Can crystal be washed in a dishwasher: how not to spoil my mother’s vases?

Crystal products can be washed in a dishwasher, but care must be taken. Dishes from valuable material can become cloudy, become covered with cracks and yellowish stains, if mistakes are made:

• incorrect mode selection;
• use unsuitable detergent

Such a nuisance happened to me when I didn’t want to bother with the manual washing of the crystal salad bowl and I just put it in the dishwasher already filled, choosing the classic washing mode. Instead of the expected brilliance, I got a dull glass with stains.

To prevent such a nuisance from happening to you, I’ll tell you which dishes made of crystal cannot be washed in the machine even in delicate mode, and in which case an electric assistant will save time and effort.

Precautionary measures

Crystal, despite its external similarity to glass, remains a gentle and capricious material: it quickly dims under the influence of high temperatures, from the slightest damage it becomes covered with scratches and cracks.

Knowing these features, I advise you not to use a dishwasher to wash the following types of crystal dishes:

• thin glasses or wine glasses - under the influence of a strong pressure of water there is a high risk that brittle material will crack or burst;
• products with gilding or a printed pattern - under the influence of a detergent, the pattern will first fade and then completely disappear;
• collection items of colored crystal - no one can guarantee that after automatic washing the dishes will not become cloudy or crack;
• objects with an abundance of fine details - even a slight vibration, coupled with the pressure of water, can lead to the fact that the vase or glass is covered with cracks.

All other crystal products, especially the so-called “Soviet” vases, salad bowls, bowls and glasses, can be safely washed in a dishwasher, following some recommendations.

How to wash crystal in a dishwasher?

So that after the “water procedures” the dishes look like new, I recommend that you adhere to the following rules:

• Wash mode. Ideal if the dishwasher already has a Crystal mode or a Delicate tableware. If not, I advise you to choose the mode in which the water will not be hotter than 40 degrees. This will help the crystal to remain transparent and sparkling.
• Detergent. I recommend using only liquid preparations, as they gently wash the dishes and do not lead to scratches or scuffs.
• Bookmark in typewriter. Crystal should be washed separately from other dishes, while arranging vases and glasses at a distance from each other and carefully fix using special stands or silicone holders. If there are pieces of food on the dishes, they must be carefully cleaned before laying.
• Frequency of washing. For me personally, a dishwasher is a kind of prevention, I wash it in crystal about once every six months, the rest of the time I prefer to hand wash in cool water. If you use such utensils constantly, then even in this case I advise you to wash it by hand, since vibration and strong water pressure in the machine will not benefit delicate material.

So, my advice is to wash crystal products in a dishwasher, but do not forget about the above recommendations. Thanks to this, you will not spoil valuable things, they will delight you and your loved ones for many years.

Svetlana Kotova, housewife