What Brand Has the Fastest Dishwasher?

 Finding out which dishwasher has the shortest cycle time to make your life easier. 

Table of Contents

The Heavyweights

The  Mid-Tier 

The Lightweights

And the  Best of the Best 

Speed is everything when your to-do list is always getting longer. You've got to get dishes done, but it's one of the worst jobs ever, and you want dinner to be on the table by... when? And of course you need dishes in order to make and serve the food. So the dishwasher is one of the workhorses in your kitchen, even if you hate having to load it and get everything clean.  

Fortunately, speed is one of the things that dishwasher makers have been focusing on of late, so let's take a look at where we're at. 

An important note before we go on, all our research has been gathered together from a third party doing extensive testing and research. All dishwashers were tested when set to their basic settings for a normal wash.

The Heavyweight Dishwashers

These are the longest cycles on our list today. Don't let that dissuade you though, as they are also some of our best rated machines as well.  Out of 100 possible points, testing for washing, drying, noise level and energy usage, all three of these scored 70 or higher. (It doesn't sound great, but many machines don't score over 70, and very few score over 90.) Out of these three, the Thermador did the best, with a solid 84 points. 

How well these are rated though, is only one part of why you're here though. You're wondering why you should bother trading off speed for one of these. That is where the points come into it. Although each of these takes roughly 2.5 hours to run a load of dishes, they all do very well at making sure the dishes really get clean. Whether you're dealing with baked on foods, dishes that have been sitting in the sink all week, or that coffee cup you forgot was in your office, all of these are great for tackling built up food. That's where the trade off often comes in, of speed versus depth of cleaning.  

The Thermador dishwasher did the best at getting baked on food cleaned off, as well as being energy efficient. We also loved just how much you could fit into it at one time and that it displayed the remaining amount of time left in the cycle.

Cafe CDT805P2NS1 - $983 - 155 min 

Thermador DWSD650 - 1399 - 155 min 

Whirlpool WTA50SAKZ - $759 - 150 min 

The Mid-Tier Dishwashers

Let's move on to the mid tier selection. Here we've shaved off ten minutes on the standard time for the cycle length. Both the LG and the Kenmore are 24 inch counter depth dishwashers.  The LG would have actually scored higher than the Kenmore if it wasn't for the known issues over time that many owners cite with LG products in general. We love the True Steam function as well as the adjustable racks and we're especially pleased by the Energy Star certification. 

LG LDT7808BM - $1200 - 145 min 

Kenmore 14573 - $845 - 145 min

The Light weights

Next up, we have some of the fastest dishwashers on the market as of right now.  If you notice, all of them are just over 2 hours and all of them are under $1000. The question that we have to ask, which is the best of the four?  After looking all of them over closely, the Ikea Essentiell is surprisingly the best. It does the best at both washing and drying the dishes, as well as being very efficient with energy. The biggest issues for us were that it was noisy and the interior coating is plastic. As we've mentioned in the past, having a plastic coating can be problematic over the life of the dishwasher. This is a fantastic dishwasher if you're looking to outfit an apartment or rental property as it's cheap, energy efficient and very good at getting things clean. 

KitchenAid KDFE104HPS - $854 - 135 min 

Ikea Essentiell (80.655.85) - $580 - 135 min

Thor Kitchen HDW2401ss - $899 - 130 min 

Samsung DW80K505OUS - $600 - 130 min 

And the Best of the Best 

Bosch Ascenta - 595 - Cycle length 95 min 

Drumroll please, here we have the best of the best, the fastest dishwasher available on the market right now. We've got the Bosch Ascenta at a cycle length of 95 minutes. That's an hour and 35 minutes. You can get everything washed in the time it takes you to make a good meal.  It also scores the best out of all of the dishwashers on the list of 88 points. It scored the best on washing, drying, noise level and customer satisfaction. This is Bosch after all, and as we've seen in the past, they make very reliable appliances. 

What we wanted to know was, "what makes a dishwasher fast? What are they giving up by being faster?" 

Most fast dishwashers give you adjustable settings so you can choose a shorter cycle at the expense of a through cleaning. But the research shows that that's not the case with the Bosch Ascenta. As we said earlier, all of the dishwashers are tested on a standard cycle for their speed, washing and drying capabilities. And after digging around and finding nothing, we have to assume that the information for what makes a dishwasher fast is proprietary.  It might have something to do with the speed of the internal water jets, or the temperatures that the water is heated to. Let us know what you think it might be, or if you have any insight! 

