Dishwasher safe or dishwasher safe: which symbols to trust?

Dishwasher-safe or dishwasher-safe: Which symbol can you rely on?

Whether at home or in a restaurant - dishwashers have become an integral part of everyday kitchen life. Instead of laboriously washing dirty dishes by hand, all you have to do is load them up and switch them on. Occasionally, however, there is a rude awakening when the machine is unloaded again: tarnished cutlery and chipped or faded paint on wood and porcelain are the result of unsuitable dishes being washed in the machine. In order to avoid this, there are a number of seals of quality intended to give consumers orientation. These can usually be found as stickers on the packaging or as prints on the bottom of crockery and show how the items are to be handled using pictograms or lettering. However, not all signs are equally reliable. You can find out which symbols you can really rely on and what they mean in the following paragraphs.

Distinction: what is official, what is not?

When it comes to dishwasher suitability, a distinction must be made between symbols that are assigned by the manufacturer themselves and those that are assigned by an independent body such as the TÜV after official testing. While the former primarily refer to the manufacturer's empirical values, the latter follow fixed and uniform specifications and are legally protected.

Official seal of approval for dishwasher suitability

In order for cutlery to bear the RAL-RG 604 mark as being dishwasher-safe, it must withstand at least 1000 washing cycles without damage. This means that ten out of twelve parts must not show any cracks after the test. In addition, no tested part may have rust spots with a diameter of more than 0.4 mm at the end. A circular symbol with two wavy lines and the inscription "dishwasher-safe" in the circle and "according to RAL-RG 604" below is intended to identify dishwasher-safe cutlery. This is usually not found on the cutlery itself, but on the packaging and in the item description in online shops.
Similarly, the DIN standard 12875 applies to crockery. This defines when it can be described as dishwasher-safe. The prerequisite for this is an official test by the TÜV, in which the parts undergo repeated rinsing cycles until wear is visible. The symbol is a pictogram with five jets of water from above and a stylized plate at the bottom right. The number above the test seal indicates how many rinse cycles the item can go through without being damaged.
Since the test for the award of the two official seals of quality is quite expensive, these are mainly found in professional catering or on high-quality parts.

Manufacturer's information

As an alternative to the expensive certificates, numerous manufacturers use the terms "dishwasher-safe" or "dishwasher-safe". These do not enjoy any special legal protection, so they can be used freely. Accordingly, a sign is not precisely defined for something that is dishwasher-safe - the manufacturer can therefore choose to design one himself, to print a note on it or to do without it altogether. There are pictograms on numerous plates and kitchen utensils that depict the inside of a dishwasher in a variety of ways. In contrast to the official signs, however, the manufacturer only guarantees in most cases that the function of these items will not be restricted by the rinse cycle.

Dishes without sign for dishwasher suitability

But what if there is no sign at all? Especially with inexpensive crockery, it can happen that the print fades and the instructions on the floor are no longer recognizable. Some manufacturers also do not print any information from the outset - not out of negligence, but because they take it for granted. When this happens, there are a number of factors to consider when deciding what goes in the dishwasher and what doesn't.

materials

In general, parts made of glass, porcelain, plastic and stainless steel such as the common 18/10 stainless steel can be washed in the machine. Exceptions are crystal glass, where the rinsing process leads to corrosion, and thin-walled cups, which can be damaged by collisions with other parts. Cast iron pots and pans, on the other hand, should definitely be cleaned by hand, as they rust quickly in the dishwasher. Wooden kitchen utensils also do not belong in the dishwasher, as wood swells in water and cracks when it dries - the high temperatures of many dishwashing programs only intensify this effect.
Care should also be taken with silverware: Serving platters or underplates made of silver usually have a coating that is damaged by the washing process. Silver cutlery with a fineness of more than 800 thousandths of silver should also be washed by hand, otherwise it will tarnish. Silverware with a lower silver content, on the other hand, can be put in the dishwasher, contrary to widespread belief, as long as it does not contain stainless steel or aluminum. The former causes the silver to tarnish, while the latter tarnishes itself. In this case, a program with a low temperature should be selected for rinsing.

ornaments

Unlike humans, machines have no concept of caution - the dishes are vigorously shaken during the wash cycle. Filigree decorations and thin handles or stems can quickly break. The combination of heat, water and aggressive cleaning agents also attacks colors and gold rims on cups and plates. Decorated and hand-painted items should therefore be washed by hand.

Conclusion: If in doubt, wash by hand!

As a result, the designations "dishwasher-safe" or "dishwasher-safe" are generally less reliable, which is particularly noticeable with glasses and printed items. Over time, these can become cloudy or fade if they are frequently cleaned in a machine. Another downside of the cheaper in-house seal is the low level of transparency: Many manufacturers state that their kitchen utensils can be cleaned by machine, but not how many rinsing cycles they survive.
Unmarked household goods should generally be handled with care. Although rules of thumb for suitability can be derived from their nature, these are not one hundred percent reliable. Decorations or paint in particular are quickly damaged by machine cleaning.
Intricately printed, painted or decorated items are therefore better kept clean by hand washing than machine washing unless they bear an official mark.

FAQ

What do the symbols with knife and fork or glass and fork mean?
These symbols are often found on plastic tableware. Knives and forks are an RAL quality mark that, among other things, identifies items made of plastic or cardboard as food-safe. Glass and fork mark a product as suitable for food. Ultimately, both symbols mean one and the same thing; if handled properly, no harmful substances are released. Likewise, both have no justification for the dishwasher suitability of an article.
Do I have to wash pots and pans by hand?
Pots and pans, with the exception of enamel pots, are generally not dishwasher safe. Coated parts in particular are severely attacked by the combination of heat and aggressive cleaning agents; this will ruin the non-stick coating in the long run. The pot or pan itself is often rust-free, but the screws on the handles are not.
Can knives go in the dishwasher? Washing cutlery knives in the machine is no problem. Sharp knives, on the other hand, are attacked by the combination of salt, water, heat and detergent. A loss of sharpness can often be seen after just one rinse cycle.
How can glass corrosion be prevented?
Unfortunately, there is no panacea that keeps glasses clear. Even dishwasher safe glasses can be damaged if washed incorrectly. However, in order to prevent glass corrosion, it helps to combat the individual factors. In this way, scratches can be avoided if glasses are placed at a certain distance. Lower temperatures and a smaller amount of rinse aid further reduce the stress on glasses from machine cleaning.
Where do brown stains on dishes come from?
Brown spots are usually rust film. This occurs when rust particles come off and stick to the surfaces of plates or cutlery. These particles usually come from non-stainless screws on pots or pans. This can be prevented by locating and removing the rusted parts and emptying the dishwasher as quickly as possible after the wash cycle is complete.
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