After I wrote a post on “Over Ridiculously Priced Pair of Rainbow Sandals,” and one of my co-workers washes her sandals in the dishwasher with her dishes, it’s been bothering me since, and a bit paranoid of what else people wash in their dishwashers with their dishes.

One lady told me that her sons girlfriend’s dad washes his baseball caps with the dishes. Now this is also new to me, surely not, I thought to myself. She said that it’s a common practice amongst Americans, but most wash the baseball caps by themselves, and not with the dishes. I don’t care how you wash them; it’s still gross. I thought dishwashers are for dishes, and washing machines are for clothes. If I eat my meal from my sandals and baseball caps, then I might consider washing them in the dishwasher, but I certainly wouldn’t do that, not anytime soon, not in this lifetime.

Her son came by at lunchtime today, and he confirmed, “Yeah, her dad washes his baseball caps in the dishwasher, and the last time I was there; they were washed with the dishes.” You could imagine the look on my face, at this point, I didn’t know if to laugh or to cry.

I had to ask, “Did you eat at her house?” he said, “Yeah, her mom cooks good food, she makes everything from scratch, and it’s delicious. One time, she made cowboy soup, it was delicious! Have you had cowboy soup before?” We all shook our heads, no, not cowboy soup, what ever that was, and I was wondering if by chance, after they finished eating, did they also wash their cowboy hats with the dishes, Ewwww.

Just to make sure that this is a common practice amongst Americans; I had to confirm with another person, you guess it, the one that washes her sandals in the dishwasher with her dishes, I figure she’d know best. She replied, loud and clear, “Yes, it’s all sanitary at the end!”

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to ask her, she’s also the one that couldn’t bring herself to wear anything that is made in Cambodia or Vietnam, because the whole Vietnam War Era traumatizes her. We had a long talk about this; she’s a character and one of a kind.

After googling for some answers, I was surprised to learn that the best way to wash baseball caps is in the dishwasher. Below was a question asked at Goodhousekeeping.com

Question: What is the best way to wash a baseball cap, so I don’t wreck its shape?
– Melissa Morton, Winchester,MA

Answer: In the dishwasher — no kidding! And wash several at the same time to save water and energy. Put any dirty cotton or washable wool cap on the top rack, secure it by using several plastic clothespins, add the normal amount of dishwasher detergent, and run through a regular wash and rinse cycle. Remove the cap before the drying cycle and place over a large coffee can so it keeps its shape while air-drying.

You can also use a baseball cap form (available at sporting-goods stores) for washing and drying, either in the dishwasher or the washing machine.