Contrary to popular belief, you can put silver in the dishwasher without causing harm, provided that you are careful to follow a simple set of rules.
I grew up being fearful of the oddest things. I wasn’t bold enough to question why, so I just did as I was told. Here’s one: Never, ever put silver in the dishwasher. Ever!
I didn’t know what would happen if I did, but you can be sure that my fear of the unknown made certain I didn’t come close to finding out—until my rebellious years.
Once I had my own china and my own silver, I was reckless enough to believe that I wouldn’t go to jail if I violated this particular “Thou shalt not!” I was reminded of what I’ve learned about putting silver in the dishwasher when the following question showed up in my inbox:
“I have a set of silver flatware that I use daily and wash in the dishwasher. I notice that after a few times through a normal cycle, the pieces become very tarnished. It is not a particularly good set, just a nice set of flatware for daily use. Do you think that the dishwashing detergent is tarnishing the silver?”—Anne
Dear Anne: I believe that the serious problem is the way that you’re loading the machine and also your choice of dishwasher detergent.
Tarnish Versus Electrolytic Reaction
Tarnish results when sulfur in the air reacts with silver. What you see on your flatware that has been through the dishwasher is not tarnish but rather an electrolytic reaction that occurs when silver comes in direct contact with other types of metal in the dishwashing process. I’m going to assume that you include other items in the dishwasher along with the silver pieces. But don’t worry—there’s an easy way to prevent this.Polishing Versus Cleaning
It’s important to know that when it comes to silver, cleaning and polishing are not the same. Polishing should be an occasional activity, while cleaning is something that you do to your silver after every meal. The dishwasher is an excellent way to take care of cleaning silver plate as well as sterling silver flatware.Rule No. 1
Only solid flatware and silver pieces belong in the dishwasher. That means no pearl handles, no items with glue joints, and no weighted/reinforced items. Also, if your flatware includes knives with hollow handles, you must not put those knives into the dishwasher; they must be washed by hand.Rule No. 2
Rinse off all silver pieces immediately after use. Don’t let food sit on silver, as it may cause corrosion or pitting.Rule No. 3
Don’t let the silver pieces touch any other type of metal, including stainless steel, which will leave marks on your silver that are very difficult to remove. It will require a good silver polish, such as the one mentioned earlier, and a lot of elbow grease.Rule No. 4
When washing silver in the dishwasher, stick with the normal or delicate cycle, not a heavy-duty setting or high-temp sanitizing type option.Rule No. 5
When washing silver in the dishwasher, avoid automatic dishwasher detergent that contains lemon, citrus, or phosphates. Cascade Complete Powder is an excellent choice, as it is phosphate-free with no lemon or citrus added. Its ingredients: soda ash, sodium silicate, and sodium percarbonate—all safe for silver.Now you have every reason to use your silver and enjoy it!
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