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11 Items You Should Never Put In The Dishwasher

Don't even THINK about throwing your good kitchen knife in.
By 

Taste Senior Editor, HuffPost

If it weren't for the dishwasher, the world would be a sad mess of dirty dishes. Because no matter how quickly you wash dishes, there's always a great big pile of ones that need cleaning. It's cooking's biggest downfall -- so many dishes. Dishwashers, in their glorious and mechanical way, have made the world a better, cleaner place.

The dishwasher has one major pitfall though -- it has made you lazy. All of you out there who are lucky enough to have one of these appliances in your house know how tempting it is to put every single dirty thing that enters your kitchen into the dishwasher. Family China? Why not. $300 Japanese kitchen knife? Sure, throw it in. Pots and pans? Load them up!

This is a BIG mistake, guys. The dishwasher, while great in so many ways, is way too rough for many of our most prized kitchen items. Before you start loading the rack with abandon, check out the 11 things that should NEVER go in the dishwasher.

1
Good Kitchen Knives
Adam Gault via Getty Images
Knives are more fragile than you might think. The agitation of the dishwasher's cycle makes the blade dull. It can also get all kinds of dings and scratches from hitting other objects.
2
Any Cast Iron
Alex Hayden via Getty Images
DON'T DO IT! Those who are believers in the cast iron skillet know how much work goes into getting one well-seasoned. Putting a cast iron through the dishwasher will strip all that seasoning right off -- and it can also cause the iron to rust.
3
Wooden Spoons And Spatulas
GYRO PHOTOGRAPHY/amanaimagesRF via Getty Images
Before putting anything made from wood in the dishwasher, check the manufacturer's instructions. Wooden items can easily warp, crack, come apart or lose their finish with the high temperatures of the dishwasher.
4
Crystal And Hand-Painted Glass
Image Source via Getty Images
Are you insane? Of course crystal shouldn't go in the dishwasher. That's just like throwing your beautiful glasses on the floor. Crystal and hand-blown glass are sensitive to heat so they run the risk of cracking in the dishwasher. But that's not the only risk. Detergents can chip at them, causing them to lose their shine. It's bad news all around guys.
5
Gold-Colored Flatware
Jen Gotch via Getty Images
We're guessing that if you have gold-colored flatware you bought it because of its beautiful gold color. Unfortunately for you, that means you've got to hand wash them. Throw them in the dishwasher and watch them fade.
6
Non-Stick Pots And Pans
Brian Hagiwara via Getty Images
Many Teflon pots and pans loss their "non stick" quality when washed in the dishwasher. It's better to err on the side of caution and wash these by hand.
7
Hollow-Handle Knives
They're just not strong enough to handle a dishwasher's rough and tough cycle. Most of them are attached by adhesives that can loosen when washed in a dishwasher.
8
Disposable Aluminum
Jeff Kauck via Getty Images
It's not what happens to these guys, but the damage they can do to everything else -- like leaving black marks -- while banging about the dishwasher.
9
Disposable Soft Plastics
Chobani
According to the Whirlpool site, plastics are dishwasher safe -- though you should check with the manufacturer's recommendations first -- but disposable plastics are not. So those yogurt containers that you double as Tupperware, best to wash those by hand. (And plastics that can withstand the heat of the dishwasher should only be loaded on the top rack.)
10
Cans And Bottles
Navarro
If you want to rinse cans and bottles to recycle or reuse, you're better off washing them by hand. Labels attached with glue can loosen and clog the spray arms or pump and affect dishwasher performance.
11
Gold-Trim Plates
Macy's
The dishwasher LOVES to eat away at gold coloring. Keep these dishes out of there!

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