Rachael Ray: Rachael's Daytime Talkshow

"My Dishwasher Does That?!"

Aired on: June 21, 2011, January 25, 2011

The secret to cleaning everything from hair brushes to small childrens toys may actually be an ordinary appliance in your kitchen! "Sixty five million Americans have a dishwasher and many of them just use it for plates and knives and forks and spoons," says Every Day with Rachael Ray Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello. "But it can do more!"

Check out some of the items your dishwasher can clean below, but Liz warns, "Don’t use any other soap beyond dish detergent soap in your dishwasher because it will over sud and it could flood your kitchen or leave a film on your objects."

• Baseball cap: "If you're worried about throwing it in the washing machine because the brim is going to get all gross," Liz explains, "you just throw it in the dishwasher and it doesn't move."

• Makeup and hair brushes: "Take the hair out of your hair brushes and put them in the silverware racks so they don't rattle around, and they come out not only cleaner, but they'll work better!"

• Fake flowers: "I love fake flowers, but the dead giveaway that you have fake flowers is the dust that accumulates on them," Liz points out. "You just stick them in the dishwasher, and they don’t move around, and when they come out - the dryer keeps them crisp and colorful and they come out looking like new."

• Plastic toys: To clean your kid's action figures or bath toys, toss them in lingerie bags to keep the pieces together and put them in the dishwasher. "I do want to say something about bath toys," Liz adds. "A lot of people think, 'Oh, if the kid is in the bath with the soap and water it’s going to keep them clean,' but the bacteria on your child’s body gets in the bath water, and often bath toys are the most dangerously dirty objects you can have in your house."

• Glass bowl light fixture: Twice a year you can give the light fixture a good cleaning by taking down the glass bowl and putting it in the dishwasher; it will come out looking brand new! Tip: remove large dust bunnies or bugs from the bowl before placing it in the dishwasher.