If you’re like most people, you probably love the convenience of dishwashers. You can throw all your dirty dishes into one place and let the machine do all the work for you! However, not everything is safe to put in a dishwasher. By knowing what items are not dishwasher safe, you can prevent damage to your dishwasher and keep your dishes clean and sparkling!
What Items Are Not Dishwasher Safe?
Is your dishwasher melting your plastic dishes and warping your wood? No one wants that. Let’s look at what items are not dishwasher safe.
Here are some items that you should never put in your dishwasher:
- Dishes made of plastic that aren’t labeled dishwasher safe. These materials can warp or melt in the high temperatures of a dishwasher.
- Wooden utensils and cutting boards. Wood is susceptible to water damage and will warp over time if it gets too wet, so any wooded item belongs on the list of what shouldn’t go in a dishwasher.
- Cutlery with wooden handles. The same rules apply to cutlery with wood handles as they do to wooden utensils and cutting boards.
- Dishes with gold trim. Gold is a soft metal that can easily be damaged in the dishwasher and is also fragile and valuable which is why it’s not dishwasher safe cookware.
- China or other delicate dishes. Dishwashers can be too harsh on delicate dishes and cause them to break or chip.
- Sharp knives. Sharp knives can become dull if they’re banging around in the dishwasher. It’s best to hand wash them to preserve their sharpness.
- Nonstick cookware. Dishwashers can damage the nonstick coating on your cookware, making it less effective and putting nonstick cookware on our list of items that can’t go in the dishwasher.
- Cast iron. Cast iron should never go in the dishwasher because it can remove the seasoning that protects the metal from rust.
- Hand-Painted ceramics. The high temperatures and harsh detergents in dishwashers can damage hand-painted ceramics.
- Lids for pressure cookers. The mechanics in pressure cookers can be damaged in a dishwasher, so it’s best to hand wash them.
- Insulated mugs. Dishwashers can damage the insulation on insulated mugs, making them less effective at keeping beverages hot or cold.
- Copper mugs. Copper mugs are delicate and can lose their finish in a dishwasher, and even cause the copper to pit.
- Milk glass. Milk glass is a delicate material and can turn yellow because of the high heat of a dishwasher.
- Crystal glassware. Crystal can be chipped very easily and is also very expensive, so it’s best to hand wash it.
And that’s it! This doesn’t cover all items that can’t go in the dishwasher, but it’s a good start. Now that you know what items are not dishwasher safe, you can make sure to hand wash them and avoid damaging your dishes!
For more dishwasher tips, take a look at our blog for articles like what to do when your dishwasher won’t start and how to fix a dishwasher that won’t drain. Thanks for reading! We hope this was helpful and remember for any more serious dishwasher repair needs, Cody’s Appliance is here for you!
