I looked up dishwashers on wikipedia after not being able to find anything conclusive either way. It appears that most dishwashers on their own do not get hot enough to truly sterilize something (ie. kill everything on there). However, this doesn't take into account the fact that dishwashers aren't killing bacteria exclusively with heat/pressure, they also wash away anything on the surface of what they're cleaning...and many bacteria that infect people are going to be sensitive to temperatures that a dishwasher produces (just like our body heats up when we're sick to try and kill bacteria off).

I would think as long as the toys are non-porous the dishwasher would do pretty well in either killing what was on them, or washing it away entirely. Porous toys I would think might still harbor bacteria after a run through the dishwasher. Is it possible the bacteria could still survive? Yeah, bleach or other sanitizing agents would probably be a better bet if you are really that concerned, but I would say the dishwasher is definitely still effective at cleaning toys even if it doesn't sterilize everything inside of it. less

My boyfriend's dishwasher gives me the willies. I've unloaded it plenty of times before to find food residue and "ick soup" swishing around in depressions (the bottoms of glasses, etc.) I would NEVER trust that thing with my dishwasher-safe sex toys. I prefer to wash them by hand with hot water and antibacterial soap or, if practical, to boil them. My only boilable toys are my glass ones, although I did receive a 100% platinum silicone toy recently... Does anyone know if it's safe to boil silicone toys if they have a battery compartment? I would really like to avoid melting anything important. less

I am lucky enough to have a dishwasher that has the "sanitize" option so, mine really does get hot enough! I could boil eggs in that thing! I do not use it for cleaning sex toys though......three kids and all..... You have to keep in mind though, people have been eating off of dishes washed in a dishwasher for years and I haven't heard of anyone having a problem in that respect. I doubt that there would be from cleaning your toys either. The ultraviolet ray cleaner thingy would be pretty cool though! =P less

I agree and disagree with dishwashers not getting hot enough and spreading germs. Where i disagree, it would be that they do indeed get REALLY hot. myself and a friend have actually held the door open while having a butter knife jammed into the place that it clicks close so it would think the door was shut. Once the dishwasher was in the rinse cycle it sprayed out scolding hot water everywhere, just believe it that it is pretty hot lolz... Also where i do agree, is on the subject of them spreading germs. I second that dishwashers don't clean the dishes as thourohgly as if you were doing it by hand thus leading to germs just getting swoosh'd around the dishes instead of being cleaned of. less

I am lucky enough to have a dishwasher that has the "sanitize" option so, mine really does get hot enough! I could boil eggs in that thing! I do not use it for cleaning sex toys though......three kids and all..... You have to keep in mind though, people have been eating off of dishes washed in a dishwasher for years and I haven't heard of anyone having a problem in that respect. I doubt that there would be from cleaning your toys either. The ultraviolet ray cleaner thingy would be pretty cool though! =P less

I am lucky enough to have a dishwasher that has the "sanitize" option so, mine really does get hot enough! I could boil eggs in that thing! I do not use it for cleaning sex toys though......three kids and all..... You have to keep in mind though, people have been eating off of dishes washed in a dishwasher for years and I haven't heard of anyone having a problem in that respect. I doubt that there would be from cleaning your toys either. The ultraviolet ray cleaner thingy would be pretty cool though! =P less

For the most part, washing does not necessarily kill the germs, it removes them physically. Soap will kill a few germs, but it really cannot be depended on (unless you're using a known germicidal agent properly). For the most part, though, unless you're sharing toys they don't need to be absolutely sterile, so ordinary cleaning methods work.

I would question the efficiency of using a dishwasher to clean the number of toys that an ordinary person or couple would use, especially given that most people would probably feel uncomfortable washing dishes in the same cycle. Soap and water do a pretty good job of washing our built-in sex toys, so why worry too much about our other ones (unless you're sharing, of course). less

Eh... yea we can. They sell rubber gloves that are meant to hand wash dishes under really hot water. And no, the soap is what kills the germs. The hot water simply neutralizes the germs and makes it easier to disinfect what ever is being washed. Just to throw it out there, hot water from the sink and hot water that goes into the dishwasher are the exact same temperature since they both come from the same water heater. When i say "exact temperature" i mean when you turn the lever to the left or right without any cold water being added. Unless you have two seperate water heaters, in which would be very unlikely. less

Well, okay. I've never used gloves to wash dishes as that's a waste. I mean I can turn the hot water all the way up but my human skin wouldn't like it and, as others have mentioned, it's easy to burn yourself from the steam or water that a dishwasher produces. I've burned myself on the steam that escapes a dishwasher, without it even being open. I really feel that, after running through the dishwasher, any germs leftover are negligible. less