in the d/w with Cascade gel and extra chlorine bleach before putting away for the winter.

As far as the washing machine..there's something at the edge of my memory but can't remember what it was.

bird food feeders in d/w, once a month, until I find my special bird food feeder brush, grrrrr.

cpap water containers on top shelf.

that is quite the list hmorton.

All I use my DW for is dishes, glassware and hood grates.

Hell, certain utensils that I think may trap water *silicone heads on SS tongs, rounded cooking utensil handles with ~pressed caps~ that IMO are not NSF sealed, etc*, all get handwashed.

Kids toys get the steamer. The idea of water hiding out in areas that might take forever to dry will freak me out.

All my handtools, or the majority are German or pricey USA chome SO. Besides, in all seriousness, grease is a tools best friends. If it's rusting, you're not using your tools enough.

Back on topic, since there are some chemical gurus on this board. WHAT do you use in your DW.

I've tried alot, and I will only use 2

Cascade Platinum for really grimey/greasy loads

Finish Quantum for the bar sink dishwasher - just mainly glassware, light soiled items for when I'm entertaining/having peeps over.

Mamapinky and Pat z, oh bird feeders are a great idea. I don't have any right now but will use the DW if and when I have a new feeder.

Yes, a1an I hate hand washing anything I don't have to. I am very sensitive to any detergent or soap. I always wear gloves but still have issues sometimes. As for tools, mine are neither pricey or even very special. Any hand tools I have come from yard sales, found or gifted. Yes, grease can be a good thing for metal but not dirty gritty grease. Occasionally I have found the need to wash a screwdriver which usually doesn't rust.

Poppy214 I have wondered about the grease filters as I thought they were aluminum and aluminum shouldn't go into the DW.

The one thing I would like to wash in the DW are the glass shelves from the fridge but they don't fit, even with the top rack out.

Thanks for sharing.

Omg LOL I recently tried a glass shelf from the frig in the d/w..doesn't fit.BOO. but I was thinking if this works and breaks hubs will murder me. Haha.

Mamapinky, sorry it didn't fit. And as for spouses if they aren't willing to do it themselves ,they can't complain if you do it and something happens while you try and make the home a lovely place. At least that's what I say. LOL

My baffle filters are SS.

Yes, aluminum should not go into the DW. Even ~clad~ pots. Over long term use, you will even notice the ridge-aliminum loss in clad pans. For a hood filter, I would think they are all SS, and or coated steel I for sure would use them in DW, just know that sooner rather than later, you will just replace it with a new one if there is a possibility that the DW is corroding the metal.

Sure beats easy off and rinsing them...

Surely a d/w is easier on it than easy off lol.

Non the least IMO. I would say easy off is less caustic. If it's just to remove grease, one would spray, agitate, take it out to the lawn or street and rinse most of the grease off.

IMO, the purpose of DW is to eat the crud away.....and prolonged use on aluminum - aluminum loss will noticed. For example, Caphalon rivets on their pot covers were aluminum. DW is know to make the handles loose over time....

If you use your DW on your clad cookware, check the side profile over a course of time cleaning it in the DW. You will notice loss of aluminum, MM over MM.

With Easy Off, IMO, the lye deals with grease and it's easy ~stinky~ spray but then a scrub/rinse.

In the DW, it sits in this ~cleaning solution~ for at least 1 1/2 hrs- 1 3/4 hrs. Modern DW take at least 2 1/2 hrs on the normal cycle. Almost 3 hrs on pot/pans...I would say aside from the pre-rinse and rinse cycles, it's spending at least 1 1/2 hrs in this ~cleaning mix~ that is not recommend for aluminum.

Then again, I would think most hood grills is SS baffles or ~coated steel~ mesh

I don't know what the filter over my stove is made of, but I have washed it in the dishwasher numerous time over 18 years of living in this house, with no problems.

I wash lots of legos, blocks, kid's toys inside of netted bags. WONDERFUL way to clean them!

I've used the dishwasher for oven racks, bathroom vanity items, light fixtures, kid toys, pet dishes, and various odd items in a bottle basket. Never used it for knives, pans, china or crystal. The oven racks were probably not the best idea but I found some product to make them glide easier. Nobody ever opened my oven and complimented me on how clean it looked, anyway. Praise for self cleaning appliances!

