Did you know your dishwasher can do so much more than wash dishes? 

In fact, here are four ways you can hack your dishwasher and make your life a whole lot easier right now. They might surprise you!

1. Disinfect Toys

If you have small children, then you have countless plastic toys that are covered in germs, dirt, and who knows what else. (Seriously, how did they get so sticky?)

Arrange the toys according to size: big toys on the bottom rack, medium toys on the top rack, and small toys in the utensil holder. 

Use the lightest wash setting possible, and avoid the heat/dry setting so nothing melts.

This also works for your pet’s chew toys!

2. Clean Tools

If you have any metal tools that are covered in dirt and gunk (e.g. trowels, shears, hand cultivators), you can clean them in your dishwasher.

As long as you don’t include any tools with wooden handles, feel free to use the highest and hottest settings to blast away all of that caked-on dirt. 

3. Rinse Fruits and Veggies

This dishwasher hack surprises the most people. 

When you have a lot of produce to wash (think: Thanksgiving meal prep), you can save precious time by tossing it all onto the top rack of your dishwasher! Simply use a setting with minimal heat, skip the heat/dry cycle, and definitely omit the detergent. 

4. Use as a Warming Station

This dishwasher hack will come in surprisingly handy when your oven is full (again, think about Thanksgiving).

Set your dishwasher to the heat/dry cycle with no water, cover your food nice and tight, and place onto the racks. Keep it there until you’re ready to eat!

You can also do this to keep your plates and bowls warm before the meal is served.

We hope you have fun trying out these dishwasher hacks on your own! If you come up with any new ones, let us know.