Not sure I agree with pots and pans being in this category...
Top 5 things to never put in the dishwasher
- Thread starter turquoisedude
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I learned the hard way about wood cutting boards. However, now I only use nylon cutting boards, which are dishwasher safe and I think they are safer to use than wood cutting boards, as there is less chance they will harbor bacteria.
The other thing I learned the hard way about was when I put my fabric softener dispenser in the dishwasher. The dispenser was one of those round ones that fits on top of the agitator in an older Kenmore, and the dishwasher was, I think, a GE. The dispenser came reasonably clean, but there was a waxy film all over the inside of the dishwasher.
It took many washes to get the film completely cleaned out of the dishwasher, before I could use it to wash dishes again.
The other thing I learned the hard way about was when I put my fabric softener dispenser in the dishwasher. The dispenser was one of those round ones that fits on top of the agitator in an older Kenmore, and the dishwasher was, I think, a GE. The dispenser came reasonably clean, but there was a waxy film all over the inside of the dishwasher.
It took many washes to get the film completely cleaned out of the dishwasher, before I could use it to wash dishes again.
gmmcnair
Well-known member
I don't agree....
....with the pots and pans, non-stick, aluminum, and whatever.
The aluminum may darken a tiny bit, but there's not a problem with any of the above it you aren't way overusing the detergent. I've been doing it for 20+ years with my pots and pans, and I've never noticed anything dying prematurely.
....with the pots and pans, non-stick, aluminum, and whatever.
The aluminum may darken a tiny bit, but there's not a problem with any of the above it you aren't way overusing the detergent. I've been doing it for 20+ years with my pots and pans, and I've never noticed anything dying prematurely.
Pots & Pans - I've notice those with bakelite handles & knobs retain their looks much better if hand washed. Washing them by machine causes the bakelite parts to become grayed & dull. I have Revere Ware that was my mom's, and it has actually improved after not being in the dishwasher for several years.
Pyrex, Fire King, etc. - those items with fired-on designs or solid color exteriors will start getting dulled out by machine washing over an extended time.
Carnival Glass, Milk Glass - common sense says this should be handwashed, along with any other delicate or valuable glassware.
My former neighbor Thelma never had a dishwasher, and her cookware & Pyrex bakeware & bowls (mostly from the 50's) all looked new when it was sold off after her passing. I know it was well used as there were five in the family, and I saw the items in use on the stove & table. Other neighbors down the street also don't use a dishwasher, & and their cookware and glassware still look new. Most of their things they've had since they married in 1961. If you only care about the utilitarian value, you may as well put them in the dishwasher, but if you want them to stay nice, it's better not to.
Pyrex, Fire King, etc. - those items with fired-on designs or solid color exteriors will start getting dulled out by machine washing over an extended time.
Carnival Glass, Milk Glass - common sense says this should be handwashed, along with any other delicate or valuable glassware.
My former neighbor Thelma never had a dishwasher, and her cookware & Pyrex bakeware & bowls (mostly from the 50's) all looked new when it was sold off after her passing. I know it was well used as there were five in the family, and I saw the items in use on the stove & table. Other neighbors down the street also don't use a dishwasher, & and their cookware and glassware still look new. Most of their things they've had since they married in 1961. If you only care about the utilitarian value, you may as well put them in the dishwasher, but if you want them to stay nice, it's better not to.
I saw this item come up in Yahoo and gave it a quick read. Nothing we don't already know, so I didn't bother to post anything about it here.
It's really common sense. The only wood I put in my dishwasher is a bamboo rice server, and if my big aluminum pasta pot would fit in there, it would get machine washed too.
It's really common sense. The only wood I put in my dishwasher is a bamboo rice server, and if my big aluminum pasta pot would fit in there, it would get machine washed too.
I recall seeing something on tv about cutting boards some ti
According to the 'experts' on the show, wooden cutting boards were more hygienic. There may be something in the wood that stumps bacterial growth.
Once a nylon cutting board is well used, the surface becomes quite rough with deep pits and cuts, which shelter bacteria and will not clean that good in the dishwasher. I have noticed with my nylon boards that, unless I pre-scrub them well, they will come out of the dishwasher still discolored from the food that I've prepared on them.
Occasionally I have cleaned my wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher, but prefer to wash them by hand. I find they clean more easily and quickly than nylon boards.
According to the 'experts' on the show, wooden cutting boards were more hygienic. There may be something in the wood that stumps bacterial growth.
