The downsides of dehydrator trays (particularly the round ones) is that they are very large and cumbersome to clean. I’ve put them through the dishwasher a time or two, but that can actually warp the trays if you use the bottom rack. If you have extra trays like me, it could take you several loads to wash them all if you lay them in the top rack only, and who has time for that? The solution to this is to either invest in a dehydrator with metal trays (which is a great choice when you are selecting a dehydrator) OR find a good deep storage container and use that as a dehydrator wash tub. This does tend to warp the container, unless it’s the harder plastic kind, but it doubles as storage and transport for the dehydrator when it’s not in use so it doesn’t bother me.
Typically I try to get this organized before bed. I throw all my trays and liners into the bin, fill it with hot water in the bathtub, and add some dish soap (I always use non-scented dish soap so that no floral smells permeate the plastic while it soaks). Then I leave it overnight, and in the morning each tray comes perfectly clean with only a quick wipe. It works on even the stickiest stuff, without any scrubbing required. After everything is clean I just dump the soapy water out, rinse all the trays, and then pop them onto the base to dry. If you plan to use your dehydrator right away, set it to the temperature of whatever you will be drying in order to preheat it. Otherwise I just run it for 30 minutes on the highest setting.
