Dishwashers are a wonderful invention, you can thank the hard work of Josephine Cochran for that. She invented the first practical fully functioning dishwasher in the 1800s after two previous failed attempts by Joel Houghton and L.A. Alexander.
After a long hard day at the office, the last thing you want is to come home and have to stand at the sink and wash a ton of dishes.
Purpose of a Dishwasher
A dishwasher as the name suggests is a machine used to wash your dishes. It is common for plates and bigger items to be placed on the bottom rack and glassware and cups to go on the top rack. It cleans soiled crockery by forcing jets of water and detergent over the items forcing all the food and debris to fall off. It really is magic, your dishes go in dirty and come out clean and dry.
It isn’t as simple as stacking the dishwasher with everything you have used during the day. Believe it or not, there are certain pieces of kitchenware that can not be placed in a dishwasher, for various reasons.
If you turn your kitchenware over or look at the bottom of your items you will find a little symbol that will tell you if an item is dishwasher safe. There is not just one universal dishwasher safe symbol and the majority of manufacturers have their own symbols. Commonly used symbols include:
Two dishes, one big and one small being sprayed with water
One dish in a rack and water droplets
There is a common misconception that the symbol with a fork and glass means an item is safe to be put in the dishwasher, this is incorrect. This symbol simply means that the item is safe to come into contact with food.
If something is dishwasher safe, this means that it has been treated specifically to be able to handle the high temperatures of the dishwasher and the strong detergents and tablets.
So what are some items that can't go in a dishwasher:
Crystal - The high heat and detergents can also cause the crystal itself to become cloudy or to chip.
Your Good Knives - they can dull and rust when placed in the dishwasher
Wooden Items - These can become warped due to high heat and can end up splitting
Non-Stick - the non-stick element can be stripped away, check manufacturers instructions
If you are ever unsure about a specific cookware item, always check with the manufacturer just to be on the safe side.
Occasionally your dishwasher just doesn’t want to work anymore and you may be finding more often than not your dishes are coming out dirty. There is a solution for this, maybe the pipes are dirty and clogged. You should be cleaning your dishwasher regularly to stop the build-up of dirt and old food. However, if you have cleaned it and unclogged any leftover food in the bottom then a dishwasher repair service can come and inspect it for you, fixing any serious issues it may be having.
We hope this helps your dishwasher live a bit longer and you have learnt what you can and can't put into your dishwasher.