Once a nylon cutting board is well used, the surface becomes quite rough with deep pits and cuts, which shelter bacteria and will not clean that good in the dishwasher. I have noticed with my nylon boards that, unless I pre-scrub them well, they will come out of the dishwasher still discolored from the food that I've prepared on them.
Occasionally I have cleaned my wooden cutting boards in the dishwasher, but prefer to wash them by hand. I find they clean more easily and quickly than nylon boards.
polkanut
Well-known member
Other than not liking the fact that my aluminum ware darkens by being washed in the dishwasher, I put everything except cast iron in it. I feel the machine sanitizes much better than hand washing. I have a set of striped 1950's graduated Pyrex bowls that still look like new, and they're washed in the dishwasher all the time.
nurdlinger
Well-known member
My feeling is that this article was written by someone with lower-than-average common sense. The target audience is people with even less than that.
bugsyjones
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2009
- Messages
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I throw everything in. I don't use cast iron, so I don't worry about that.
Pots, pans, plates, cups, wooden spoons.....It all goes in together and it always comes out clean. I have never had anything ruined by the dishwasher. Even stuff that says 'not dishwasher safe' does fine.
~Tim
Pots, pans, plates, cups, wooden spoons.....It all goes in together and it always comes out clean. I have never had anything ruined by the dishwasher. Even stuff that says 'not dishwasher safe' does fine.
~Tim
surgilator1
Well-known member
everything goes in my dishwasher. i never wash anything by hand. never prerinse either.steven
whirlcool
Well-known member
Same here, EVERYTHING goes in the dishwasher. Most of our cookware has plastic or steel handles on them.
We use nylon cutting boards, and they come out stain free on the bottom rack.
I agree with you Polkanut, I think the dishwasher sanitizes your dishes & silverware by using much hotter wash water than one could stand to have on the hands.
We use nylon cutting boards, and they come out stain free on the bottom rack.
I agree with you Polkanut, I think the dishwasher sanitizes your dishes & silverware by using much hotter wash water than one could stand to have on the hands.
It very much depends on your dishwasher and more importantly, on the type of detergent you use in it.
If your dishwasher doesn't have a fine mesh filtre e.g. the self-cleaning filtres on the Bosch/Siemens dishwashers, you will find that the high pressure water will have tiny bits of ground up food on them which will act like mild sand-blasting and can damage some enamels and glassware.
I would suspect that older US dishwashers with grinders rather than filters may suffer from this problem.
If you use a harsh detergent, particularly cheap old formulas that contain chlorine bleach you will definitely fade patterns.
If you use excessively harsh detergents, you will also cause scratches on dishes / etch the patterns. There's a happy medium to be struck between good cleaning power and bleached out dishes.
In general, if you're using a high-end detergent and a good dishwasher you shouldn't have many of the problems described in that article.
Dishwashers cannot be used to wash wood, that's the case regardless of what make / detergent you're using. The wood cooks and splits or becomes extremely dry and breaks.
I have never had any problem with plastic handled knives with pots or cookware in my dishwasher.
We have a European Bosch Excell machine and it's never really caused any problems with any of these items.
We had a Siemens dishwasher before that which also worked flawlessly with those kinds of items without any problem.
I try out various dishwasher detergents and here's what I've found :
Unilver:
Sun All in One Max Power - Very powerful, but seems to damage some of my cups. I've never had poor results with less powerful detergents, so I don't see the point.
Sun All in One Green Power - Excellent product. Does the job and it's environmentally friendly.
Recket and Benckiser:
Finish Quantum - Excellent results and very shiny dishes.
Finish Max in One - Also produces excellent results and very shiny dishes and it's significantly cheaper than Finish Quantum and regularly on special.
Proctor and Gamble
Fairy Dishwasher tablets - Very good - although a bit foamy.
Fairy Platinum tablets - Excellent product, does a very good job and produces very shiny dishes.
Ecover :
Ecover Dishwasher tablets - surprisingly, these are actually fantastically good tablets. They remove all traces of dirt and leave the dishes nice and shiny and they smell nice too. They're entirely environmentally friendly and manufactured through a sustainable process. I got a big value box of them recently and I'm finding them my tablet of choice.
Tesco Ownbrand:
Main tesco brand - excellent
Tesco Value - haven't tried.
Tesco Naturally (Eco) absolutely lousy - these caused the dishwasher to over foam and I would never buy them again.
Dunnes (Ireland's largest supermarket chain)
"Dunnes Dishwashing Tablets" - excellent value and produced as good a result as Finish!
Rinse aids :
Finish - excellent
Sun - Excellent
Ecover - Pretty good, not as good as the two above, I have to try their new one and see if it's better.
