You know, it sounds like some people really need to do better with their dishwashers. Maybe clean off the food from their dishes a bit before doing the dishes. Seriously, it seems like these scientists need their moms to explain how things work, because that slime will get stinky
Scientists say the slime in your dishwasher could unlock a solution to global warming
Scientists have scoured the depths of the ocean and outer space for microbes to help slow global warming. They’re now looking at a new and unlikely place — ?inside your home.
A group called the Two Frontiers Project (2FP)?—?funded by biotech company Seed Health — is asking people in the United States to look for “weird microbial growth” at home, in a quest to find the next microorganism that could suck planet-heating carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air or help break down environmental pollutants.
Though microbes live on every home surface, the group is especially interested in those that live in more extreme environments, including places with high temperatures such as dishwashers, air conditioners, microwaves, solar panels, hot water heaters and shower heads.
“These environments, though common, mimic the extreme conditions found in nature,” Tierney told CNN. “They reflect environmental changes that our planet may face in the future — including rising temperatures, heightened radiation, and increased acidification of oceans and soils”
A dishwasher can run between 120F and 180F. If these people think the Earth’s temperature is going to get there, they are more wackadoodle cult than we thought.
Volunteers who sign up to the “Extremophile Campaign” will be asked to take photos of any microbial growth around their home — “think slime, crusty mats, stringy growth,” the project’s website prompts — and answer questions about what they see.
If volunteers are getting this, well, they need lessons on cleaning. That’s just nasty. I’d hate to see their showers, toilets, and sinks.
Our cleanliness-obsessed host wrote:
I remember the little girl in the commercial noting that her mother washed the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, and asking, “So what does the dishwasher do?”
Of course, I wash the obvious stuff off the dishes before putting them in what I call the dishrinser because I am very aware of the appliance’s discharge line: flexible, corrugated white plastic, something in which it is easy for small particles to get trapped and start to build up to clog the d(arned) thing. I don’t want any more solid particles going through that line than necessary, because if the line clogs, I’m the one who has to unclog and fix it.
I do little things like have a strainer screen in the bathtub, to catch hair and stuff, because it’s easier to pull it and dump anything caught in it than clean out the trap. I put the toilet seat, and lid, back down, because I do it gently, rather than hear it crash down when a woman just slams it, knowing that if it breaks, I’m the one who has to change it. I take my foot off the accelerator when I see the light turn red ahead of me, rather than have my foot on the gas and then have to brake harder to stop, because I’m the one who has to change the brake pads.
It’s amazing how much work doing little things can save you in the long run.
I frequently clean our dishwasher screen and filter. The very fine mesh filter has a small amount of ‘gunk’ each time that rinses out with a hot water spray.