apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Cleaning Up: What Do You NOT Put in the Dishwasher?

2008_09_04-dishes.jpgThis is the scene on our kitchen counter every night after dinner. You can see our dishwasher in the corner, full of dishes and silverware. We run it infrequently, because we hand wash a lot of stuff — pots, mixing bowls, fancy glasses, anything plastic...

 
 

We always hand wash our knives, and we thought it was because the blades can dull more quickly in the dishwasher. But we've also read that keeping knives out of the dishwasher is simply because the blades can damage cutlery baskets or cut you as you unload.

Either way, we tend to think of knives like our All-Clad pans: If it's an expensive item that we cherish (and rely on constantly), we like to hand wash. Despite the fact that we have a brand-new dishwasher with a delicate setting, we just don't know what goes on once that door is closed. Also, because we don't run the dishwasher every day, we can't wait for certain things we use daily to get clean.

We hand wash our plastic take-out containers simply because the water beads up and never quite dries when they go in the dishwasher. We end up towel drying them anyway.

So, your turn. Are we in the norm here with our hand-washed items? For those of you with dishwashers, what do you never put in them?

Related: Survey: Sponge or Dishcloth?

(Image: Elizabeth Passarella)

Tags

Surveys, Cleaning, dishwasher, dishes

Share

Comments (36)

I put everything in the dishwasher. Copper bottomed pans, champagne flutes, plastic containers, flower vases, wood cutting boards, ikea dishes and everything else that will fit. I think the only thing I categorically don't put in is my pewter.

It's my understanding that the dish detergent is what's harsh - not the dishwasher itself. I always use the speed cycle, use gel detergent and only fill the detergent cup 1/2 full at most.

posted by caw261 on September 4th 2008 at 7:30am
view caw261's profile

I put everything in there too...

posted by djohnson on September 4th 2008 at 7:35am
view djohnson's profile

I have the same dishwasher.

I do not put my MAC knives in there.

posted by art on September 4th 2008 at 7:50am
view art's profile

Are you kidding me?

The dishwasher is for MY convenience. EVERYTHING goes in there. If you let plasticware drain, and maybe put a little bit of fan on it, it will dry.

Dull knives? Use a sharpener. Be careful when you load and unload them, and they won't cut you OR the racks.

I may run my dishwasher 2 or three times a day on cooking days. If I wanted to hand-wash, I wouldn't have bought one :-)

They're just DISHES! That's what the dishwasher is for....to wash them. Let it do its job.

posted by gharkness on September 4th 2008 at 8:12am
view gharkness's profile

I almost always just handwash because I hardly ever have enough dirty dishes to run the dishwasher. In fact, the dishwasher is usually my drying rack. But when I do have a party, I'll put almost everything in the dishwasher.

One of my pet peeves is when people load the dishwasher incorrectly and you end up with bowls and cups of soapy water.

And I still kid my cousin (MIT graduate) about the time she ran the dishwasher with regular dishwashing detergent instead of dishwasher detergent.

posted by joyosity on September 4th 2008 at 8:20am
view joyosity's profile

I don't put a lot of things in the dishwasher either. Never knives, never wine glasses, never cookware, never wood. We have a new set of pasta bowls that we haven't dishwashed yet in order to preserve the printed pattern. I will put my food processor parts in there only if I've had dough or other hard to remove food in there that I want to make sure gets out.

Our counter looks just like yours after dinner, it's not that I love washing dishes but I'd much rather preserve what I've paid a lot of money to build up for as long as possible. If that means a few extra minutes of scrubbing and drying, so be it.

posted by bobcatsteph3 on September 4th 2008 at 8:20am
view bobcatsteph3's profile

i keep my shun knives out of the dishwasher and pots/pans because of space

posted by sugarpond on September 4th 2008 at 8:21am
view sugarpond's profile

Hmm. Plastic goes in, but nothing wood, and none of the good knives (I've always thought it was to keep the handle from separating from the blade or something to that effect). My meat cutting board, cookie sheets, and any pots and pans that will fit (aluminum or that nice dishwasher-safe Le Creuset but not nonstick or cast iron, of course). So there are always one or two things drying on the counter, but not as many as pictured. I also live in the desert, so anything that ends up slightly damp can just sit on the counter and air-dry for five minutes and then it will pretty much be dry enough to put away (same with the wood cutting board, give it a wipe and it will be dry in a minute). Hnad-washing is also for stuff that just takes up too much space to be reasonable (colander, BIG pasta pot). We don't really have stuff that's too delicate to go in like crystal or fine china.

posted by Anne (in Reno) on September 4th 2008 at 8:27am
view Anne (in Reno)'s profile

I don't have a dishwasher so that would be everything.

posted by sally599 on September 4th 2008 at 8:36am
view sally599's profile

My knives and cast iron never -ever- go in the dishwasher. I also prefer to hand-wash my cutting boards and non-stick cookware, but these are optional.