With all of this in mind, let us know which one are you most interested in? Do you value speed or strength when it comes to your dishwasher? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear from you! 

If your dishwasher is giving fits but you're not interested in buying a new one, we can help! Give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or head over to our contact page to set up an appointment that works for you. Wherever you are in the Dallas area we can help get your home running smoothly again. 

Important note: We have heard about the Thermador Star Series. We didn't include that one on our list because these are the base speeds for the dishwashers, not specialized settings. We will have to do a review of the Thermador at some point in the future. 

Additional Reading

Dishwasher Deep Dive 

What Can vs Can’t go into a dishwasher 

Help I melted plastic in my dishwasher(!) 

7 Areas to Clean Today to Prevent Home Disasters Tomorrow

Also known as: Seven areas to keep clean if you don't want a bigger mess.

Table of Contents

Gutters

Air Ducts 

Dryer Duct

Refrigerator Coils

Washer Filter

Dishwasher Filter

Shower Drain

The worst thing about washing machines is that they have to be cleaned. Most of us don’t even think about that. The problem is that by not doing so, you can end up with some horrible messes. Absolute disasters of messes if we’re being honest.  It’s not just your washing machine though, it’s also several other places around your home that need to be cleaned regularly to prevent a variety of disasters around the home. 

Gutters

When To Do It: Twice a year, best at the end of fall and spring. 

Why To Do It:  If your gutters aren't cleaned regularly, you will get a buildup of leaves and other debris. Not so big a deal, until that starts to rot in summer or freeze in winter. Then the gutters get heavier and over time will start to pull away from your house. Or they might just overflow in certain sections where you don't see it. Which if you're lucky, will lead to an overwatered section of your garden. If you're not lucky it can lead to a molded wall and destabilization of your home's foundation. 

How To Do It:  To put it simply, you'll want a three-step process. First, you want to go by eye to look for areas that are damaged or overflowing, or possibly pulling away from the roof. From there you'll need a ladder so that you can go ahead and dig everything out. Whether you're dealing with compacted leaves and debris or just some slight build-up, you'll want gloves and a  trashcan at least. Your final step is using a hose, to check that you've gotten everything cleaned out.  For a more in-depth guide, check out the additional reading at the bottom of the post. 

Air Ducts

 When To Do It: Every 3 to 5 years, fewer if you have pets that shed. 

Why To Do It : This one isn't as obvious a threat to your home.  For many of us it just means a little extra hair or dust floating in our homes. Over time though it can lead to mold, mildew, and fire hazard in your home. Which can sound weird. Mold, mildew and a potential fire hazard? Yup. During the wetter times, air can become trapped in the ducts and the build-up, leading to mold and mildew spreading throughout the ducting system and your home. During dry seasons though, when the material trapped in the system is bone dry, you can end up with a fire hazard. 

How To Do It: Call a professional for this one. While all of the others can be done with only one or two tools, in order to do the best job of cleaning out all of the ducting in your home, you want to call a professional in. (Sadly, that's not us.  We'll happily fix your appliances though!) 

Dryer Duct

When To Do It: Twice a year, best in spring and fall. 

Why To Do It: Much like your air ducts, your dryer duct is sucking dust, dirt, pet hair, dander, and other materials out of the air and your dryer. That gets caught in the dryer duct and over time it becomes compacted. This is a fire hazard, especially given how dry it is kept. While cleaning out your lint trap every time you run your dryer is a good start, it's doesn't get rid of everything. Cleaning it out will also make your dryer work more efficiently and effectively, allowing for air to flow freely. 

How To Do It: Always start with unplugging and disconnecting your dryer from any sources of power, be it gas or electric. From there, take a vacuum and clean up as much of the inside of the dryer, and the vents inside and outside as possible. Then, use a dryer tool to work the lint-free inside the duct itself. This is a long-handled tool with a brush attachment that you can pick up at your local hardware store for relatively cheap. Once you've done that, grab your vacuum again and suck up everything from where you were working on the duct and from inside the duct itself.  Reconnect everything carefully, turning the power back on as the final step and you're good to go! 

