Is putting plastic in the dishwasher safe? This topic has much debate since many plastics label themselves as “dishwasher safe”. Think about it, if we do not recommend heating plastic in the microwave, should we be heating it in the dishwasher? My dishwasher uses extremely hot water. This is what gets all that grime off the dishes! If your dishwasher is heating up to high temperatures isn’t it feasible that leaching of chemicals in plastic could occur? My opinion is YES! Some of you may even use the “heated dry” button, an option to have your dishes heated to a high temperature to dry them so they are spotless! Again heating is the issue! The debate on this topic is whether or not it affects you since you do not have food in the container. Some researchers suggest that you are still breaking down the plastic and there is still a potential risk for contamination to your food.
My suggestion is to wash all plastic by hand! Also if you make the switch to glass you can use your dishwasher all you want! In my home I have purchased a few NEW unheated BPA free containers for dry snacks for the kids to carry in the car. These containers DO NOT go in the microware or the dishwasher, hand wash only. It really isn’t that hard to wash just a few items daily if you have made the switch to glass for cooking and eating. Seriously I was a “plastic-nut” and over the last three months I have found the transition easy! (I really love opening the dishwasher and not having all that plastic sitting in there with water filled in it from being tipped over!)
In the end there is debate on this topic but for me it was easy to make the change and play it safe. If you knew that by washing a few plastic dishes you may be reducing your family’s risk for cancer wouldn’t you make the change?