Tesco Own brand - Not great - very foamy.
We're not in a hardwater area, but we always use salt in the dishwasher and let it filter its own water.
I cannot understand how the 3-in-1 products with built-in "salt action" (read: phosphates or other softening ingredients) can possibly work as the water used in the hot rinse cycles would be hard and would potentially coat your dishes in limescale or damage your dishwasher in the long run.
My attitude is that the water softener in the machine is there for a reason, so use it!
If your dishwasher doesn't have a fine mesh filtre e.g. the self-cleaning filtres on the Bosch/Siemens dishwashers, you will find that the high pressure water will have tiny bits of ground up food on them which will act like mild sand-blasting and can damage some enamels and glassware.
I would suspect that older US dishwashers with grinders rather than filters may suffer from this problem.
If you use a harsh detergent, particularly cheap old formulas that contain chlorine bleach you will definitely fade patterns.
If you use excessively harsh detergents, you will also cause scratches on dishes / etch the patterns. There's a happy medium to be struck between good cleaning power and bleached out dishes.
In general, if you're using a high-end detergent and a good dishwasher you shouldn't have many of the problems described in that article.
Dishwashers cannot be used to wash wood, that's the case regardless of what make / detergent you're using. The wood cooks and splits or becomes extremely dry and breaks.
I have never had any problem with plastic handled knives with pots or cookware in my dishwasher.
We have a European Bosch Excell machine and it's never really caused any problems with any of these items.
We had a Siemens dishwasher before that which also worked flawlessly with those kinds of items without any problem.
I try out various dishwasher detergents and here's what I've found :
Unilver:
Sun All in One Max Power - Very powerful, but seems to damage some of my cups. I've never had poor results with less powerful detergents, so I don't see the point.
Sun All in One Green Power - Excellent product. Does the job and it's environmentally friendly.
Recket and Benckiser:
Finish Quantum - Excellent results and very shiny dishes.
Finish Max in One - Also produces excellent results and very shiny dishes and it's significantly cheaper than Finish Quantum and regularly on special.
Proctor and Gamble
Fairy Dishwasher tablets - Very good - although a bit foamy.
Fairy Platinum tablets - Excellent product, does a very good job and produces very shiny dishes.
Ecover :
Ecover Dishwasher tablets - surprisingly, these are actually fantastically good tablets. They remove all traces of dirt and leave the dishes nice and shiny and they smell nice too. They're entirely environmentally friendly and manufactured through a sustainable process. I got a big value box of them recently and I'm finding them my tablet of choice.
Tesco Ownbrand:
Main tesco brand - excellent
Tesco Value - haven't tried.
Tesco Naturally (Eco) absolutely lousy - these caused the dishwasher to over foam and I would never buy them again.
Dunnes (Ireland's largest supermarket chain)
"Dunnes Dishwashing Tablets" - excellent value and produced as good a result as Finish!
Rinse aids :
Finish - excellent
Sun - Excellent
Ecover - Pretty good, not as good as the two above, I have to try their new one and see if it's better.
Tesco Own brand - Not great - very foamy.
We're not in a hardwater area, but we always use salt in the dishwasher and let it filter its own water.
I cannot understand how the 3-in-1 products with built-in "salt action" (read: phosphates or other softening ingredients) can possibly work as the water used in the hot rinse cycles would be hard and would potentially coat your dishes in limescale or damage your dishwasher in the long run.
My attitude is that the water softener in the machine is there for a reason, so use it!
Common sense.....she's a brainiac....a masterfully understated observation from a total idiot.....info is nice, but tell us something we don't already know!!!
xraytech
Well-known member
I put almost anything in the dishwasher, there are just a few exceptions,
I dont put my silver service or hand blown glassware in dishwasher, being they are 70 yrs old I prefer to gently hand wash.
My All-Clad LTD doesnt go into the dishwasher because I dont want to dull the outer finish
Cast Iron, naturally
My cookie sheets get wiped with a damp towel because I use insulated Wear-Ever air bake pans and they cant be submerged in water or it gets between the layers
My cutting boards dont go in the dishwasher, I use tempered glass cutting boards since they are the most hygenic, Only reason they dont go in is because I dont want the patterns to peel off of the back from the heat.
I have to say that the author of that article is rather incompetent to feel the need to state the obvious(after she figured it out)
I dont put my silver service or hand blown glassware in dishwasher, being they are 70 yrs old I prefer to gently hand wash.