Pennies in the dishwasher to disinfect them. When the grandkids were young they loved to play 'store' with a huge container of pennies. I thought about all the germs that must be on the coins, so placed them in the dishwasher and viola!

car mats in the washer machine

A steel sewing machine case, that I got off eBay and was grungy. The metal had a rough surface on the exterior and trapped grime over the years. It is an old Elna case.

Gosh, nothing too crazy, I must be pretty conservative. The strainers to my stainless steel sink drains. The filter to my Jenn Air downdraft stove. The holder for the Sonicare toothbrush heads. Always vases, thought everyone did.

In my former house, the filters for the electronic whole house air cleaner attached to the heat pump came with instructions to run through the dishwasher, but I hosed them off first to get any dust bunnies rinsed away.

It's so much fun to read all the different items we wash in an unconventional manner. For me I feel that machines are here to make life easier and if you can figure out a way to use them in an unusual manner why not.

I love the idea of washing the sewing machine case. It reminded me that I recently got a small used old tackle box that I will use for some small handtools. I washed that in the DW and it came out like brand new.

Washing change (pennies) is a great idea for special use. I currently have only rubber car mats (Subaru) but wonder if they would fit in the DW.

I have a run of the mill builder grade stove and wash the burners in the DW all the time, but I am going to try the racks. It is self cleaning but it is gas and with close to super hot 100 degree weather I'm not using that feature until fall, when I can open windows and make sure no fumes or heat stay inside.

I don't if this answer is universal.... but anyhow , AFAIK, racks are to be moved from the unit regardless if using the SC option. It won't harm the racks but will discolor them FWIW.

Years ago I read on another forum about a member who was going to attempt to wash Tubberware in their Top Loading Washing Machine. I always wondered how that turned out.

Seeing this thread brings up that memory, lol.

I have, admittedly, put grill grates into my dishwasher. Worst mistake ever.

Yes to washing the power base (not the actual brush head) of a Sonicare toothbrush. As long as you don't have (or activate) heated dry, it's a nice way to clean it out and restore freshness. There's something about the actual heads that washing in the DW is contraindicated.

I have always washed my real Tupperware bowls in the dishwasher, even putting large items in the bottom. They don't look brand new, but then again most of the pieces are about 30 years old, and they are still fine.

a1an what is an AFAIK? I don't care about the racks in my racks being discolored. I plan on replacing it in the next few years with a much better unit. It is stainless and mostly black with the back splash with electronic oven controls. The burners have enough BTU's and it's ugly. Will turn to this and the appliance forum when ready to buy a new one.

hisown I have always washed plasticware including Tupperware. And lately I have been buying vintage Tupperware at Estate and Tag sales. I especially like the older specialty stuff that they don't make any more. I just got three graduated size bowls that are different colors with matching lids.

doreycrouse why is it a mistake to wash the grates in the DW? I do it all the time and wash the knobs also. Am I shortening their lives?

AFAIK, stands for as far as I know.

Faster and best way to clean grates, is toi throw them in a sealed ziplockish type of bag with some ammonia overnight and then pressure wash them clean.

For the smelly squeamish, easy off, dwell and pressure wash achieve the same results, just not the same.

On the grates, it depends if it's porcelain coated. Then again, any serious cook might have rubbed it off anyway, even if its enamled. Grates are generally CI so IMO, as long as it's seasoned....from the heat and cooking oil, I go sparingly on cleaning.

I'll admit, I do take a bit of easy off to my grates once a year. I cook alot.....and there are areas where the heat doesn't really carbon off the overspray, so it becomes just that, oil overspray. OCD in me needs to knock that down .

a1lan thank you for the acronym explanation. My grates only hold pots not food. I have a simple 4 burner cheapo stove. Someday I will have a nice stove with a grill.

Odd things I have washed in my dishwasher:

Baseball caps

Furnace filters, the electrostatic permanent ones

Fish tanks, many times, with decor and gravel

Stonewear

Large athletic shoes (Size 14 don't work well in the FL)

Tackle boxes - son forgets to discard grasshoppers and chicken livers

Barbies - sanitize cycle gave them afros, whoops.

All sorts of plastic toys

That's all that comes to mind now. I use just baking soda for the delicate stuff. High alkalinity (DW detergent) is rough on aluminum and bad for rubber seals.

Tackle box

Sink grates

Vacuum filters

This weekend, I was on a full all out kitchen cleaning assault. Decided to put the racks in the DW while I attended to other stuff. Set the DW on Pots/Pans & Intensive Setting...

