Kitchen Items that Should Not Be Washed in a Dishwasher

Many kitchen items are dishwasher safe but there are just as many that should not be put in the dishwasher. Some kitchen items will claim to be dishwasher safe but after repeated washings they don't hold up. I have discovered which ones should and should not be washed in the dishwasher by trial and error.

Do Not Put Anodized Pots and Pans in the Dishwasher

Anodized pots and pans are those cooking pots that have a dark coating. Many pans are dark gray on the outside. The heat from the drying process of you dishwasher will cause the outside of these pans to whiten and it breaks down the non-stick portion of the pan.

The anodized pans that I have came with a lifetime warranty that is only valid if you do NOT wash them in the dishwasher. Unfortunately, you have to hand wash anodized pots and pans.

Do Not Put Good Knives in the Dishwasher

Knives may rust if they remain wet after you put them in the dishwasher so I suggest that you hand wash knives and dry them immediately. Also if your knives have wood handles then the drying process will dry out the wood and crack the handles.

Plastic handled utensils may also crack with drying process. I had a nice set of steak knives with a heavy plastic handle. The handle was held in place by rivets and the handle cracked on either side of the rivet after one time in the dishwasher.

Do Not Put Decorative Platters or Bowls in the Dishwasher

Use your best judgment with holiday platters and bowls. If your holiday platter or bowl is made of a lighter plastic then it is not dishwasher safe even if you put it on the top rack.

I have some really nice ceramic Christmas platters that don't feel like they could hold up in the dishwasher. I have always hand washed them because I'm afraid that the clanking of plates or the heat of the drying process will break the plates.

Do Not Put Your Toilet Seat in the Dishwasher

This thought may not have occurred to most of you but I recently replaced a toilet seat in our upstairs bathroom. On the package it said that the seat was dishwasher safe. After thinking about this one I decided that putting my toilet seat in the dishwasher was even more disgusting than wiping it down with disinfectant. There are just some things I wouldn't want in my dishwasher.

The bottom line is when in doubt hand wash an item. You won't have any regrets about a kitchen item getting ruined in the dishwasher.