Coronavirus - practical dishwashing question

[Duchessofblandings]

In the context of shared student accommodation. Is anyone qualified to answer with certainty, please, as I’m
getting very mixed information from internet search.
What temperature does a dishwasher cycle need to be to kill viruses? Some sources cite 70, others suggest an 80 degree professional cycle is needed.

Many thanks.

In shared accommodation if you are attempting social distancing or self isolation you need to have your own plates and cutlery and wash separately by hand after use and store in your room.
It’s how you store the clean dishes that matters not necessarily how you clean them.
Imagine an infected person using the kitchen, opening all the cupboards and coughing in them. You wouldn’t know that you plates had been contaminated.
Isolate all personal use items. Toiletries, towels, clothes etc. Now is the time to get tidy.
Keep a bag of disinfectant wipes in the bathroom and kitchen to wipe door handles and taps before you use them. Don’t rely on everyone else to protect you.

More worrying for those of us who don’t have dishwashers....

Thank you, very helpful: at this point it isn’t a case of self-isolating, no illness present: simply wanting to advise everyone in the house on how best to take personal responsibility and every practical precaution. There has been an house meeting and all hygiene advice is being taken seriously, but the question of dishes/cutlery arose.

Surely the detergent will rupture the virus and then everything is rinsed away by the water. I don't think temperature is the issue as you dont wash hands with super hot water

I think that is excellent advice from @willdoitinaminute

If you think of it like hand washing, you don't need to wash your hands at 70/80 degrees to get rid of the virus. Just soap and warm water, thoroughly washed and rinsed to wash the virus away rather than kill it. No need for a dishwasher.

X post!

Very good point. We discussed this just yesterday. Wash hands with soap and hot water, but how hot is hot? As you say, super hot and you can’t put your hands in it.

I think lots of us who have probably been a bit blasé about hygiene in our first world daily lives with antibacterial this and that (guilty 😊) are on a bit of a (necessary) learning curve. For as long as I can recall, people have been to the doctor with a cough/sore throat and reported, relieved, oh it’s “just” a virus.

Thank you very much for the helpful replies.

The temp is for your comfort, not to kill the virus. You need water that is comfortable on your skin or you're not going to do a good job of washing your hands.

The soap/detergent removes the contamination, not the water temp.

Interesting: each broadcast by scientific advisers has stressed the importance of “hot” water, so I have until this moment QuestionableMouse assumed that temperature was an important factor, as I imagine many people have.
So, when I was asked by one of the youngsters at the meeting “do we have to put the dishwasher on the hottest cycle then?” (mindful of the bills) I didn’t know but assumed yes. Thank you for that.

More worrying for those of us who don’t have dishwashers....

How? Turn the hot water temp up and off you go. At least with a manual wash, you can make sure every part of the item is scrubbed. I'd much rather have the knowledge that I have washed everything thoroughly myself rather than rely on a machine.

Yes the government guide to self isolation says dishwashers will get rid of virus and are fine