Researchers from Germany’s Technical University of Dortmund and the Technical University of Munich are attempting to develop a new dishwasher system that uses superheated steam to kill bacteria in just seconds.

Superheated steam — steam heated to a degree where all of the water droplets evaporate, turning the steam both dry and gaseous — carries even more heat than regular steam, according to the research team. As such, it can reportedly kill bacteria and harmful microorganisms left behind on plates and cutlery using standard dishwashers in a matter of seconds.

To demonstrate how effective superheated steam is, the team built a washing-machine like box that features a nozzle that shoots superheated steam onto a plate held within the box containing Geobacillus stearothermophilus — a heat resistant bacteria.

With temperatures in the box reaching roughly 356° F and pressure reaching 145 lb per square inch, the researchers suggest that the superheated steam destroyed 50% of the Geobacillus stearothermophilus in just two seconds of superheated steam exposure and 100% of the bacteria after 25 seconds of exposure to superheated steam.

The article "Simulations of thermal phase changes and bacterial inactivation in a superheated steam dishwasher" appears the journal Physics of Fluids.