Dishwasher Safe – What Does it Mean?

You know, it’s a pretty common occurrence for us to have dishwashers in that need repairs. Here at Repair Aid, we always see one issue – people are putting the wrong dishes into their machine and creating problems. It’s not something we’re accusing people in a wrong way; instead, we’ve come to realise that there’s not a clear definition of what ‘dishwasher safe‘ is. To try and remedy this situation, we’re going to be examining the idea of what’s safe to put in your machine and what isn’t, so that you can prevent errors like this for yourself.

Dishwasher Safe – A Definition

So, to begin with, we’re going to be taking a look at what dishwasher safe means.

Definition:
dishwashable – Able to be washed in a dishwasher without harm (dishwasher safe)

In essence, an item that is dishwasher safe is one which can cope with the high temperatures and bombardment of water and cleaning chemicals. Typically, the pieces are treated to achieve this task. However, it’s also important to note that the process also affords the machine a degree of protection too, as anyone who’s tried to wash a plastic with a low melting point will have discovered!

How Are Things Made Dishwasher Safe?

It’s always important to try and understand how an item is dishwasher safe because this can have a severe impact on how you look at them and the care you take when loading a dishwasher.

You’ll find that glass is the most common item to be washed and goes through a process where it is ‘annealed’ or ‘tempered’. These additions mean that the glass, during production, is cooled slowly to ensure that any weaknesses in the structure are evened out. This process makes it more likely to resist the high temperatures. If you temper a glass, you’re strengthening it via the use of thermal and chemical processes.

Other materials which commonly get washed are ceramics and certain types of plastics. Ceramics are often toughened in the same way that glass is. However, you’ll find that a glaze is applied here to make sure that there’s no chance for things to break.

Plastic takes a slightly different approach. There are few materials which have been made with dishwasher use in mind, so it’s generally best to avoid washing it in this manner. However, if you’ve bought the plastic new, be sure to check if there’s a ‘dishwasher safe’ sticker on it because that will indicate whether you can use it or not.

All in all, a product is dishwasher safe when it is treated a certain way and has been prepped for the temperatures and pressure. Not every item in your home can be put into a dishwasher, so you should try and check when you’re unsure. However, the majority will have stickers on them that indicate whether they’re safe or not, so look out for those!

We’re always keeping up to date here at Repair Aid because we want to make sure that no matter what happens, you’re getting the very best concerning service.