Removed all the DW baskets and slowly laid all the oven racks in there.

Cycle ran for a hr and then a beeping noise started.,..Go check out the noise, which was emanating from the DW. Looked like the ~waterproof water~ system kicked in. Confirmed it's findings as I removed the toekick only to find water below....

I said dang you hmorton....all this crazy talk, so I decided to put the DW to good use ;-)

Anyhow, all is well. I ended up removing the DW out, drying everything out, including some water that even spilled underneath the adjacent cabinet...

Ran a couple of loads in the DW after and it was fine. Must have been something to the effect of me removing the center basket and Intensive Mode...and instead of water going into a wand and slow circulating, it was blasting straight at the door and somehow, somewhere it did leak....thankfully, the WPS kicked in.

The grill grates made a MESS. I had to run numerous cycles with many different products to clean the machine. My dishes had a nasty film all over them for weeks. I had to scrub the machine with a sponge and Dawn from top to bottom to minimize it as much as possible.

I mix very mild greasy grates all the time with dishes/cups on the ~dishes setting~ all the time. Enamled or CI. If raw CI, it does not below in the DW>

If it's greasy (grimey), treat it like clothes and SORT your cycle. That's where you would put your grates and all SS stuff to be cleaned. No glassware, etc. Use the Pots/Pans Cycle on your DW. It may add a extra pre-rinse into the cycle, but the water temp during this cycle will be def. much hotter.

BTW, dorey, what soap are you using. IMO, there are only 2 on the market I would ever use. Cascade Platinum Tabs or Finish Quantum. IME, it is crucial in using ~great~ products with these low water dishwashers..

I wouldn't have used Dawn in a D/W as that could leave too much residue for a suds problem. ..I would have run it thru empty with a good TOL D/W detergent...they are formulated to cut grease.

I'll wash just about anything that will fit in my dishwasher. Yes, I've washed paint brushes but wouldn't wash any hand tools that will rust. And I wouldn't use the dishwasher to wash anything with herbicides on it.

My dad washed potatoes in the dishwasher (without detergent) for his restaurant.

Sorry a1an, I bow my head in shame. Really I am sorry that you had a flood, that is never fun. But the real question is how were the racks. LOL.

ci_lantro love the idea of washing potatoes in the DW. I never have to make enough potatoes to try that, but am tempted to try.

doreycrouse sorry you had such a mess. I will take your experience as a warning and be careful what I wash together.

Errant_gw what kind of vacuum filters? Do you mean the sponge things or the plastic containers?

sandy1616 washing footwear is a great idea, especially size 14.

Thanks all I'm currently in special cleaning mode as a bathroom sink has had a nasty slow leak that wasn't discovered till I smelled mildew. So as the old vanity was ripped apart and strange plumbing issues are being sorted I am on full sanitizing mode. I plan on washing some of the pipes in the DW as they sit there and wait to be reattached, also the soap dish, decorative vase etc..

I will make another posting soon asking for assistance in grout cleaning. I know not laundry but related as I might try Oxi.

FWIW, the racks only got 50% clean. There was another 50% that still had baked on stuff.....

Doing the amonida overnight, pressure wash would have been more efficient...

Re: Grout Cleaning. How bad is it. Sodium Percab works pretty well IMO, even on fairly dirty grout. What has worked well in the past in to put Sodium Percarb sprinkled into the joint and then I use my steamer and mist that area till the hot water wets/activates it. Let it dwell and then blast it off.

It's bad in my opinion. The apt. was built 11 years ago and I purchased 2 years ago. When the vanity was removed the grout under was originally white to my surprise. I have scrubbed bleached etc the floors and thought the grout was supposed to be dark. Well, nope and now I must get it clean. Just like Mamapinky and her vintage sheets. This just grosses me out. And I'm embarrassed that I didn't even realize the grout was dirty. I know it is as germ free as a bathroom can be but still.....

Now I am trying to think of something to wash in my dishwasher!!! I have done ball caps but that isn't that crazy. I really need help cleaning cast iron grill grates, they have rust and just look horrible... But I don't think my dishwasher is the answer to that problem.

Easy off is good on cast iron grates or the overnight with ammonia and then scrub them. I have to reseason mine with vegetable oil. You could use any recipe for skillet seasoning and it would work the same. I try to clean the grates as I would a cast iron skillet. My oldest one was my mother's. Way older than I am and still black.