What Happens If You Put Your China In The Dishwasher? Experts Explain

Whether you’re entertaining for the holidays or simply decided to use the good china on your average Wednesday night, chances are you’ve considered the best (and quickest) way to clean these treasured items. It can be tempting to load everything into the dishwasher and hope for the best, but if you’re working with heirlooms, Elizabeth Shields, operations manager at Super Cleaning Service, Louisville, advises thinking again. “Once damaged, no repair or replacement can bring that history back,” she says.

While the hand-painted finishes and metal detailing of our passed-down patterns are more susceptible to losing their luster in the dishwasher, newer china made in the past 20 years might be safe for a delicate load. Mattia Sala, product manager at SMEG USA, hopes the ability to safely put china in the dishwasher without fear of damage will help entice homeowners to bust out the good stuff more often. With that in mind, Sala and Shields share everything you need to know about putting your china in the dishwasher—without making Grandma cringe.

Meet the Experts

• Elizabeth Shields is the operations manager at Super Cleaning Service, Louisville.

• Mattia Sala is a product manager at SMEG USA.

Why Proper Care Matters

Dishwasher damage can be sneaky. A little tap can be all it takes to chip a rim, Shields says, plus even if your dishes look okay coming out of the machine, they could be more fragile and susceptible to damage next time. For these reasons, the cleaning pro says it’s best to focus on prevention, rather than repair. “That gold rim on your grandma’s heirloom saucer will never shine like it did originally,” she says. “If dishes get warped or slightly bent, you can’t reshape porcelain without breaking it.”

That being said, using your dishwasher to care for china that is safe for machine cleaning can help simplify its care, making it easier to reach for your treasured pieces the next time you set the table. According to a recent survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of SMEG,  almost half of homeowners don’t use their special occasion items every day because of the fear of damage. Confirming the proper care required of your special pieces can help preserve their beauty and ensure you get them on the table far more often.

How To Know If Your China Pattern Is Safe for Dishwashing

Knowing whether or not your china is safe for the dishwasher is important for mitigating the risk associated with improper care. Sala says an easy way to determine if you’re in the clear to go ahead and load that washer up is by checking the bottom of your china. Modern pieces will likely be marked with a stamp that confirms they’re dishwasher safe. “If there is no marking, the china is older than 20 years old, hand-painted, or has metal detailing, it is not advised to use the dishwasher,” she says.

Even if you’ve checked all the boxes and your pattern is safe for machine washing, Shields recommends inspecting pieces prior to loading. If you spot any cracks, handwash instead, as these pieces are already compromised and a dishwasher cycle—no matter how gentle—could compound the damage. Handwashing eight 40-piece place settings can be a chore, but when it comes to Grandma’s passed-down china, we would rather be safe than sorry.

Dishwasher Settings for Washing China

Once you’ve determined your china is safe for the dishwasher, there’s still the matter of which settings to use. Sala and Shields share their best tips for ensuring clean dishes without a scratch to show for it.

Face Your Plates Inward – “Put items that are safe to wash on the top rack only, facing inward and not touching other pieces,” advises Shields. “Bowls should nest lightly and cups should sit angled so water can run off.” Always ensure your heavier items are far away on the bottom rack to avoid any jostling or bumping.

Utilize the Third Rack – If your dishwasher has a third rack, Sala recommends using it for smaller items like cutlery, short glassware, and espresso cups. “This leaves space for bulkier items on the bottom rack, avoids precarious stacking, and keeps higher temperature water at a distance to avoid any damage,” she says.

Go For Gentle Detergent – Sala recommends using half the usual amount of gentle detergent. This can help preserve the luster and appearance of your fine china by not exposing it to the harsher chemicals found in heavier duty formulas.

Don’t Neglect Specialty Features – If you’re lucky enough to have a dishwasher with specialty features like SMEG’s WinePro, an accessory included in their new line of dishwashers that allows for better handling of delicate items like stemware, use it. Oftentimes it can make it possible to dishwash items that would otherwise need to be handwashed.

Always Use the Gentle Cycle – Don’t just set it and forget it. Toggling your dishwasher settings based on the contents is just as important as reconfiguring your clothes washer’s settings with each load. Sala recommends looking for programs like Crystal, Delicate, or China, as these are usually the most gentle programming options available on your unit. They’ll utilizer lower water temperatures and use softer sprays. “If your machine has an ‘air dry’ or ‘energy saver’ option, use it,” says Shields. “If not, cancel the heated dry and crack the door open a little after the rinse to speed air drying.”

Read the original article on Southern Living