Dishwasher safe!

Years ago when I wore baseball caps more to cover bed head than to cover lack of hair, my mom gave me a Ball Cap Buddy Hat Cleaner. These handy frames enable one to put a prized ballcap in the dishwasher on the top rack and let it be cleaned with the dishes. Amazing!

The big downside: My wife and I were newlyweds and our apartment had no dishwasher, not counting me. We had no washer or dryer either. By the time we moved into a house seven or so years later, I'd thrown the frame out or given it away. I just put my caps through the washing machine now. They're fine. 

It's surprising how many things can be cleaned in the dishwasher. I'm very happy that the new drainboard I bought a couple of months back is dishwasher safe. Drainboards tend to get grody over time, and the dishwasher does a better job of cleaning them than I do by hand. Of course they come out of the dishwasher wet, which leads to the conundrum of where to leave a dishrack when it's drying. 

Another thing that can go through the dishwasher is the lint filter on the dryer. This is something my wife told me yesterday, and it is the proximate cause of my posting on this topic today. We haven't tried it yet, but it seems like a good idea. The lint filter just never seems clean, even if you vacuum it, and when you have pets you figure it's just a lost cause. And that's bad, because lint buildup in the exhaust can cause a fire. Well, stick that sucker in the dishwasher and clean it on a microparticle scale! (If it mangles the filter I'll let you know.)

Some things are not dishwasher safe that I wish were. An example is the LickiMat, a fun-filled dog treat toy. You smear the mat with something soft like yogurt or peanut butter, freeze it for extra fun, and let the dog go on it. 

All our dogs have loved going after frozen liquid cheese (a.k.a. yogurt) on these. And I wish the mats could be cleaned in the dishwasher -- on the sanitize cycle -- but the plastic is floppy and too delicate. I tried one and it bent. So I scrub them with a brush and put the brush through the dishwasher. 

Other things that can't go through the dishwasher that you wish could include fine china, of course, but also a lot of novelty mugs. Those mugs that change design when a hot liquid is poured inside? If you want the secret image permanently imprinted, put it through the dishwasher. I have another mug that was a gift that says it's not dishwasher safe, but I ran it through once and it survived. Maybe it takes a couple of washes to rip off the glaze and ruin the design. 

Many other things cannot be run through the dishwasher. There's a strong caution on using the dishwasher to clean the following: 

🍽 Photographs

🍽 Chocolate

🍽 Electronics

🍽 Books

🍽 Pets, children, small adults

🍽 Ice

🍽 Furniture

🍽 Engine parts

Maybe the strangest thing you can do with your dishwasher is use it to cook. According to Ranker, potatoes, salmon, chicken, even turkey can be cooked up in your dishwasher. I don't why you would do it, but I suppose it cuts down on the dishes. And if there is cookware involved, you just leave it in the appliance and run it with soap. But I'm not going to try it.