Is it bad to put a bit of bleach in the dishwasher

[commander bunnypants]

to help disenfect the dishes?

My wife thinks so.CB

[AlCzervik]

1. Whats on them that hot water and det won't kill?

[TXlib]

2. I'd recommend Iodophor if you want disinfectant

bleach is rather caustic.

[Inland]

3. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me

Soap and water kills most bacteria, and a clean dish shouldn't have anything on it anyway.

I would think that your dishwasher has plastic parts, esp. gaskets, that would not like the corrosive effect of bleach.

[commander bunnypants]

4. I am a little OCD about germs

just a little bit. Not like Howard Hughes

CB

[histohoney]

5. You

already have bleach (Chlorine) in most municipal tap water. A 5-10 % solution should be OK, just be sure to rinse well.
Note, it can be hell on hands, use gloves.

[skygazer]

6. Not good if you have a septic tank

Kills helpful bacteria that help break down .... well, the stuff that goes into a septic tank!

[Cuban_Liberal]

7. It's overkill, no pun intended.

No self-respecting gram-negative germ survives the water temps and the detergent.

[commander bunnypants]

8. great the wife wins another one

:)

CB

[Leilani]

9. It's the temp of the water that's most important

set your hot water heater at a higher temp if you actually want sterilization.

[MercutioATC]

10. A little bleach won't hurt you.

But the water should do it by itself if it's hot enough.