Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
it back to the way it was before.

Karen

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

"Karen Wheless" wrote

>I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
> it back to the way it was before.
>
> Karen

I don't think there's any way you can, Karen; I did the same thing. There
are only three choices: use it the way it is and don't worry (my method);
throw it away and get a new one; never, never put an aluminum anything in
the DW again!

A friend was ill and I took her some food. Her caregiver put my favorite,
large (aluminum) baking pan in their DW and gave me back a sorry-looking
mess. I don't believe she realized it. Stuff happens.

Dora

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

Karen Wheless wrote:
>
> I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
> it back to the way it was before.
>
> Karen

It's unlikely it had any special finish originally so all that should be
required to resurrect it is a good polishing. This would be a polishing
with a power buffer and compound like it probably received at the
factory after the casting flash was ground off, not a hand polishing.

I have some aluminum baking half sheets that specifically state they are
dishwasher safe. They do discolor a bit in the dishwasher but seem to
suffer no ill effects beyond the cosmetic.

Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

I put aluminium in the dishwasher. For me the discolouration is a small
price to pay for getting things washed properly - anyway I hate handwashing
dishes and laundry. If the discolouration really bothers you, maybe you
could try some enamel paint but it's probably more trouble than it's worth
and more expensive than buying a new scoop!

"Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
news:1hjif8w.1qz7heumepaqwN%karenwheless@bellsouth .net...
>I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
> it back to the way it was before.
>
> Karen

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

In article >,
says...
> I put aluminium in the dishwasher. For me the discolouration is a small
> price to pay for getting things washed properly - anyway I hate handwashing
> dishes and laundry. If the discolouration really bothers you, maybe you
> could try some enamel paint but it's probably more trouble than it's worth
> and more expensive than buying a new scoop!

I don't mind handwashing at all. hot/warm wash and cold rinse. Gets
dishes as clean and then some as opposed to my dishwasher. And usually I
just do it right after we've eaten so there isn't a sink full of dishes
to clean.

Pots and pans get rinsed as soon as they're done being used, then washed
at the end of dinner.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

T wrote:
>
> I don't mind handwashing at all. hot/warm wash and cold rinse. Gets
> dishes as clean and then some as opposed to my dishwasher. And usually I
> just do it right after we've eaten so there isn't a sink full of dishes
> to clean.
>
> Pots and pans get rinsed as soon as they're done being used, then washed
> at the end of dinner.

Hand washing does *not* get dishes as clean as a dishwasher. A
dishwasher uses water hotter than your hands could stand which allows it
to clean better and sanitize better than hand washing and an additional
benefit is that it uses significantly less water and energy that hand
washing.

It's certainly not true in all cases, but a dishwasher is one where the
modern convenience item really is better and less wasteful than the old
way.

Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

In article >,
says...
> I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
> it back to the way it was before.
>
>

You cannot fix it, although it is still OK to use. Continued washing in
the DW will make it worse.

--
Peter Aitken

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 16:26:56 GMT, "Pete C." >
wrote:

>which allows it
>to clean better and sanitize better than hand washing and an additional
>benefit is that it uses significantly less water

Peter...we are in a "pickle" here. Having "some" germs in our body
create antibodies...which help us more than you know.

A perfectly sterile environment probably does more damage than we can
permit. Building resistance to natural "germs" is how this planet
has been permitted to survive.

Get off this "clean" freak tangent.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

Ward Abbott wrote:
>
> On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 16:26:56 GMT, "Pete C." >
> wrote:
>
> >which allows it
> >to clean better and sanitize better than hand washing and an additional
> >benefit is that it uses significantly less water
>
> Peter...we are in a "pickle" here. Having "some" germs in our body
> create antibodies...which help us more than you know.
>
> A perfectly sterile environment probably does more damage than we can
> permit. Building resistance to natural "germs" is how this planet
> has been permitted to survive.
>
> Get off this "clean" freak tangent.

Absolutely excessively clean environments harm our immune systems,
however a dishwasher is a long way from creating a perfectly sterile
environment. The water and energy savings are still a benefit as well.

Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

In article >, says...
> Absolutely excessively clean environments harm our immune systems,
> however a dishwasher is a long way from creating a perfectly sterile
> environment. The water and energy savings are still a benefit as well.
>
>

I believe a dishwasher does sterilize completely. The detergent is so
caustic that I doubt anything, even bacterial spores, can survive.

--
Peter Aitken

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

I really must start saying I use the dishwasher on environmental grounds
rather than out of sheer laziness!

"Pete C." > wrote in message
...
> Ward Abbott wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 16:26:56 GMT, "Pete C." >
>> wrote:
>>
>> >which allows it
>> >to clean better and sanitize better than hand washing and an additional
>> >benefit is that it uses significantly less water
>>
>> Peter...we are in a "pickle" here. Having "some" germs in our body
>> create antibodies...which help us more than you know.
>>
>> A perfectly sterile environment probably does more damage than we can
>> permit. Building resistance to natural "germs" is how this planet
>> has been permitted to survive.
>>
>> Get off this "clean" freak tangent.
>
> Absolutely excessively clean environments harm our immune systems,
> however a dishwasher is a long way from creating a perfectly sterile
> environment. The water and energy savings are still a benefit as well.
>
> Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

Peter A wrote:
>
> In article >, says...
> > Absolutely excessively clean environments harm our immune systems,
> > however a dishwasher is a long way from creating a perfectly sterile
> > environment. The water and energy savings are still a benefit as well.
> >
> >
>
> I believe a dishwasher does sterilize completely. The detergent is so
> caustic that I doubt anything, even bacterial spores, can survive.
>
> --
> Peter Aitken

If that was the case hospitals would use $400 dishwashers instead of
multi thousand dollar autoclaves to sterilize instruments.

I seriously doubt anyone but a few obsessive compulsive type keep the
rest of their kitchen at OR sanitation standards either.

Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

Viviane wrote:
>
> I really must start saying I use the dishwasher on environmental grounds
> rather than out of sheer laziness!
>

Well, it is true at least. Significantly lower total volume of water
used in a dishwasher cycle than hand washing and less water heating
energy than hand washing as well.

Pete C.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

In article >, says...
> If that was the case hospitals would use $400 dishwashers instead of
> multi thousand dollar autoclaves to sterilize instruments.
>
>
>

Don't be a twit. You cannot wash surgical instruments in a caustic
detergent. The autoclaves are required to get the high temperature
needed to sterilize with heat alone.


--
Peter Aitken

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

"T" > wrote in message
>
> I don't mind handwashing at all. hot/warm wash and cold rinse. Gets
> dishes as clean and then some as opposed to my dishwasher. And usually I
> just do it right after we've eaten so there isn't a sink full of dishes
> to clean.

You need a better machine. Modern dish washers and the proper detergent can
clean and sanitize better than you can do by hand.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

"Ward Abbott" > wrote in message
>
> Peter...we are in a "pickle" here. Having "some" germs in our body
> create antibodies...which help us more than you know.
>
> A perfectly sterile environment probably does more damage than we can
> permit. Building resistance to natural "germs" is how this planet
> has been permitted to survive.
>
> Get off this "clean" freak tangent.

The right answer is in the middle ground. Keeping raw chicken juice around
it probably not as healthy as a sanitized drinking glass.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

"Karen Wheless" > wrote in message
news:1hjif8w.1qz7heumepaqwN%karenwheless@bellsouth .net...
>I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
> it back to the way it was before.

I had the same thing happen. Over time, it got a little brighter, but not
as shiny as new. Still works perfectly though. You may get it back some
with a little 0000 steel wool.

Aluminum in the Dishwasher
 

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote >

> "Karen Wheless"wrote
>>I have an old ice cream scoop that I unthinkingly put into the
>> dishwasher the other day. It's now rough and discolored. Is there
>> anything I can do to fix it - and if not, will it hurt anything to keep
>> washing it in the dishwasher? I'll be glad to hand wash it if I can get
>> it back to the way it was before.
>
> I had the same thing happen. Over time, it got a little brighter, but not
> as shiny as new. Still works perfectly though. You may get it back some
> with a little 0000 steel wool.

Mine stayed shiny but turned blue-tinged and very dark. I use it anyway.

Dora