open dishwasher with clean plates in it, focus on dishwasher tabs

14 Things That Should Never Go in the Dishwasher

Without a doubt, my least favorite household chore is hand washing dishes. That makes my dishwasher the one appliance I can’t live without. I love it. In fact, I have this motto that if it can’t go in the dishwasher I don’t need it.

open dishwasher with clean plates in it, focus on dishwasher tabs

Despite my best efforts, I still end up having to hand wash a few things since having learned the hard way there are certain items that should never go in a dishwasher. They can be ruined or they can ruin machine. You should hand wash them instead.

Wood

You’d be amazed how well I could fit wood cutting boards, wood bowls, and utensils made of wood or with wood handles into my dishwasher. But what was I thinking? I’m careful to not expose my wood floors to standing water because that’s just asking for trouble. But these small items made of wood might somehow be impervious to the brutality of super hot water plus detergent followed by blistering high drying heat? So wrong!

Bottom line is that water causes wood to swell and distort. Detergent strips the natural oils, causing the wood to crack. Wood needs to be hand-washed and dried quickly.

When you need to disinfect, use a mild solution of one gallon of 70 F (cool) water plus one teaspoon of liquid bleach in a spray bottle. Spray the surface, allow to sit for a few minutes then rinse and dry. That does the trick.

Cast iron cookware

Skillets and pans made of cast iron are awesome. And they will last forever if cared for properly. The secret is in the seasoning and patina that builds up over years of cooking and being cared for properly. One trip through the dishwasher can destroy all of that, leaving a rusty, dull, ugly mess.

Fine china

For every letter I will receive telling me that for decades you’ve washed your fine china in the dishwasher, I can show you dozens of letters from readers who wished they’d known to never do that.

High heat and harsh detergent are tantamount to sandblasting that delicate gold metallic trim, finish, and image. You might get away with it once, but why push your luck?

Handwash vintage china especially those pieces that may have been repaired. Glue melts.

Aluminum

This is painful. I had no idea! Of course, it’s right there in the fine print of my Kitchen Aid stand mixer’s owner manual: DO NOT put attachments in the dishwasher! Hand wash only. Had I known, I would not have made that purchase in the first place.

It wasn’t until my hands turned black inserting that paddle in the machine (I thought the thing was leaking oil or something) that I learned the ugly truth: Some Kitchen Aid models come with attachments made of anodized aluminum.

Putting aluminum anything through the dishwasher causes the aluminum to oxidize which creates ugly dark stains and eventually pitting after many sessions.

Here’s the rule: Never put anything made of aluminum in the dishwasher. Hand wash and dry only.

Crystal

Delicate crystal is no match for the rigors that go on inside a dishwasher. You’ll learn this when you notice chipping along the rim. Lead crystal will become cloudy and pitted because harsh detergents will permanently etch the surface of what used to be clear and sparkly. Carefully hand wash crystal.

Copper

Copper pans and mugs for Moscow Mules are classic and beautiful but require a lot of extra effort to keep looking gorgeous. Don’t make the task any harder by putting them in the dishwasher.

The chemicals in dishwasher detergent are too harsh for copper will immediately dull the finish. Worse, the rigors of automatic dishwashing will corrode and cause pitting.

Even with the best copper cleaner and elbow grease, you will not be able to reverse the damage. Decorative copper pieces that have been treated with a clear coat will be ruined in the dishwasher.

Knives

I’m going to just say straight up that I hate this self-imposed restriction. I’m one to load up all of my kitchen knives into the dishwasher. And that’s about the worse thing I can do to them for three reasons:

  1. The sharp edges can nick the protective coating on the racks and tines of the dishwasher, causing rust.
  2. I’ve cut myself more than once when unloading the dishwasher, by mindlessly reaching in and grabbing knives
  3. Dishwashing detergent dulls the sharp edges of the blades and causes handles to loosen and if they’re wood, to split.

Graters

For many of the same reasons as knives, cheese graters should be hand washed. More than that, all of those small holes, when graters and such are crammed into tight spaces in the dishwasher, impede the water stream necessary to properly clean the entire contents of the dishwasher.

Thin plastic

If you recycle butter tubs, cottage cheese, and deli containers putting them through the dishwasher is likely to cause them to warp, or even melt.

Handwashing is recommended for the best outcome. However, if you can’t be bothered (opting instead to throw these containers out instead of dealing with that extra chore), place them on the top rack of the dishwasher, only. Then remove before the drying cycle so they can air dry.

Snap-on lids

There are lots of brands of plastic containers with the new hinged snap-on lids. Snapware is one. Have you noticed that in time the lids stop snapping? Uh-huh … the dishwasher. If you want them to keep performing as well as they did when new, hand-wash only. Sorry.

Painted glassware

Right now I am thinking of my beloved 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. It served me well for many years, having made hundreds of trips through the dishwasher.

Recently, I realized I could no longer read any of the measurements. The lines were so faint, I was certain my eyesight was failing me. Nope. The paint had slowly disappeared at the hands I mean sprayer arms of my dishwasher!