Refrigerator Coils

When To Do It: Once a year, more often if you have pets that shed a lot.

Why To Do It:  The coils are part of the system that keeps your refrigerator cool. If the coils are covered in dust and hair, then your refrigerator has to work overtime and will have a shorter life for it. 

Image courtesy of Mark Florence

How To Do It: Start by transferring as much of your food to a cooler as you can, to lighten the load. Then unplug it and go looking for the coils. Sometimes they'll be under a panel in the front, on the back, or on top if you have a built-in unit. Once you've found your coils, you'll want to grab your vacuum and a dust mask, these coils are going to be covered in a very fine dust that you don't want to breathe in. Now use a long-handled brush to gently scrape away at the coils. You want to go on top of them and between them, trying to remove as much of the dirt as possible. Once you're done with that, vacuum up all of the ick and go enjoy a hot shower. 

Washer Filter

When To Do It: Once a month.

Why To Do It: Your washer filter, as we've discussed in the past, catches much of the larger debris and soap scum that comes off of your clothing during the wash.  If that filter is covered over, with soap, with dirt, with debris, then the water can't pass through and it will begin to back up. It can even lead to the washing machine flooding over, and you needing to clean or even replace your floors. 

How To Do It: Most of the time, a front-loading washer is meant to save you pain and annoyance... Sadly that's not the case when it comes to cleaning your filters. Look on the front for a  small door, and lay out a towel and something like a casserole dish. On opening the door you should find a hose and a drain pump filter. Pull the plug from the hose and let the water empty out into your dish. There's going to be a fair amount of water in there, and it's probably going to reek and be full of ick. Once nothing else is coming out, unscrew the filter, wait for water to stop dripping out of that, and pull out the filter. It will probably have slime on it, and you might even find coins. No, this isn't where the goblins stash all of your lost socks (sadly.) Dump out the filter, and use an old toothbrush and some warm water to scrub it clean. 

If you have a top loading machine, you're in luck! The filter is going to be in the drum or on the back, but check your manual if you can't quite find it. Once you've located it, it's easy to pull out and rinse with hot water. 

Dishwasher Filter

When To Do It: Once a month 

Why To Do It: Your dishwasher filter is much like your washer filter. It collects dirt and food debris and keeps it from going out with the water. (Because that would lead to the drain becoming clogged over time.) At first, this issue can lead to dishes not getting cleaned properly, and with time to the machine flooding. Not fun!

How To Do It: Remove your lower rack and look for a mesh filter on the floor of your dishwasher. If you don't see what we're talking about, grab your manual to find out where the manufacturers hid it. Found it? Ok, at this point, it should be a matter of unscrewing the filter and rinsing it with hot water and soap, and then pop it back in. Nice and easy, and it keeps your kitchen from flooding. 

Shower Drain

When To Do It:  Some will say when the water becomes ankle deep. We say you should do it as soon as you notice the water is beginning to back up.

Why To Do It: Flooding bathtubs. That's all we have to say. And just. EW.  

How To Do It:  Grab a facemask, some old clothes, and a drain snake. Some people will say to start with a drain cleaner, like draino but as long-hair having people, we suggest starting with a snake. Wriggle it around until it goes all the way down your drain and then draw it out. It's going to be gross. It's going to be a lot of hair, dirt, and soap scum. We know.  Depending on when the last time this was done, you might have to do this more than once. Once you've pulled everything that you can out, grab a kettle, boil some water and send that down the drain. Let that do its work and then an hour later, you can hit the drain with a drain cleaner. For best results, we advise letting that sit overnight, this way it's undisturbed for several hours.  If that doesn't clean up the issues with water backing up, we'll advise calling a plumber as the problem could be more than just a clog in your drain. 

Congrats you've just tackled seven of the most common problems in owning a home. As you saw each of these problems can cause serious issues, many of them involving water, soap, and ick going everywhere. Did we miss any areas? Are there appliances or other major areas that you're curious about how to clean? drop us a line over on our Facebook page or in the comments below. We'd love to hear from you. 

If doing all of this cleaning hasn't solved the issues that your refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher or dryer are giving you, you might want to give us a call. We'll work with you to set up a time that fits your schedule, and help to not only determine what the problem is, but more importantly, to fix it. At Appliance Rescue Service, we're not happy until we've gotten your appliances back in tip-top shape. 

