Use your hands: Avoiding the dishwasher may be a good thing
Researchers in Sweden found that children living in families that hand-washed their dishes were about 40 percent less likely to develop allergies compared with kids in homes that used a dishwasher. The researchers said they suspect that hand-washing dishes doesn’t get them as clean as the dishwasher does, which is actually a good thing because it can help protect against allergies by exposing family members to more bacteria. The theory — known as the “hygiene hypothesis” — is that increased exposure to microbes during early life may stimulate children’s immune systems. Some experts say the results are interesting, but it’s too soon to recommend hand-washing over the dishwasher.