Looking back, this isn’t the first time I’ve unknowingly ruined something with delicate paint, patterns, or labeling.

Sterling silver

Yes, there is a way that you can put silver flatware in the dishwasher without causing harm, but the process is tedious. One slip up will make you wish you’d never tried that.

The one exception is hollow handled knives. Never ever put knives that have a hollow handle in the dishwasher. The heat of a dishwasher together with the detergent will melt the glue that holds the blade to the handle—a heartbreaking situation you want to avoid at all costs.

Labels

If it has a label—paper, decal, plastic, painted—it should not go into the dishwasher. Not only will dishwashing degrade and eventually ruin it, if it’s made of plastic or paper, expect that label to end up all gooey and terrible in the filter and eventually the dishwasher pump. Now you’re looking at a big repair bill. You can prevent this.

Heirlooms

I can’t help recalling Hummel figures when I think of heirlooms. Remember those? You may have some or other similar collectibles you’ve inherited. They can really collect the dust, can’t they? The easiest way to counter that problem is to load them all up into the dishwasher, right? Wrong.

If you want to protect and preserve them (so you can unload them on the next generation!) hand wash only. And not just the Hummels. Anything antique, delicate, intricate, and well-loved. Take the time to hand wash.


 

 

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18 replies
Newer Comments »
  1. Jenni says:

    1. My 2 Cup Measure is about ruined also.
    2. Must we be careful with “tubberware” that we are only cleaning to recycle?!
    3. Decimate originally meant to destroy or kill 10%, but it has gradually come to mean a large
    portion. Don’t sweat it!

    Reply
  2. Bryana says:

    I used to buy the most expensive dishwasher pods at Costco because I thought they’d give the best result. Then a local appliance store gave my mom an info sheet with the different pods available and their effectiveness. They gave the Costco Kirkland brand pods the highest ratings. They are MUCH cheaper than what I was using. I’m on my third or fourth tub now and my dishes have never been cleaner or more streak free.

    Reply
  3. Belinda Cribbs says:

    I have a dish drawer by Fischer Pycal (?spelling). It is so old the label can’t be read. It has been dead for over a year. I know what ruined it. I had a brass scrubby thingy and I used it to scrub my cast iron skillet. I rinsed the scrubby over and over and washed it in soapy water. since they are hard to find in stores, I decided I should put it in the flatware utensil basket and wash it. Safe because it would be held in place by the utensils. Right??? Noooooo. After 2-3 washings in my dish drawer in the safe basket, I noticed that the brass scrubby thing was disintegrating. The debris eventually ruined something in the workings and now I wait for a kitchen remodel to replace my loved and deceased dish drawer. I actually think the premium dishwasher detergent ruined the scrubby. An expensive error. Yes I have watched youtube to find a fix. fix didn’t fix it. We live in a rural area and appliance repairmen who will come here are few and far between. No wire scrubby in the dishwasher

    Reply
  4. Jackie Forestieri says:

    Having proofread those KitchenAid manuals for years, the dishwasher warning is in bold print, and it’s in more than one place. But lots of people make that mistake!

    Reply
  5. Judy says:

    I have an older Bosch. On house when I moved in.I have to rinse all fishes first, and I still often get residue in my coffee cups. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      I’m guessing that your water is not hot enough. It needs to be 140F on the first blast into the dishwasher. You may need to adjust your hot water heater if that older Bosch does not have an internal heater to get the water to the right temp. Or you may need to refill the rinse aid reservoir. If it has one. Hint: Run the hot water in the sink next to the dishwasher before you start it up. Once it is as hot as it can get, THEN turn on the dishwasher. This assure that you’re operating with the right temp, which will make all the difference. Good luck!

      Reply
      • Jeannie says:

        Mary, you are so right about running the tap to very hot before starting the dishwasher. I learned this on your website years ago and it made a HUGE difference for me!! Great tip.

  6. Cath says:

    It does take some thought to load the dishwasher. You also have to have everyone in the house on board. One thing I always did when I used a dishwasher was skip the drying cycle. I’d make sure to open the door as soon as the wash cycle was done and let the dishes air dry. It saves money, and electricity (everything we do has a carbon footprint), and you don’t have to worry about that plastic lid that fell down and is sitting on the heating element waiting to melt.

    Reply
  7. Sue in TX says:

    Pastry brushes and other things with bristles do not belong in the dishwasher either – the particles of food swirling in the water can get into them, causing an unsanitary residue.

    Reply
  8. Cally Ross says:

    I love to use the dishwasher to clean and sterilize baby toys like teethers, and anything that they’ll put into their mouth.

    Reply
  9. Honeywest says:

    Please rethink using the word decimated in the section on copper. Unfortunately, we hear newscasters and reporters misuse the word for dramatic effect, but truly it means to be reduced by 10 percent. I’m not the grammar police, it’s just that my husband pointed out a few years ago how many people use it incorrectly and it has become “nails on a chalkboard” for me. LOL

    Reply
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