Does the water in a dishwasher get hot enough to kill bacteria such as salmonella?

Question

Please list your source(s).

Answer 1

Yes and No. Read the owners manual. It depends on how hot it gets. Mine does, but it heats the water over and above the tap (to 170 Degrees Fahrenheit). It has an extra hot setting that I always use. I also use dishwasher soap with bleach in it. (Cascade with bleach)

Dishwashers often only use hot tap water or heat the water to between 49 and 60°C (120 and 140°F), and thus provide temperatures that could promote bacterial growth. That is to say, they do not effectively sterilize utensils. Some dishwashers do actually heat water up to 74°C (165°F) or higher; those often are specifically described as having sterilization modes of some sort, but this is not a substitute for autoclaving. Note that dishwashers remove food traces from the utensils by a combination of mechanical action (the action of water hitting the plates and cutlery) and the action of detergents and enzymes on fats and proteins. This removal of food particles thus removes one of the factors required for bacterial growth (food), and explains why items with cracks and crevices should either be washed by hand or disposed of: if the water cannot get to the area needing cleaning, the warm, moist, dark conditions in the dishwasher can actually promote bacterial growth

Answer 2

Depends on what temperature your water heater is set at. The water in the dishwasher can only get as hot as the water in your water heater. I believe the water temperature needs to be 165 and most home water heaters are set at 140. However, the longer the organism is exposed to 140 heat, the more likely it is to die. You also need to take into account that you're using (hopefully) soap in the dishwasher which will also help kill the germs.

If it's really freaking you out and you honestly think you need more help killing off germs, add a bit of bleach to the dishwasher.

Answer 3

Regular soap does not kill bacteria. What it does is make for a slippery surface which allows the water and action of hand washing to wash them away. Antibacterial soap does kill some of the bacteria, but you will never be able to kill all. Some bacteria are killed with hot water, but again not all are susceptible to hot water. There is bacteria that live in ice and some that live in lava. There is also some bacteria which transmit with spores which are much more difficult to kill. Either way washing your hands with Antibacterial soap and water for about a minute or 2 is the best defense against transmitting contact form diseases.

Answer 4

Bacteria that you are thinking about, ie salmonella and e.coli are what we call mesophils. They live in temperatures similar to ours.
To kill them, you are looking at a temperature of 60 degree's (celcius) upwards, although from 50 degrees they won't be very happy.

As a side note, the hotest temperature bacteria have been found living at is 121 degrees C. Now thats hot.

Answer 5

Great answer from Stacy, my neighbor is a restaurant owner and he always adds a capful of breach to the final rinse water.
If you have any Peter Pan peanut butter in the house, throw it out, being recalled for salmonella.

Answer 6

I worry about this too so I add a couple of cap fulls of bleach to my dishwater. I hope that this is enough to kill any bacteria that may be in the water or on the dishes. ...Great question by the way:)

Answer 7

Yes

Answer 8

my dishwasher heats its own water more than hot enough to kill all germs so it depends on if yours is like that or if it is depending on your individual boiler (hot water heater) in which case you could never be sure.