Bosch unloads LEGO Edition dishwasher to clean toys / dinnerware

A childhood isn't complete without a healthy stash of colored blocks to play with, but let's face it, the miniaturized (and LEGO-branded) version of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 will eventually end up in the depths of a youngster's mouth one way or another. Taking a stand for germ-free toys (and the right to chew on nearly anything) is Bosch's LEGO Edition dishwasher, which sports a special "Toy cycle" to rid Tonka trucks and NERF blasters of microbial buildup without harming their "shape and integrity" (read: melting them into a pile of goo). While it sports the same grime-busting action as most high-end dishwashers out there, the additional cycle runs at 40 degrees Celsius in order to eliminate germs without destroying the plastic. The device comes in "freestanding, under the counter, and fully integrated" flavors, and can be found (only in Europe, curiously) now for €649 ($816), €749 ($942) and €899 ($1,130), respectively.

[Via Slashgear]

[Sam @ Oct 27th 2006 2:23PM]

YAY! No more showering lego bricks in the bath and hand drying them by towel: especially ones from eBay, I mean, ewwww!

--and yes,I actually do that :-)

[techlife @ Oct 27th 2006 2:50PM]

What? They couldn't use the new Mindstorms to actually build it out of Lego? C'mon.

@Sam - Wash after buying it on Ebay? Whatever for? Aren't all the sellers clean and neat?

[Matt B @ Oct 27th 2006 2:58PM]

How else is a child going to build up their immune system? Germs are everywhere regardless. Those that don't make you sick and those that do still make you stronger. So I say, "Up with normal living and down with germaphobes!"

[Jay T @ Oct 28th 2006 1:20PM]

Spot on! You're right. This is probably why a lot of kids seem to be sick all the time. If you aren't exposed to some degree to the "germs" you'll never be able to build up an immunity. Anti-bacterial soap doesn't help either as the bacteria eventually builds resistance to it.

[praguejen @ Apr 7th 2007 3:22AM]

Yep that's true until your cat decides to take a piss in the Lego bin...

[Justin @ Oct 27th 2006 4:09PM]

Can I wash the kid this way too?

[Dan Dean @ Oct 27th 2006 5:04PM]

I always do toys and kids stuff in my bosch dw. Since they don't have a exposed heating rod my stuff never melts into goo and burns. I even run it on the powerwash cycle and that gets water temp up to 163 degress or so. So whats the point of this?

[Rictor Gadget @ Oct 27th 2006 6:05PM]

hmmn...if it kills bacteria while not exceeding 40 C, couldn't this also be marketed as an energy saving feature? I am one of those people who grew up with a crappy dishwasher, where you essentially hand washed the dishes first. I would imagine using this cycle, since the dishwasher has always been a backup when washing dishes.

[Graham @ Oct 28th 2006 10:42AM]

for a thousand bucks my kid can wash his own grimey legos

[GooMan @ Oct 30th 2006 10:37AM]

Let me just say this, Bosch makes awesome dishwashers. Like a poster mentioned earlier they don't have exposed heating elements so plastics are pretty safe in them anyway. I've never had any plastics damaged in ours.

[Alexander @ Oct 31st 2006 8:31AM]

The easier way is to just put Legos into the bath, and use a wooden handle off a broom to stir them up. Use a good degreaser (laundry soap works better than shampoo/bodywash, and is cheaper) because that's what is primarily on them.

I typically use water that is as hot as it can come from the tap. Since I don't have to touch it, and Legos are just about indestructible when it comes to heat/melting, they all end up squeeky-clean at the end.

One thing I would suggest though: Even if you have a fairly good drain cover, it might be a good idea to put a handtowel or a something over the drain. Not to keep water in, but to keep little bitty Legos out!

[jim12 @ Jan 24th 2008 1:38AM]

I m enjoying the dishwashrs.i feel its safe to the point of view of children's & i is easy too.from last 10 years i m using dishwashers & no problem at all.first i used to hand washed the dishes & the remain work done by my washer.well it is safe as well as kills bacteria.so where it the problem?