Wine Glasses in the Lower Rack.

[toploader55]

OK.

I've been quietly testing this for almost a year now.

These are Reidels. Special Quality.

Now, I have run them through One Armed Wonders, KDS-18, KDS-20, and KenWhirl.

They don't break... so... I think I have broken the myth that glasses can not be washed in the lower rack.

And we're talking Soak and Scrub, Heavy Wash and other Abusive Cycles.

Ok , The panel is ready for review, thoughts, and opinions.

 

[frigilux]

I've washed heavier glasses in the bottom rack, but never wine glasses.  I'm surprised the water pressure from some of your dishwashers doesn't lift them up off the tines.  Interesting experiment...but I think I'll keep my wine glasses in the top rack, just to be safe.  Thanks for sharing your discovery.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Eddie

I've done this in my Whirlpool Powerclean DW.  I was not surprised really.  Considering wine glasses at the restaurant survived the AM-14 and most of the champagne flutes and ALL of the wine glasses survived the Hobart flight DW when I ran the dishroom @ the Mpls Airport Marriott.  Yes the action of a flight DW was too much for a few of the flutes. 

 

I have learned over my years in foodservice that good quality glassware can withstand repeated dishmachine washing.  Cheap glassware ends up in pieces in the scrap accumulator basket and you find it when you change the wash water.  LOL!

WK78 

 

[rockland1]

Crystal in Dishwasher

I certainly don't doubt that wine glasses can be washed in the lower rack of a dishwasher. My question is why would you want to? If you have high quality glassware like Reidel, automatic dishwashing is going to do nothing for these glasses and the effects will soon to be seen. In reality, drinking wine from a glass does not require a dishwasher, In my youth, I always said "if it can't go in the DW, I don't want it". I found out that while almost everything certainly can go in the dishwasher, you may not like what will eventually happen. This pertains to glassware, and cookware and perhaps really fine china depending on how it was made. I take pleasure in hand washing the fine crystal I own almost as much as I enjoy using it. Just my thoughts.

 

[toploader55]

Ok Here's Why...

Over the years in the Restaurant Biz, I have washed wine glasses in Am series and WM series, (UM too and LX series as well.)

No breakage except for rough handling in the racks.

So, I hate washing anything by hand if a machine can do it. Hence this experiment.

Love washing pots and shining them with Brillo.

But if it can go in a machine,,, why not.

 

[toploader55]

Ah... Crystal...

Absolutley Not.

I put the wine glasses in the lower rack as they cannot fit into the upper racks properly.

Yes, I can lay them down, but then they collect water in low spots and need to be toweled dry.

I have found they come out spotless and cleaner in the lower rack. So I would like to abolish the myth that MOST fine stemwear may be cleaned in the lower rack without fear that they will be found in the filter.

 

[dustin92]

While I have never washed wine glasses in the lower rack (we don't even own any, nobody in our house drinks wine!), I load everyday glasses in the lower rack regularly, and the only ones that have ever broken were in the top rack. The only thing I don't put in the lower rack is lightweight plastic dishes that could be blown out of the rack by the harsh spray.

 

[turquoisedude]

Even the old impeller-wash Mobile-Maid instructions showed how to load large glasses (a pilsner beer glass was illustrated) in the lower rack, but I am still kinda scared to do so...

My later mother busted a really fine crystal red wine glass washing it in the lower rack of the '78 GE Potscrubber (and I swear every time I entertain 'cause I only have 5 of this glasses now...).

Just call me paranoid or chicken or whatever!

 

[zipdang]

Do it!

My stemware goes through the Miele in the lower rack all the time, even on the Pots & Pans program. They are thin Riedel and Spiegelau stems. I've broken several washing them by hand. The dishwasher? Nada.

 

[maytagbear]

I put

My Franciscan crystal in the dishwasher all the time, and so far, it's come through brilliantly. Of course, it is heavy crystal. Cleaning's better on the lower rack.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[58limited]

I ran my crystal chandelier (in parts) through the dishwasher and it was just fine, much easier than hand cleaning it (it had decades of dust on it when I acquired it).

 

I only hand wash my wine glasses and other Hofbauer Red Bird crystal. It has coloring on it that will eventually wear off in the dishwasher.

 

[labboy]

I've done it...

I wash our Riedel wine glasses in the bottom rack of our KDS-22 and our three year old KitchenAid/Whirlpool. Never broken a glass during the cycle...did break one during Handwashing.

Bob

 

[kb0nes]

Glass, provided its properly stress relieved to minimize residual stress after forming, is an AMAZINGLY durable material. Of course the slightest defect makes it amazingly fragile also. Reidel glasses are well made and I'm sure they anneal them properly.

I'm not totally surprised that they have been holding up, as long as nothing hard hits them I'd expect them to live. I'm not surprised at the comments of them breaking during hand washing, I've broken glasses when inserting a wash cloth into them.

A while back I was at a local kitchen store and I saw these Korin Ion Strong glasses demonstrated. The results were astonishing. You stand there and cringe as they just soaked up the impacts!

 

[logixx]

Have washed glasses in the lower rack as well. Manufacturers like Bosch or Miele even have baskets designed for them.

 

[iheartmaytag]

I have washed wine glasses in the lower rack many times with no consequences. I actually believe that reason we are warned not to do so is not so much the water pressure, but the temperature shock the crystal can receive it the heating element is engaged during the dry portion.

In a wine tasting class I was in we were advised to wash our glasses in the dishwasher because it got all the tannin and residue out of the glass. We were then instructed to rinse with plain water and towel dry before service.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

Just to note

Hundreds of thousands of pieces of stemware and crystal are washed in commercial dishmachines every hour in this country alone.  These machines are much hotter and the spray and chemicals much more aggressive than ANY home DW.  If glasses can survive this there should be no problem in the lower rack of a home DW. 

WK78

 

[mich]

Question is...

Why would you wanna?

Your loading in Glasses, in a High Temperature, Very Alkaline Environment and you have the decision of placing them where all the action is, or, a nice, safe, secluded area where they'll be fine.

I personally have never placed glasses, or wineglasses in bottom racks, however, I've noticed that when placed on the top rack, with a high enzyme & alkaline tablet detergent, the Etching begins to destroy the look, and make them look dull.

I don't wanna even think about what would happen on the bottom rack... 

[this post was last edited: 10/17/2013-15:49]

 

[iheartmaytag]

Actually the enzymes are not the "etchers" it's the caustic soda (alkali) in the environment that causes the leaching and etching; usually when soft water is also involved.

So far my Arby's wine glasses have held up and I have put them on the bottom rack when there wasn't room on the top with no incidents to report.

 

[mich]

It's a combination...

Enzymes (Protease & Amylease) when used in a environment where there's not enough food derbies, or just like you said, a dish-washing environment that's very alkaline, start to look at other things to do, and start to attack glassware. 

 

Most detergent now-a-days, contain buffering agents, that start to kill off the Enzymes at certain levels, in a attempt to stop, and prevent such etching from occurring. P&G has a really good formulation of this in there Cascade, and Fairy Line. 

 

If one is really wishing to care for there fine glassware, I personally wouldn't advise the use (this is my opinion) of a Enzyme laden detergent. Gels and Chlorine Formulas, tend to be much more gentle in the preservation, and protection of fine, and everyday glassware. Although, you would be better off washing "good" china in Warm to Hot tap water, instead of placing them in the dishwasher.