Then again my outlook may have grown askew over the past 4 years, during which I've gone without a dishwasher.

posted by ebcndc on September 4th 2008 at 8:56am
view ebcndc's profile

never wine glasses... or any glasses i'm particularly attached to. still need to teach the new roomie which ones are open to use by anyone, but should never go in the death, er, washing machine.

and never never never will i load up my french press!

posted by closertotheocean on September 4th 2008 at 9:07am
view closertotheocean's profile

My dishwasher's name is Brad. He washes most things, but occasionally overlooks a glass or two.

posted by violet222 on September 4th 2008 at 9:15am
view violet222's profile

I don't have a dishwasher.
If I did, i wouldn't put in pots and pans, mixing bowls or wine glasses.

posted by revolution9 on September 4th 2008 at 9:22am
view revolution9's profile

pewter?

posted by labchick on September 4th 2008 at 9:39am
view labchick's profile

I won't put my knives, mesh strainers, wood (unless they've been in contact with raw meat--I have plastic cutting boards for that, though), wok, or iron skillet and grill pan in there. I often don't generate enough dishes to run the washer, and since I won't run it when it's not full, it just makes more sense to hand wash and then use the dishwasher as a drying rack. I even wash as I cook--no biggie, since it takes like 30 seconds.

posted by OneWallKitchen on September 4th 2008 at 10:07am
view OneWallKitchen's profile

I officially hate all of you people for whom this is even a question.

Mine is a dishwasher-free apartment. Blast!

posted by ScienceandtheCity on September 4th 2008 at 11:15am
view ScienceandtheCity's profile

i wish i had a dishwasher! sigh.

posted by 2T on September 4th 2008 at 11:20am
view 2T's profile

Cast-iron doesn't go in - duh.

The good knives don't either, but only because my husband is wound tight like that. I'd chuck them in if it were just me.

And I have a couple of vintage glass vases that do not go in - the detergents might etch them, which would be pretty tragic.

Other than that - it all goes in.

Really - not washing all-clad in the dishwasher??? I mean, it's meant to take FAR more abuse than any dishwasher - why would you hand-wash pots? This makes no sense to me.

posted by brenjay on September 4th 2008 at 11:31am
view brenjay's profile

If I think something can't go into the dishwasher, I don't buy it. Anything that holds water when it is turned upside down is out. Wine glasses with stems: out. China with gold or silver leaf: out.

Obviously the good knives and my cast iron pan are hand wash only (these were gifts). If I replace that pan with an enameled le creuset, it will go in the dishwasher. I have these cheap bamboo cooking utensils that don't warp in the dishwasher. I put expensive stuff in too, and I've never had a problem.

posted by raven on September 4th 2008 at 12:22pm
view raven's profile

Everything in the dishwasher. There just aren't enough hours in the day to spend them dishwashing. I have Mad Men to watch. I was washing my All-Clad LTD--which you're not supposed to put in the dishwasher--by hand and finally couldn't take it anymore and just started putting them in the dishwasher. Any future All-Clad purchases will be stainless steel. Pots and pans sometimes need a little more cleaning after they come out of my dishwasher, but at least most of the work is done.

I vowed years ago when I was still renting never again to live without a dishwasher or a washer/dryer, so it's a top priority when in the home market.

posted by Pixie on September 4th 2008 at 12:58pm
view Pixie's profile

Anything that says it can be put in the dishwasher goes in the dishwasher. Why should I have to handwash a sink that's full of dishes when I have a perfectly good dishwasher at the ready?

posted by thenewmrsw on September 4th 2008 at 1:33pm
view thenewmrsw's profile

never put your vintage pyrex in the dishwasher!

posted by snickitysnack on September 4th 2008 at 2:19pm
view snickitysnack's profile

Pretty much the things that say "not dishwasher safe" don't go in the dishwasher.

Wood anything.

Knives. (As in the sharp ones - chef, paring, etc. Bad bad bad.) Manufacturer warns as no-no.

Calphalon hard anodized pans. Manufacturer warns as no-no.

Oxo food storage containers. Manufacturer warns as no-no.

KitchenAid non coated paddle, bread hook, etc. Manufacturer warns as no-no.

Little tupperware type things that tip upside down in the dishwasher and when the cycle is done are full of dirty water.

Pans that don't fit.

Things that take up too much space, like big bowls - it's a waste.

posted by cara_mia on September 4th 2008 at 2:29pm
view cara_mia's profile

The heat from the dishwasher can damage the handles on your knives, depending on what the handles are made of.

