The fact is dishwashing is a highly skillful chore one must take seriously to manage cleanliness and hygiene that ensures bacteria-free dishes and keeps you healthy.

But, did you know one simple mistake of dishwasher handling could do more damage to the appliance and dishware than any good?

The dishwashing conditions are the same as using washing machines. Regardless of which dishwasher brand you use in your kitchen, the appliance has a dishwasher safe and hand-wash counters.

Be careful about what you put in a dishwasher. This is the most crucial thing if you want to keep your dishwashers running efficiently and safely. Warping, dulling, chipping, and breakage are possible results if you put kitchen items not suitable for a dishwasher. Here are 20 things you should never put in a dishwasher.

1. Vintage and Antique Kitchen Items

If you treasure old vintage and antique kitchenware that holds family legacy since your Grandma’s generations, it is better you keep them away from the forceful water and high heat of the modern-day dishwashers. They can cause damage to the unique features of this dinnerware, plates of glasses with gold-rimmed edges. Hand-wash them. This technique can help you keep its value and elegance intact for a long time.

2. Sharp Knives

It is always a strict no-no. The manufacturer’s instruction says yes. But, that instruction does not deny the fact. The heat and humidity of the dishwashers can be damaging to the sharpness of the kitchen knives. On the other hand, if your knives are made of carbon steel and have a wood handle, the moisture can cause rust and damage to both materials.

There’s another concern for your dishwasher too. The turbulence coming from the jets can hit knives against other items. The edges can nick dishwasher baskets, racks, or its protective coating. And at the last, let’s not forget they can be dangerous while unloading.

3. Wooden Utensils

For cutting, stirring, and storing, you use a lot of wooden utensils- chopping boards, spoons, and bowls. But, don’t think your dishwasher can easily handle the wooden material. The dishwasher liquid detergent you use is harsher on them, making them brittle and split after a few washes.

To protect this kitchenware, you must use a mild detergent in warm water and hand-wash them quickly.

4. Cast Iron

For years, cast iron kitchen items accommodate our kitchen. If taken care of properly, they can last really well. Cast iron skillets or pans have an oiling coating on their surfaces to keep food from sticking and rusting.

As you use a dishwasher to clean them, the heat of the forceful water can strip away its oil, leaving it worn and unusable. Avoid this cleaning process.

5. Aluminum Cookware

Just to test what happens to your disposable aluminum pie plates, put them in a dishwasher. By now, you know they are dull and dark.

Aluminum kitchenware can easily go inside a dishwasher, but a single cycle can cause oxidation to the pots and baking sheets. And on many occasions, if they are not anodized, they can easily split and corrode. It is always safe to hand-wash them.

6. Coppers Utensils

If you don’t want to lose the shine and gleaming finish of copper utensils, avoid using your dishwasher. The harsh chemical in dishwasher detergent can dull them and easily strip their classic appearance. The worst part, it can also cause copper utensils to pit. Be extra careful for items made of silver, bronze, and gold.

7. Porcelain Dishware

Yes, it is true that porcelain or china dishware is regarded as dishware safe. However, if they are trimmed with precious metals, it can be damaging to the metallic trims or decorations. Damage is inevitable. Also, don’t forget to load porcelain dishes carefully as they are prone to tipping and chipping when coming into contact with other dishes during the dishwashing cycle.

8. Pressure Cooker Lids

The pressure cooker can easily go inside the dishwashers. Every dishwasher brand recommends this particular dishware. However, you cannot put cooker lids inside the appliance. The turbulence can knock its valves and vents and turn them inefficient. Small food particles can clog their valves and vents, forcing them to malfunction. Simultaneously, harsh chemicals can also impact silicone or rubber seals of the lid.

9. Grater and Sieves

Graters, microplanes, or sieves have holes to help ease grating and zesting lemons, limes, and cheese. When you put them in a dishwasher, the extreme water force from the jets can plug its hole at a greater length, and food particles remain clogged inside the holes.

The next is, as they nick the racks and their plastic coating, the efficiency of the dishwasher may decline with time. Hand-washing is always recommended.

10. Crystal

After every wash cycle, crystal ware can pale and fade. That’s not all. Crystal is an expensive item. If you put them in dishwashers, the heat coming out of the modern-day appliance can damage crystals or force them to break. Be careful. Handle properly.

11. Ceramic Cookware and Pans

When we talk about ceramic cookware, you know these kitchen items have special features- non-stick cooking surface. They are not completely made of ceramic, but only the metal cooking surface has a ceramic coating. Dishwasher detergents containing bleach can damage them.

12. Melamine Kitchen items

Melamine or acrylic dishes are lightweight, and they are popular to have bright and colorful features. But, the heating temperature and powerful turbulence can easily damage their patterns, design, and color. After a few cycles, your dishes cannot be as good as earlier. Be careful, hand-wash them.

13. Printed Glassware

Even if printed glasses or hand-painted glasses are prepared with fire, they are not meant to be washed in a dishwasher. The chemical in the detergent can damage its printing and beauty at the same time. Avoid putting them in a dishwasher.

14. Kitchen Items with Paper Labels or Adhesives

We have so many items- jars, containers on the kitchen racks for storage. They have labels on them pasted using adhesives. Some come with containers with easy-to-remove labels. It is better you take labels off before putting them inside a dishwasher. Jars or containers with no permanent labels can clog the dishwasher drain.

15. Plastic Containers

Thin containers like deli containers that come with butter or any ready-to-cook food cannot be placed in a dishwasher. The high temperature of the dishwasher can highly melt them.

Still, if you want to wash them using a dishwasher, you must put them on the top rack to avoid the heat. Just air dry them.

16. Sterling Silver Knives

Sterling silver knives can easily go through a dishwasher. But, sterling silver knives or stainless steel knives have two items glued together between the blade and the handle. The heat is so harsh and can cause them to separate. So, always hand wash them.

17. Insulated Mugs

You know how insulated mugs or any other utensils with the same feature work. The space that holds the inner and outer layers can be filled with dishwasher water. You cannot get them to work when you need them as their insulation capacity will be compromised.

18. Other Plastic Types

Many plastic items cannot be put inside a dishwasher unless they read ‘dishwasher safe.’

Even if they come with ‘dishwasher safe’, you must put them on the top rack of the dishwasher. This helps you avoid extreme heating that can cause them to melt.

19. Milk Glass

Milk glasses you use for your kids at home are semi-opaque. You need them everyday. But, if you want convenience and save time thinking dishwashing could be easy and fast, you are making mistakes. The heavy temperature and humidity of the dishwasher can strip their color and gloss after a few washing. Hand wash is always recommended.

20. Measuring cups

Measuring cups are really essential kitchen items helping us take an accurate measurement of quantity and have things ready at an exact proportionate. The measuring prints printed on the exterior side of the cups can come off with times when they are repeatedly put inside the dishwasher. And, one point of time, they are useless. Please keep this in mind. Try giving them a quick hand wash.

Conclusion:

Our team at Review Roller has brought to you a well-researched blog giving you indepth cognizance into how you can take care of your dishwasher. Oftentimes, a little ignorance can result in huge damage either way for your dishwasher and also kitchen tools or dishes you use. Before you use your dishwasher, forget not to make sure that 20 listed items are not going inside the appliance. Be alert so that you can keep your dishwasher in proper order and ensure high performance always.