You can call us at ((214) 599-0055) or reach out to us on our contact page to set up an appointment time that works for you. 

Additional Reading:

Gutters 

Cleaning Your Refrigerator

How to Deep Clean Your Dishwasher

Dryer Duct

How and Why You Should Clean Your Washing Machine

No, Really, Your Washing Machine Needs This.

No, Really, Your Washing Machine Needs This.

Table of Contents:

Why You Should Clean Your Washing Machine

How To Clean Your Washing Machine

It's a common myth that your washing machine cleans itself as it cleans your clothes. Unfortunately, it is just that. A myth. As your washing machine gets everything else clean, it can build up dirt, detergent, and hard water residue. So, how do you fix that, and what happens if you don't? 

Why You Should Clean Your Washing Machine (Ie what happens if you don't.) 

Sure it makes sense. If you're constantly washing things in it, the washing machine should be kept clean. Buuut that's sadly not how it works, at least not any more than your towels always being clean because you use them to dry yourself off when you're clean. With every wash cycle, your washing machine rinses away dirt, grime, and detergent.  That dirt has to go somewhere, right? If you don't clean your washing machine regularly all of that grime can build up inside the machine, as well as mildew. Yup, mildew. 

Have you ever opened your washer after several days only to have it smell wet and rank? A smell that's somewhere between long rotted leaves and a wet dog. That's caused by leaving your front-loading machine closed in between washes. The tight seal on the door means that the drum can't dry out completely, so mildew and mold can begin to grow inside the drum.  (And no, just running a new wash won't wash away the mold, sadly. A front-loading machine doesn't fill up all the way in comparison to a top-loading machine.) 

The ick on the agitator is mildew, the top of the drum is dirt, and at the chlorine tray is just floating debris.
Photo Courtesy of Practically Functional

How To Clean Your Washing Machine 

Fortunately, there are easy ways to solve the problems in both of these cases. 

If you're looking to remove the moldy smell, all you need to do is do an empty cycle of your machine, with an extra rinse, using a half cup of bleach and no detergent. This will kill any mildew inside of the drum and sterilize the entire thing. 

If you're trying to get rid of dirt, detergent residue, and hard water, on the other hand, you're going to need to go a bit more in-depth.  

- Start by grabbing anything you can that's easily removable. Take that to your sink, grab an old toothbrush, some white vinegar, and some dishsoap. Mix up a quick solution and allow the parts to soak in it while you go back to your washer. 

- Use a cloth, the toothbrush, and the vinegar to scrub all of the crevices inside the machine. Throw on a podcast or an audiobook while you're doing this, it'll make life easier. 

- If your front-loading machine has a rubber gasket, make sure you get that cleaned too, but use a clean cloth instead of the toothbrush. You don't want to accidentally damage it, or pull it away from its seal. 

-Many machines will have a trap that's meant to catch debris, hair, pet fur and other things. Consult your manual, or the manufacturer's website to find out where it is for your model.  Once you've found it, empty it, soak it in white vinegar and then gently scrub with a toothbrush to get it clean again. 

-Once you've done all of that, rinse the small parts with clean, cool water, dry them off and replace them into the machine. Next, pour four cups of white vinegar into your washer's tub while it's empty.  Run that on the longest and hottest wash cycle, without adding anything to it. No detergent, no clothing, nada. Once the cycle is finished running, take a soft sponge (so one without a rough side to it) and clean the inside of the washer. Then run another cycle with just water to remove any of the leftover vinegar. 

Once you've gotten your washing machine clean for the first time, make sure to get yourself into the habit of doing it once a month. After the first time it's much easier, and you won't have to do as much work. Like many of the other home tips we offer, these types of preventative maintenance are best done on a regular schedule so that you don't end up having to rush to fix a major problem. 

Thank you for coming to hang out with us this week! What is the strangest thing you've ever had happen with your washing machine? Tel us in the comments below, or over on our Facebook page. As always, we'd love to hear from you. 

If your washing machine has gone past the point of "it just needs a good scrubbing" it might be time to call in a professional. Fortunately, we can help. Whether you live in Allen, Copeland, or Dallas, Appliance Rescue Service has you covered. Just head over to our contact page or give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) to set up an appointment time that works for you. 

