I couldn’t live without owning one of the best dishwashers. It reduces my chores and gets my dishes clean. And apart from saving me time, it also conserves precious resources and reduces the water and energy I would use if washing up by hand.
As a bonus, I never seem to be short of helpers to load or unload the dishwasher, whereas when there’s any hand washing up to do, everyone scampers.
I’ve gotten into the habit of running my dishwasher at night — this allows me to make the most of a reduced energy rate and wake up to a whole load of clean dishes. I also put it on an eco cycle, which saves resources as well.
However, according to an ex-chef and hygiene trainer, Mark McShane at Food Hygiene Certificate, I’m getting it all wrong.
It’s not a problem that I’m running my dishwasher at night, but that I’m using the ‘eco’ cycle too much. According to McShane, low-temperature washes could be spreading E.coli, especially after cooking with raw meat.
“Eco settings are great for saving energy, but they don’t always reach the temperatures needed to kill dangerous bacteria like E. coli or salmonella — especially if you’ve used those utensils to prepare raw chicken or beef,” he says.
E. coli can survive temperatures below 140°F (60°C), which is common for eco or ‘quick’ wash cycles. The issue is that contaminated chopping boards, knives, or even blender blades may not be properly sterilized — and could recontaminate other items in the same cycle.
“Your dishwasher might look clean, but without a high-temp wash — ideally 158°F (70°C) or more — you’re just moving bacteria around your plates and cups,” he adds. “Many foodborne illnesses don’t hit for days — sometimes over a week — so most people never trace it back to what really caused it. Your dishwasher might be playing a hidden roll.”
How to stay safe when using a dishwasher
To ensure you don’t run the risk of spreading germs when using your dishwasher, McShane recommends following four simple steps.
1. Keep it hot
Always use a hot cycle when cleaning items that have been used with raw meat or eggs. Finish, a company that makes dishwashing detergent, also advises choosing a sanitize setting for an extra boost of hot water.
2. Don’t rely on the eco setting
If someone in your household is vulnerable or has a weakened immune system, don’t rely on the eco mode to get your dishes hygienically clean.
3. Pre-rinse
To help the cleaning process, rinse off visible debris before putting your items in the dishwasher.
4. Run your dishwasher on empty
You may wonder whether you need to clean your dishwasher, as each time you set it on a cycle, it gets clean. However, McShane recommends giving your dishwasher a deep clean once a month, and running a cycle with a dishwasher cleaner.
Not all residue is removed or caught in the filter, and if your dishwasher is not given a good, deep clean, with an empty load, it can become a breeding ground for bacteria.
When to use the eco dishwasher cycle
Although McShane warns against using the eco cycle to clean your dishes, it does have a purpose. As long as your dishes are small and not heavily soiled, the eco setting should work just as well as any other setting. Just don't use it for every cycle.
So, instead of always putting my dishwasher on eco mode, from now on I’ll be using a hotter wash.
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