My All-Clad LTD doesnt go into the dishwasher because I dont want to dull the outer finish
Cast Iron, naturally
My cookie sheets get wiped with a damp towel because I use insulated Wear-Ever air bake pans and they cant be submerged in water or it gets between the layers
My cutting boards dont go in the dishwasher, I use tempered glass cutting boards since they are the most hygenic, Only reason they dont go in is because I dont want the patterns to peel off of the back from the heat.
I have to say that the author of that article is rather incompetent to feel the need to state the obvious(after she figured it out)
seamusuk
Well-known member
From Mr X.....
I cannot understand how the 3-in-1 products with built-in "salt action" (read: phosphates or other softening ingredients) can possibly work as the water used in the hot rinse cycles would be hard and would potentially coat your dishes in limescale or damage your dishwasher in the long run.
My attitude is that the water softener in the machine is there for a reason, so use it!
Couldnt have put it better!!
Another function of the water softener is the salt will filter particals of iron etc out of the water if they exist.
Seamus
I cannot understand how the 3-in-1 products with built-in "salt action" (read: phosphates or other softening ingredients) can possibly work as the water used in the hot rinse cycles would be hard and would potentially coat your dishes in limescale or damage your dishwasher in the long run.
My attitude is that the water softener in the machine is there for a reason, so use it!
Couldnt have put it better!!
Another function of the water softener is the salt will filter particals of iron etc out of the water if they exist
.Seamus
Don't understand how plates hitting against enameled cast iron will damage the enameled finish before chipping the plate. Stuff is supposed to be secured anyway before starting. Having said that, I have noticed that a steady practice of washing those pieces in the dw can lead to a dulling of the finish. I have also noticed among SOME people who state that they would NEVER put their cookware in the dishwasher that the pans have varying amounts of black, burned on grease on the outside that is the result of poor, inadequate cleaning, generally in a sink of tepid water without enough detergent. Somewhere in the process is a slick, grease and germ laden sponge.
I agree with the opinions stated about the author.
I agree with the opinions stated about the author.
I always was against 3 or more-in-1 tabs and not using salt. I have been testing a few and the results were nothing more than reasonable. But a while ago somebody on a German forum mentioned Somat9 and I gave it a try. I'm flabbergasted, my AEG never cleaned better than with this product and without salt. No limescale what so ever.
I put everything in the dishwasher except the cats and my two cast iron skillets.
All of my cookware is stainless steel, so no problems there. I have aluminum cake pans/covers and they go in all the time. Yes, they discolor, but it bothers me not one whit.
I have no silver-plated silverware, but I did mix stainless flatware with real silver at home as a teenager, once. Whoops! I spent a lot of time polishing the silver when that cycle was done.
All of my cookware is stainless steel, so no problems there. I have aluminum cake pans/covers and they go in all the time. Yes, they discolor, but it bothers me not one whit.
I have no silver-plated silverware, but I did mix stainless flatware with real silver at home as a teenager, once. Whoops! I spent a lot of time polishing the silver when that cycle was done.
Cutting Boards
A few years ago I found a type of wooden cutting board that is dishwasher safe. It's an interesting kind of board. I used them for a while but went to hand washed bamboo wood boards for veggies, and plastic (polyethylene, I think) boards for meat. The plastic boards go into the dishwasher.
With regard to wood being more hygienic. I read an opinion a while ago that the test results that show fewer bacteria surviving on wood surfaces were a bit misleading. The idea was that the wood tends to have a more irregular surface, and so that when it was swabbed only the highest "peaks" were touched, resulting in a lower bacteria count, whereas a plastic cutting board would give more bacteria per swab pass because more of the surface was reached by the swab.
In other words, wood cutting boards might not be any more sanitary than plastic ones, and might well be less sanitary since they can't be cleaned as aggressively as plastic.
A few years ago I found a type of wooden cutting board that is dishwasher safe. It's an interesting kind of board. I used them for a while but went to hand washed bamboo wood boards for veggies, and plastic (polyethylene, I think) boards for meat. The plastic boards go into the dishwasher.
With regard to wood being more hygienic. I read an opinion a while ago that the test results that show fewer bacteria surviving on wood surfaces were a bit misleading. The idea was that the wood tends to have a more irregular surface, and so that when it was swabbed only the highest "peaks" were touched, resulting in a lower bacteria count, whereas a plastic cutting board would give more bacteria per swab pass because more of the surface was reached by the swab.
In other words, wood cutting boards might not be any more sanitary than plastic ones, and might well be less sanitary since they can't be cleaned as aggressively as plastic.
