Having a dishwasher in your kitchen can be a huge time saver. Not only can you get all your dishes and silverware clean, but you can also use your dishwasher to clean and sanitize a variety of other items from around your home. While there are almost countless items you can clean in your dishwasher, there are also a few things you should never put in your dishwasher. The constant spraying of super hot water and exposure to the heated dry cycle can lead to accidental damage. Here are seven items that should never be put in the dishwasher.
Wooden Utensils
Wooden utensils are great for cooking, but they are somewhat finicky when it comes to being cleaned. You can’t throw them in the dishwasher or let them soak in water like you can plastic or silicone utensils because the water can seep in to the wood. This alone can cause it to start to make the utensil fall apart, but also consider that wood expands and contracts with temperature changes. A dishwasher cycle will expose the wooden utensils to a constant barrage of hot water for the duration of the cycle. Then, if the heated dry cycle is on, you are going to blast the already hot, wet wood with a whole lot of extra heat. Combine the water and the heat changes, and you are destined to ruin your wooden utensils by putting them in the dishwasher too many times. It’s best to simply hand wash and immediately dry these items to keep them in good working condition.
Wooden Cutting Boards
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of how water and heat can damage wood in general, it should be no surprise that the next item on this list is a wooden cutting board. Just like those wooden utensils can get damaged by the water and heat of a dishwashing cycle, so can a wooden cutting board. A wooden cutting board can probably withstand a few rounds in the dishwasher, but eventually it’s going to start breaking down the protective coating that the board came with. When this happens, the wood will start to warp, it will start to become rough, and you may actually have little slivers of wood start to separate and fall away from the board. Protect your good wooden cutting boards by hand washing them, immediately drying them with a clean towel, and them to sit on the counter to air dry completely. Getting all the moisture off the board is key to keeping these cutting boards in excellent condition.
Good Knives
Not only should you not put your cutting board through the dishwasher, but you also should not put your knives through a cycle. A set of good knives is an investment for your kitchen, so you want to make sure you are caring for them correctly. When you put knives in the dishwasher, the impact of streams of water hitting them can cause them to collide with other items. This causes them to become dulled and even chipped. Also, I’ve discovered the hard way that leaving knives in the dishwasher for any amount of time after the cycle runs causes the knives to accumulate rust. Dulling, chips, and rust are obviously not things that you want to have happen to your expensive knives, so washing and immediately drying them will allow you to continue chopping and cutting with ease.
Cast Iron
While you may be able to get away with putting a few items on this list into the dishwasher once or twice, cast iron pans are something that you should absolutely never put in the dishwasher. The reason for this is because you have likely spent a lot of time trying to season that cast iron pan. The seasoning is made up of layers of oils that can be stripped by a single cycle in the dishwasher. Don’t ruin all the work you’ve put in to creating the perfect cast iron pan by throwing it in the dishwasher. In fact, don’t even hand wash it. A cast iron pan can be kept in ideal condition by simply wiping it out with a damp rag after each use. Or, do as most of our grandmas did and just keep it on the stove top with a layer of last night’s oil still in the bottom of the pan. Your call, but just don’t put it in the dishwasher!
Hand-Painted Dishes
Another item that absolutely should never go in the dishwasher are hand-painted dishes. I have a set of super cute plates and bowls that I bought in Ecuador during a study abroad semester in college. I have used these dishes on and off for the last 15 years, and all of them look great … except the one that was put through the dishwasher. The dish that was exposed to the heat of the dishwasher has cracked paint and looks like it is going to break in to a million pieces one of these days. Hand painted, artisan dishes are often not able to withstand the extremely high temperatures of the water and dry cycle of the dishwasher. Unless the dishes specifically say they are dishwasher safe, avoid the dishwasher at all costs and hand wash those pieces of work.
Insulated Mugs and Bottles
The next item on the list is one that I struggle with, and admit that I cheat with a few times. Insulated mugs and bottles should not go in the dishwasher because the heat can cause the damage to the layers. Once that happens, cracks and water leaks start to happen. If you’ve had an insulated water bottle that suddenly has water stuck in between the inside and outside layers, you’ve likely damaged it through putting it in the dishwasher. While it’s easy to see the water leaks on clear water bottles, the same thing happens, but unseen, with insulated mugs. If you pull your mug out of the dishwasher and have water drip out of it, or you can shake it and hear water stuck, you’ve damaged the mug and made it much less effective at keeping your drinks hot. Protect your insulated bottles and mugs by washing them in the sink with soapy water and a sponge or dish brush.
Adhesives
The final item on the list is one that is an inconvenience rather than something that can be damaged in the dishwasher. The last item I’ll recommend to never be put in a dishwasher is adhesive. If you’re the type of person who likes to save jars and containers to use them again, or to simply maintain good recycling practices, you may throw the jars and containers through a cycle in the dishwasher. This is all well and good, unless you forget to remove the label before running the cycle. Remember, removing a sticker is tough work, but removing a WET sticker is next to impossible. Save yourself the annoyance of a gooey mess and remove all stickers, labels, and other adhesives before adding any water to the situation.
Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home.
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