toilet brush being used in toilet bowl
Jade Small
Jade Small
December 26, 2023 ·  3 min read

Woman splits opinion after saying she washes her toilet brush in the dishwasher

Everyone has their own way they think a house should be run. From a no-shoe policy to a daily dusting saga. However, one woman has the internet up in arms over her method for cleaning her toilet brush. Instead of cleaning and disinfecting it separately, she puts it in the dishwasher and lets technology do the work for her. We know… some of you don’t know quite what to say.

Toilet brush frenzy

There are some life hacks that are like light bulbs switching on inside our heads, revealing an ingenious way to perform tasks in your life. Then, there are some ideas that will raise every hair on your body. One woman’s idea, who anonymously posted on Mumsnet, probably falls fall the latter category. In the post she describes how she puts her toilet brush in the dishwasher rather than washing it separately. The post has since been deleted, but it still caused quite a stir amongst those who read it.

Toilet brush cleaning toilet
Image credit: pexels

“I just put the brush and holder in, on their own, on a hot wash and they come out like new,” wrote the anonymous woman in her post. This did not strike her as weird, until a visiting friend told her it was seriously gross. “A friend popped by this morning for coffee, and I opened the dishwasher to get out a couple of mugs, forgetting that I had put the toilet items in last night. She totally freaked out, saying this is totally disgusting, and re-washed the mugs I had then taken out from the cupboard AND poured boiling water on them before she would allow me to make her coffee!”

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Comments from readers

This woman was totally unaware of her actions and asked those on Momsnet if her friend was overreacting. There were many comments, mostly from those who found cleaning a toilet brush in the dishwasher utterly disgusting. “Was my friend being unreasonable? The mugs and loo bush were washed in separate loads!” she concluded her post.

One person said they agreed with the woman’s friend and that a toilet brush does not belong in the dishwasher. They wrote, “I’m with your friend here. How on earth could you even contemplate putting a toilet brush and holder into your dishwasher,” another said.

Grossed out
Image credit: pexels

Another person mentioned how the water is not always fresh with each wash. “You do realize the first rinse in the dishwasher is recycled water? So you are washing your pots in poo,” they said.

Finally, even though most people disagreed with this woman’s methods, she did have some that agreed with her. One comment read, “It’s fine. My ex-partner used to do the same. We’re both still alive. And still friends.”

What does Whirlpool say?

Whirlpool, one of the leading brands for dishwashers made a post on their blog about what it means to sterilize something, and how most dishwashers are not able to do so. “To kill microorganisms on dishes, a minimum temperature of 250°F must be maintained for several minutes in order for sterilization to occur. Because this temperature is much higher than most home dishwashers are capable of achieving, running dishes through a sanitize dishwasher setting will not cause sterilization,” the blog read.

Dishwasher
Image credit: pexels

Whirlpool also wrote about the difference between sanitizing and sterilizing. “While sanitization and sterilization are both antimicrobial processes, the degree to which each method kills harmful germs and bacteria varies,” the blog wrote. “Most commonly used in professional settings like hospitals and pharmacies, sterilization methods aim to eliminate all traces of bacteria. The sanitizing process aims to lower bacteria. Unlike the sterilization process, sanitization can be achieved through a variety of non-commercial technologies–like those used by your home dishwasher.” Ultimately, the science posted by Whirlpool shows that cleaning your toilet brush in the dishwasher may not be as sanitary as the woman thought.

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Sources

  1. LOOK NEW. Woman totally divides opinion after revealing she washes her toilet brush in the dishwasher.The Sun. Chloe Morgan. November 9, 2022.
  2. Woman divides opinion after revealing she cleans toilet brush in the dishwasher.VT. Pheobe Egoroff. November 6 2022.