Eli5: Why shouldn’t you put home made ceramics (a mug, for example) through the dishwasher? If they can withstand the heat of a kiln, surely a dishwasher is fine?

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I mean, I put them through the dishwasher sometimes anyway, but I’m told I shouldn’t? 🤷🏻‍♀️

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27 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

After moving to an old house without a dishwasher, I’ve never broken more ceramic dishes as they bang or slip out of my hands entirely and are chipped, smashed, dead.

Anonymous 0 Comments

My mother was a potter. She passed away 13 years ago (RIP).

She always insisted that her stuff was made to be used , not hung on a wall! All of our set dishes is going on 18 years old of regular use and dishwasher washing.

Admittedly, over that span, a few (10-ish%) have cracked for various reasons. But I’d imagine you’d have a similar rate from commercial stuff.

Well made ceramic dish ware should be able to run through the dishwasher. If it can’t, it’s wall art.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Its not the heat. The ceramic is hard but brittle. The concentrated jet spray hitting the wrong spot where there’s a micro-crack or any imperfection could break pieces off.

Anonymous 0 Comments

This is the 21st century! WHY am I washing a mug by hand? Into the dishwasher you go.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Never know. I was given 4 coffee mugs as a wedding present many years ago. Marriage ended 55 ago but I have used those mugs every day in the microwave and they go through the dishwasher almost as often. My big fear is dropping one.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Chemist here. You can. If you care about it, bad things might happen, but if you have lots of mugs and don’t care about losing a few an evolutionary process will take place where only the strong survive.

If it can’t survive the dishwasher, it just didn’t want to live anymore. So sad.

Disclaimer: none of my chemistry knowledge was used to make this statement. I’m just lazy and don’t like handwashing.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Crazing (cracks in glaze) can occur in the dishwasher when the glaze and ceramic expand differently. Say the glaze expands less/slower than the ceramic and when the item swells it pushes on the glaze layer, breaking it. Hand washing subjects the item to less heat and thermal expansion.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I think one of the concerns besides it possibly breaking is that if it has any unsealed areas, like those that tend to be at the bottom, it can absorb too much water. If you then go to use that ceramic piece in a hot oven or the microwave before that water has had enough time to really dry out (which can take longer than expected with glazed items) that water will quickly expand into steam which can shatter the item. I don’t know if this is true for everything, but I think I read this as a warning on my Corning-ware set I got a while back.

Anonymous 0 Comments

They can absorb water and explode in your microwave. Maybe it’s unlikely but you roll the dice every time. If it’s never going to be microwaved like a fruit bowl or something, do whatever but it’s not good for the longevity of the piece to leave it soaking in water for extended periods. The abrasives in the soap can also wreck some glazes.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Person who heavily supports local potter’s here, everyone should! Stop buying commercially made ceramic! I put all mine through the dishwasher, they’re perfectly fine after many washes. Almost all food safe ceramic is fired at high enough temp that it doesn’t matter they won’t take in any moisture from a dishwasher. And to be food safe they have to be glazed aka protected. Some glazes are weird but I don’t know a respectable potter who would lable ceramics glazed with those as food safe.