I have actually thrown most of the items listed in this article in the dishwasher….would I ever cook salmon in one? I think not! Would I put my keyboard in the dishwasher, even after I took all the electronic guts out of it? Definitely no. But for plastic toys, baseball caps, and even AC vents: absolutely! I have also thrown ceramic cabinet knobs, kitchen brushes and sponges, toothbrush holders and soap dishes, and even my son’s shin guards in it (back in the day when he was little) and everything has come out clean and disinfected.
I have also read a ton of articles debating if it’s more green to use a dishwasher versus washing dishes by hand. The surprising bottom line is that most articles point out that a dishwasher actually uses less water and electricity than if you wash by hand! (Of course if you’re talking about washing a fork or two, that’s a different story. But then, I don’t know anyone who would throw two forks in a dishwasher and run it.) And if you’re using a really old dishwasher, that could make a difference too.
When I try to make decisions on what’s the best way to do something, I look at and research articles that aren’t trying to sway me their way because they have something to sell. The reason I like that article from treehugger.com is because I don’t believe they are trying to sell me anything. They might be trying to sway me to be more conscientious about what I do to our planet but I don’t think they are secretly working for the dishwashing companies, and trying to make me want to buy a dishwasher.
If I can do something that saves me money, is kinder to the Earth, and makes my life a bit easier,…well then, I’m all for it!