What is it with people and putting things in dishwashers that will damage them? All over Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter people talk about weird ways to use your dishwasher. What they don’t consider is whether you should be putting these things in there.
Shoes? Ok. That one sort of makes sense, if you squint. But engine parts? Keyboards? Not only are these going to be damaged themselves, but they’re just as likely to do damage to your dishwasher. We put together a listing of things you shouldn’t run through your dishwasher and just how bad it’s going to be if you do.
Easy Peasy - Grab a dishrag and clean it out.
Anything with Adhesives- This one makes sense, both people doing it and why you shouldn’t. You want to get those jam jars clean before you store them away, or return them. But many adhesives are going to break down when exposed to the heat in your dishwasher and release from what they’re on. If the adhesive is water soluble, not a big deal. You might need to check your grate, but it’s not going to kill your dishwasher. Some though won’t be, and instead of leaving globs of adhesive on the dish in question it can end up stuck to other dishes, or elsewhere inside the dishwasher.
Hollow handled knives- This one is a dual threat. If the knives are larger ones, then the blade can be an issue rattling around inside the dishwasher. The adhesives, like we mentioned above, can also be loosened and lead to the handle coming off.
Computer keyboards - Why? Really, why would anyone do this. But apparently people have. Yes the keys will come out clean, but water and soap will remain in the board and you will have fried your keyboard!
Fish - Again, this one doesn’t make any sense to us. Some people will ‘cook’ the fish in the dishwasher wrapped in tinfoil (which shows up further down the list). So this is bad for two very different reasons.
You have no guarantee that you’re cooking the fish fully so that all pathogens are killed. No one wants Salmonella.
Dishwashers aren’t tested for their ability to cook. They aren’t intended to cook, let alone cook food evenly.
These two things together you’d likely end up with a mess of fish fat and oils all over you dishes, tinfoil residue throughout your dishwasher and improperly cooked fish. Not a good start to a meal.
-Oh No- Get someone else with special tools to clean it.
This is the level when you take a good look at your dishwasher, the remains of material inside it, and decide ‘Nope. I need someone else to get this taken care of.”
Plastic tupperware- We all do it. You get plastic tupperware, it’s the end of the day, why not throw it into the dishwasher? It says it’s dishwasher safe right? Or you’re pretty sure it does. Well the truth is that many of them aren’t, despite saying that. Plastics, especially the thinner, flimsier ones, can easily melt in the heat of your dishwasher. From there, the most common place for it to end up is ‘draped’ over the heating element of your dishwasher. Unless you immediately get the dishwasher open after running and everything emptied out, it’s going to cool and solidify. At that point, it’s a pain in the neck trying to get it out. Can it be done? Yes. Absolutely, we even have a guide for it. However, it’s a pain in the neck.
Aluminum- Once praised for being a ‘rare’ metal, now the most useful material in our kitchens. But much like adhesives, the heat of a dishwasher can truly mess up your aluminum. Whether we’re talking about putting a pie tin, a baking container or tray, they don’t fare well. First off, you’ll almost certainly end up with ugly marks on your dishes, silverware and the dishwasher itself. Also if the aluminum is thin enough, your dishwasher can easily destroy it. Which will end up with aluminum flakes spread throughout your dishwasher.
-Red Dead Dishwasher - It’s toast
Engine Parts- Yes people have actually done this in an attempt to clean off certain parts. Which does make a certain kind of sense. However, your chances of getting that grease out of your dishwasher? Not very high my friends.
Takeout containers- Styrofoam. What happens when you put it into a water filled space? It floats! What about dealing with heat? It melts, twists and catches on fire. So putting it into your dishwasher can end in several bad ways. If you’re lucky, it’ll deteriorate and you’ll be trying to clean out particles from throughout your lines. If you’re unlucky it will melt and fuse to your dishwasher.
Kitchen knives- we’re not talking about utensils. We’re talking about meat cleavers, chefs knives, bread knives etc. These are the larger knives you use for prepping food and people tend to place on the top rack. The problem is that when the knives are rattling around during the wash cycle, they can nick the coating on your dishwasher or the racks. Once that coating is broken, water and minerals can begin to attack the exposed metal and begin to rust it. When rust begins to take over your dishwasher, you’re counting down the time till it’s dead.
(The detergents will also dull your blades over time and you’ll need to get them sharpened more often.)
If you need help with your dishwasher, feel free to schedule an appointment. We want to help you and your dishwasher get back on good terms.
Have you ever had something fall apart in your dishwasher? Let us know in the comments below or over on Facebook