Making wooden items "dishwasher safe"

[AndrewPritchard]

Does anyone have any experience with making items (I'm thinking plates, bowls, goblets etc), dishwasher proof? I'm wondering if 2 part epoxy might work, or at least make them last longer.

[BonPacific]

It's a lost cause. Wood's biggest enemies are water and heat. The dishwasher exposes them to massive amounts of both.

You could theoretically embed (cast) wood into a solid chunk of epoxy, but then the epoxy is going to get scratched and hazy from the dishwasher. You'll also lose most of what makes wooden objects desirable in the first place.

[AndrewPritchard]

That's what I thought.

[drzaius]

I don't think you could ever make it work. Even microscopic cracks will admit moisture, especially in the hot, wet environment of a dishwasher. And once a little gets in, the wood swells a little & the cracks will propagate. Vicious circle.

[Marmotjr]

Not to mention you have to use food grade epoxy, which from my (light) research, is very expensive.  

[wtnhighlander]

Ha! I doubt any utensil or dish made of wood will harm your dishwasher, so they're all dishwasher safe!

 

We actually do wash wooden spoons & spatulas in the dishwasher, and so far, so good. We out them on the upper rack, and I finish them with just mineral oil. Frequent re-application is required.

 

Not so sure about bowls, platters, or especially cutting boards. I think the larger cross-grain dimensions would be subject to more movement, and nothing with a glue joint belongs in that environment.

[RichardA]

I gave a cutting board to a local friend, the idiot girl he was living with put it in the dishwasher, and what came out was sticks.  Water and heat kills any glued up wood.  Oh, I made him another one and she wasn't allowed to touch it.

[AndrewPritchard]

7 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

Ha! I doubt any utensil or dish made of wood will harm your dishwasher, so they're all dishwasher safe!

 

We actually do wash wooden spoons & spatulas in the dishwasher, and so far, so good. We out them on the upper rack, and I finish them with just mineral oil. Frequent re-application is required.

 

Not so sure about bowls, platters, or especially cutting boards. I think the larger cross-grain dimensions would be subject to more movement, and nothing with a glue joint belongs in that environment.

I have a couple of wooden spatulas which had no finish on them when I got them (too cheap!). Having been through the dishwasher more than a few times they aren't quite the same shape they were when I bought them, and the surfaces are way rougher.

[wdwerker]

Wooden and cast iron implements are a different approach to cooking. Treated well they will last for many years. Skimp on the oil and they become useless rapidly. To even consider putting either in a dishwasher is heresy. 

[Marmotjr]

Wooden utensils from the a box store go in my dishwasher all the time.   When they only cost me $.70 each, it's hard to justify the effort to try and preserve them, unless it's a really good one for whatever reason.  It also doesn't hurt that the GF bought a box of 100 wooden spoons for burnings for decorations.  We've pirated a few for kitchen use, but burnt ones don't even get used, let alone washed.