(This site needs an "edit post" option.)

posted by cara_mia on September 4th 2008 at 2:31pm
view cara_mia's profile

i used to not have a dishwasher and i detest washing dishes. now i have one and put everything in there. i'll even leave it out if it's full and put stuff in the next time. the only thing i really wash is my good knife and once in awhile a bowl or two. but pots and pans go in for sure.

posted by terka27 on September 4th 2008 at 4:56pm
view terka27's profile

Everything in my house goes through the dishwasher. But mainly because I am the dishwasher.

posted by seidhr on September 4th 2008 at 6:52pm
view seidhr's profile

no silver, cast iron, or crystal goes in...

my husband puts in the all-clad, which i usually fish out -- sometimes it washes great, but often, I am left with handwashing stuff that has been baked-on --ughh

posted by mschatelaine on September 4th 2008 at 8:40pm
view mschatelaine's profile

I didn't have a dishwasher in my last apartment, and I decided it was an essential feature in any apartment I rent in the future.

I hand-wash my non-stick pans, my nice knives, stem ware, and large space-wasting bowls. Everything else goes in the dishwasher. I always run it on water-saver without the heated dry and use gel detergent.

posted by jamiealyse on September 5th 2008 at 7:01am
view jamiealyse's profile

never wood, cast iron, my calphalon pans, or nice knives.

im wondering why my calphalon contemp. nonstick pans arent allowed in the dishwasher, while the exact nonstick pans with a stainless steel exterior are?? doesnt make sense to me.

also, my flatware always ends up looking terrible after the dishwasher gets em. clean of food, yes, but sort of discolored.. dont know how to explain it. stained almost. does anyone know how to avoid that without having to wash ever single piece by hand?

posted by deeboyayay on September 5th 2008 at 7:03am
view deeboyayay's profile

snickity -THANK YOU.

I am a vintage housewares nut, and there is nothing more painful than seeing piles or vintage glassware with designs and colors faded to nothingness because people popped them in the dishwasher.

Nothing, even new glassware, with painted designs should EVER be put in the washer. Please. For future generations!

So of course, I had a dishwasher until last month, but we used it as an oversize drying rack. It was so much easier than waiting until the dishwasher was full, which tended to coincide with when my roommate and I ran out of dishes. But then, I also fine dishwashing relaxing...

posted by kasa on September 5th 2008 at 7:20am
view kasa's profile

Perhaps I'm behind the times but...what kind if dishwasher is that? It looks like a drawer, which I've never seen before.

posted by splim on September 5th 2008 at 9:56am
view splim's profile

I despise washing dishes, so everything that can go in goes. That being said, there are a few exceptions that get hand-washed: the two very nice knives we got as a wedding gift, the plastic cutting board that warps if put in the dishwasher, and the [insert profanity here] pots and pans my husband got from his mother before we met and are not dishwasher safe.

Honestly, the idea of owning pots and pans that have to be washed by hand escapes me, and I regularly express my disgust at the idea. Especially when more often than not, I'm the one doing the washing and drying of said pots and pans.

One day I might just snap and those precious pots and pans (that were ridiculously expensive too, I'm sure) might just disappear altogether, at which point I'll be here, asking AP/Kitchn readers for suggestions on great pots and pans sets that are dishwasher safe.

posted by kls987 on September 5th 2008 at 12:16pm
view kls987's profile

I don't understand the desire to put pots and pans in the dishwasher? It seems like such a waste of water and electricity, since they take up so much room. I cram that thing as full as I possibly can!

(And I don't leave the water running when I do dishes. I want one of these in my next kitchen to waste even less water.)

posted by cara_mia on September 5th 2008 at 12:30pm
view cara_mia's profile

Wood,
good knives,
cast iron (incl. le creuset),
my really really good china and stemware (pickard and riedel)

And VINTAGE PYREX and FIRE KING!!

I had a roommate who ruined most of my peach lustreware Fire King. I got rid of the roommate, lol

posted by ohjodi on September 9th 2008 at 4:15pm
view ohjodi's profile

Stuff that only goes in the top rack - plastic, glass

Stuff that doesn't go in - wood, nice crystal (as opposed to questionably crystal I got off craigslist for free), good knives, anything i want to use immediately.

Everything else is fair game, even pots and pans. That is why I bought stainless steel in the first place - it's indestructible! Most days I really don't care if there are water spots, but if company's coming over I hand dry them to keep them looking spotless.

posted by irry on July 22nd 2009 at 6:23pm
view irry's profile

I never put anything wood in the dishwasher (cutting board, brushes, wooden spoons, wood handle knives). Any pots and pans that recommend not going in the dishwasher get handwashed. My travel coffee mugs also do not go in the dishwasher.

posted by ssmith on September 2nd 2009 at 6:27pm
view ssmith's profile