I use a nylon/mesh bag and do the normal washer dryer cycle with some towels to keep it quiet(er). I learned the hard way not to fill it completely though, too much weight ripped my bag once. May have just been the bag.
I used Josh’s method for a test run of bricks. They got pretty clean, but the LEGOs all bumped up against one another a million times, leaving lots of micro-dings on the smooth surfaces. I compared them to the other bricks which I had not washed. The other bricks also have micro-dings, but I believe the ones I washed have more, or more prominent, micro-dings.
Now I’m thinking about maybe trying the dishwasher, where they would not be moving around.
Wow there’s really a difference there! I don’t think I want to try the washing machine method. Dishwasher sounds good, but don’t they normally get pretty hot?
I wonder whether the dryer tumbling was really the culprit, rather than the washing machine. I may do some more tests and will report back. Also have to check the dishwasher temperature settings.
hmmmm…though the process is intended to reverse the yellowing of bricks, i suppose it is a sort of a cleaner…I wouldn’t recommend the chemical treatment for anything that doesn’t need it though…