Washing bricks.

So, what do you think? What’s the most effective way to wash bricks, to clear away ages of inactivity and layers of dust? The one time I tried it, I put them in a washing machine-safe bag, in a washer on a no-spin, very gentle cycle, then let them air dry. I’ve only done this once. I usually like to get my sets new, but that’s not always possible (or realistic!). I recently won my most highly coveted set for a decently reasonable price on eBay, but it looks like I may need to freshen it up a bit. Any better suggestions? The method I’ve described doesn’t have any long term repercussions, does it?