What Can't Your Favorite Kitchen Tools Do?

 Air Fryers, Multi-Cookers and Slow Cookers, They can't actually do everything? 

Table of Contents: 

Slow Cookers

Airfryer

Multi-Cooker 

So many of us get new kitchen toys for Christmas or just after Thanksgiving. They go on sale and we go "Ooh shiny!" And honestly? That's great! Anything that gets people cooking more and spending time experimenting with food is good in our books (and not just because we're an appliance repair company.) The thing is though, what /can't/ those tools do? What do you never want to put into a slow cooker? Or your airfryer? What about the shiny new Instant Pot? They all have things that you don't want to try and make with them, but no one really says what they are. They just talk about all the wonderful things they have made. That's where this post comes in. We're taking a look at some of the things you really shouldn't ask of your kitchen tools. 

Slow Cookers

Ahh, our beloved slow cookers. They're great for summer, and busy days, and any time you need to keep a lot of food warm over a long period, without destroying it. We love them! Unfortunately, there are some food types that they just don't handle well due to the way they're designed. 

-Slow Cookers Don't Do Well With Lean Meats

While you /can/ cook them in a slow cooker, it's extraordinarily difficult to get them to come out right. You want your meat to be tender and flavorful, not dry and tough. Unfortunately, the leaner a piece of meat is, and the longer it's exposed to heat, the tougher and dryer it becomes. For a cut like a tenderloin, sirloin or round roast, the longer you keep them cooking, the more likely they are to toughen up.  Rather than having to baby them, which defeats the purpose of the slow cooker, it's better to a) choose a different cut of meat with more fat to it, or b) cook the meat a different way to ensure it remains the most flavorful. 

-Slow Cookers Can't Cook Fish

Much like lean meats, fish are finicky. They don't need to be heated for long periods. They'll either break down and become indistinguishable from the rest of the food, or become horribly overcooked.  

-Slow Cookers Are No Good for Recipes That Need to Be Seared

Slow cookers do low, moist heat over a long period of time. Searing uses a high heat and very short period of time. Your slow cooker just can't do that. 

Air Fryer

Your air fryer is designed to dry cook food quickly and at high temperatures, circulating air and oil around the food. This leads to an even cooking that is going to dry foods out, which doesn't work out well for some types of food.  

-Air Fryers Are No Good For Fibrous Vegetables

An air fryer is meant to heat foods up quickly and fry them similar to a deep fryer, but without all of the fat. Unfortunately, when it comes to fibrous vegetables, they don't do good with this method of cooking. They need longer cooking times in order for them to break down and become soft enough to eat. 

Some examples of fibrous veggies are asparagus, green beans, beetroot, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage. 

-Air Fryers Aren't Good for Feeding Large Groups of People 

No, we're serious on this one. Unless you want to be in the kitchen making round after round of food and not actually getting to enjoy spending time with anyone, we don't advise trying to feed a large group of people this way. An air fryer just doesn't have the capacity for that much food, unless you bought an industrial one, in which case, be our guest! 

-Air Fryers Don't deal well with Battered Foods

Well, to be more specific, they don't deal well with wet battered foods. Think of things like fried chicken, corn dogs or fried oreos. All of those are a wet batter that you dip the food into and then fry. That doesn't work in an air fryer because the batter falls off through the tray or just slides off the food entirely, leaving things less than ideal. 

-Air Fryers Aren't Good with Soft or Sticky Ingredients 

If it's likely to stick to other things, or the basket, your air fryer won't like this. Air fryers are meant to have air circulating around all of the pieces, and things that are sticky are going to  make that difficult. 

Multi-Cooker

It can pressure cook, it can fry, it can act like a crock pot, it can even saute or make yogurt! What can't a multi-cooker do? Well, there are a few things. 

Multi Cookers - There's No Point If You Can Make it On The Stove

So if you've had your multi-cooker since Christmas, as many received them for gifts this year, you've probably learned this. Your multi-cooker will almost always require time to come up to pressure. That, plus the amount of time it takes to actually cook whatever you're wanting is typically going to be more than 12 minutes. So, if it's faster to cook it on the stove? Do it that way. 

Multi Cookers Don't Like "Add As You Go" Cooking

Bouncing right off the last idea of 'pressure' means that your multi-cooker doesn't really like recipes that require things to be added in stages. It's great for foods that can be done all in one go or are just a portion of the final meal. Say you're making seasoned beans as part of your burrito night. That, your multi-cooker is great for! But if you want to make a soup? Where you're constantly adding things at different times? Not so much. For each step that you have to pause the cooking mode, let the seal release and then come back up to pressure once you've added it, it's just not going to end well. 

Multi-Cookers Ruin Delicate Vegetables

Delicate vegetables like leafy greens, fine curls of carrots or your multicolored green beans shouldn't go into a multi-cooker. The vegetables don't stand up to the high heat and pressure of the multi-cooker and you end up with a gross mush of what used to be perfectly delicious vegetables. 

A few more examples of delicate vegetables: 

Zucchini 

Lettuce

Snap Peas

Snow Peas

Asparagus 

Tomatoes

Fennel

Multi-Cookers and Dairy Don't Mix 

But Blogger!, we hear you cry, you said that we could make yogurt! That's a dairy! 

And you are right dear reader.  

The thing is for the pressure cooker aspect of a multi-cooker, that's when you can't use milk or milk products. They'll boil over and scorch. They can also foam or froth depending on how you treat them, which will clog up your steam release valve, which is a guaranteed route to danger. (Check out our post on dangers in the kitchen to see more on that one. ) Last but not least, whenn putting milk into a pressure cooker you run the risk of the milk separating and giving you a seriously gross outcome. 

We know that many people have done in-depth experiments with their different kitchen tools finding ways to work around these issues. Some of them work, some of them don't.  We will say that we're talking in general about what these tools can do, and not hunting down the arcane secrets that people have discovered. If we can't test them ourselves, we don't want to recommend them to you. And trying to test all of the possibilities out there would end up being a VERY large grocery bill haha. 

Have you found a way around any of these issues?  Or do you have lists of foods that we missed?  Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page, as always we'd love to hear from you! 

What happens though if you ended up here because your larger appliances are giving you fits (sadly we don't work on any of these smaller appliances just yet.) Not to worry, you're in the right place. We work on all of your major appliances, including dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, stoves, and ice machines. Whatever it is that's making you want to tear your hair out, we've got you covered. At Appliance Rescue Service, we're not satisfied until you are. You can get hold of us by giving us a call at ((214) 599-0055 ) or by going to our contact page and setting up an appointment that fits your schedule.  

True or False : 18 Things You Thought Could Go in The Dishwasher

How Good Are You At Knowing The Difference For What Can Go Into Your Dishwasher?

We've all had to check the internet for whether something could go into the dishwasher or not. It's late (or really early) and you just want to get the dishes done with so that you can go on with your day. Dishwashers are supposed to make things easy right? Just load it up and let it run. Unfortunately there are many things that just don't belong for a variety of reasons.  Test your prowess with our quiz below to see just how many you know. 

Let’s Get Started

+One - Insulated glasses, tumblers, and thermoses

False!

+Two - Bathroom accessories

True! Scrubbing your toothbrush clean can be gross. You've got toothpaste which feels so gross when it's wet, and just icky when you try to scratch it off. You've got soap residue which is slimy when wet and gross and sticky when dry. Then you have mold that can build up due to how warm and wet it gets in your bathroom. (Unless you're taking cold showers every day? Some people do.) Fortunately, your dishwasher is here to save the day. You can toss in all sorts of things from your bathroom, and they'll come out clean all without having to get things built up under your nails.

+Three - Acrylic dishes

False!

+Four - Plastic Hairbrushes

True! Have you ever looked at one of your hairbrushes after taking off the hair and noticed that it still had buildup on it? That's a mix of styling proucts and the natural oils from your scalp. Thankfully, you can get rid of that by putting it through the dishwasher. Ideally, you'd do this once a month. Just make sure not to do this with wooden hair brushes or ones with natural boar bristles. Both can be damaged by the soap and the hot water from the dishwasher.

+Five - Ashtrays

False! Ash trays are covered in, well, ash. Because of how fine that is, it can become clogged in your dishwasher's filter and lead to a dishwasher that just won't drain. We suggest using soap and an old toothbrush if you want to get your ashtrays looking good as new.

+ Six - Baseball caps

True! Oh no! Some jerk at your kid's football game got mustard on your baseball cap. It's cool, your dishwasher can clean it right up. Don't put soap on it, just rinse with cold water and put it on the top rack. We will say that you need to double check what the brim is made of first though. If it's a newer cap, you should be fine. But many older caps had cardboard brims and that can't go into the dishwasher.

+Seven - Wineglasses

False! While there are many glass makers that claim their wares can go through the dishwasher, this is only true on a technicality. While the glass can stand up to hundreds of cycles with harsh detergents without being damaged, they can't stand up to the dishwasher itself, or human error. Yup. Whether it's the glass being taller than the dishwasher itself or glasses being rattled around and shoved against the tiens and each other, it's very likley that your wine glasses will end up broken by putting them through the dishwasher.

+Eight - Ceramic knives

False! Not only will your ceramic knives likely catch on the coating of your rack, but they can also chip from being jostled around druing the wash cycle.

+Nine - Vacuum Cleaner Attachments

True! Since they're made of a heavy duty plastic, most are dishwasher safe. Make sure to double check your owners manual first, but if they give the all clear, you can run a load of just the different attachments and brushes and get them nice and clean.

+Ten - Lead Crystal

False! Crystal is heat sensitive, so it's very prone to cracking, and detergent can cause them to chip. Most importantly, lead can be leached out of your crystal, leaving them cloudy, and if it's not all washed away, potentially hazardous to your health.

+Eleven - Kitchen Tools - Metal and plastic only

True! Many of the things you use around your kitchen can be put through the dishwasher to be cleaned and sterilized themselves. Sponges, scrub brushes, drain plugs, sturdy plastic cutting boards or drainage trays, even plastic or metal shelving you have around the kitchen can go through the dishwasher provided you make room for it.

+Twelve - Flip-flops

True! Just getting back from the beach and you want to get your flops clean again? No worries. Your dishwasher has you covered. Rinse off any remaining dirt, mud, or sand either in your kitchen sink or and then loop the tongs around one of the tines on the top rack. Turn the dishwasher on like you normally would and you're good to go! Your flops will be looking lovely in a short run cycle.

+Thirteen - Wood -

Includes wooden spoons, bowls, chopping boards and wooden-handled knives. False! Wooden tools will absorb water and crack over time. It won't show at first, but the water will seep in and force the fibers of the wood apart slowly, until eventually the pieces split apart. So unless you're keen on splinters, we advse washing these lovely tools by hand.

+Fourteen - Refrigerator Components

True! Do you have any removeable bits in your refrigerator? The fruit and veggie drawers, that removeable butter tray, the shelves that you can move around for maximum storage capability? all of those can go into the dishwasher. Every three months or so is a great way to keep your dishwasher clean and sparkly. Now, if there are any metal shelves, you'll want to make sure that they're coated in rubber so that they don't chip the inside of your dishwasher. Make sure to dry them completely before with a microfiber cloth to keep them from growing mold.

+Fifteen - Gardening Tools

True! While you might usually give them a quick rinse outside in between uses, a more thorough cleaning is good before you put them away for winter. To that end, rinse off any leftover dirt, and make sure they're not aluminum before popping them in. Make sure to dry them by hand with a clean towel once they're out, and thoroughly to prevent rust.

+Sixteen - Pewter

False! Pewter is a very soft metal, with a melting point of just 400* Farenheit. It's all too easy for it to be warped by the heat of the dishwasher. On top of that the soaps you use or the foods you eat can cause pewter to become discolored.

+Seventeen - Graters and Sieves

False! The blades on the bottom of your grates have sharp edges that can either corrode or break off in the dishwasher. Seives on the other hand are more likely to rust.

+Eighteen - Metal Vent Covers

True! If your top rack is removeable you can send these through the dishwasher every six months, not only will they look nicer, but they'll also do better at keeping your house free from dust. Be sure to dry them completely before reinstalling them.

Points Total

1-6 - Dishwasher Beginner

7-12 - Kitchen Adept

13-18 - Ruler of the Dishes

So? How did you do? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page!
If on the other hand you ended up here because you ran one of these things through your dishwasher and now your dishwasher is spitting suds at you, we can help. Just give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or go to our contact page to set up an appointment. At Appliance Rescue Service, we’re here to help. 

Additional Reading: 

Help I melted Plastic in my Dishwasher