Dishwasher & Cutlery

Pete.g · 10 May 2007 at 4:56PM

Hi, we are having a problem when we put cutlery in our dishwasher it always comes out with rusty type marks on it. When we bought the cutlery set it said dishwasher safe and it's not as though it was a cheap £5 set.

We have tried a few different types of diswasher tablets thinking it maybe that but it happens with whichever type we use.

Any suggestions?

Pete.

TomsMom · 10 May 2007 at 10:57PM

Pete, we had the same problem - even took the cutlery back as it was new and had a refund on it thinking it was the the quality of the cutlery at fault. We bought better quality and it still happened then the penny dropped.

The inside of the dishwasher is never actually dry, there is always a damp atmosphere. If you leave the stuff in when it's finished washing the atmosphere is damp. If you stack your items in bit by bit until you have enough to wash then everything is sitting in the damp atmosphere for all that time.

Solution 1 - do not put the cutlery in the dishwasher until it is full and ready to start your wash. Once the wash is finished take your cutlery out immediately and dry it off with a tea towel.

Solution 2 - hand wash your cutlery. This is what I do, there are only two of us in our household so two knives and forks at a time or a couple of teaspoons when making a cuppa are washed under a hot running tap with one of those wand things where you fill the handle with washing up liquid and it only takes 30 seconds.

Hey presto, no more rust marks on the cutlery :T

Hope that helps.

Coveredinbees!!!! · 11 May 2007 at 8:20AM

Stainless steel shouldn't rust anyway. We bung all ours in as we use it then wash in one go - normally once a day. I have never had rust on anything except for some cheap kitchen knives and some BBQ tongs

thescouselander · 11 May 2007 at 10:33AM

I've never seen this on our cutlery either. I would say its probably the material the cutlery is made from. A good quality stainless steel set wont rust.

FRUGAL_4 · 11 May 2007 at 10:50AM

This has happened to me also, I bought some M & S cutlery and according to the box was dishwasher proof, but over time rust marks started to appear, I took the cutlery back to M & S and they told me not to use lemon fragranced tablets/powder in the dishwasher, and they replaced the cutlery and since then no rust marks.

kwatt · 11 May 2007 at 11:14AM

Hi Pete,

The common problems are covered in this article but the rust marks are probably caused either by foodstuffs, which is what it really is or by another metal reacting with the one there.

The detergent or the dishwasher themselves cannot cause this.

Hope that helps

K.

Kitikat · 11 May 2007 at 12:16PM

I am currently having the same problem. I am in rented accommodation at the moment and did not have a problem with the dishwasher at my last house, using exactly the same cutlery and detergent. This would suggest to me that it is something to do with the water or the dishwasher.

shug1067 · 15 May 2007 at 4:36PM

also have this problem on a set of Sabatier Kitchen knives that we recently bought. Really annoyed as the knives were expensive (GBP100+).
any good tips on how to remove the marks?

kwatt · 15 May 2007 at 5:27PM

Hi Kitkat,

Chances are that it is something touching causing a reaction with the steel or something in the dishwasher that really ought not to be. I would be incredibly surprised if it was the water or dishwasher as, in over twenty years of working with dishwashers, this would be the first time that I have ever heard of such a thing. And, I've dealt a few thousand in my time for most of the major manufacturers and some really obscure ones.

Shug, I use a full set of Sabatier knives and they are not actually supposed to be put in the dishwasher. On the expensive ones, that's the ones where the metal is all one piece, they have been okay in mine. The cheaper range where the handle is different, the steel used will discolour to go a kinda greyish colour and there's no way to reverse that as I have a couple that have done just that.

If it's the blade then again, it's probably acidic residue or a reaction to something in the dishwasher cutlery basket.

The common causes are:

Poor quality steel
Allowing the steel to remain too long in the hot steamy atmosphere
Presence of salt or acid from food or filling the salt container (overspill)
Touching silver cutlery

Usually it will occur where there are imperfections in the steel, commonly where there is a stamped pattern or name on it etc.

Stainless steel touching silver will cause an electrolytic reaction which will in turn cause rusting.

Pitting of cutlery is exactly the same causes more or less and looks the same.

Hope that helps.

K.

davec_2 · 13 July 2007 at 10:29PM

Been getting the same recently, but didn't used to.

kwatt, could it be anything to do with the fact that my top and bottom drawers are going rusty where the plastic coating has gone?

Dave.

Angela · 13 July 2007 at 10:55PM

I get this if I use cheaper dishwasher tabs,I can only use finish tabs otherwise I get rusty marks.
I do not work for or have shares in this company.

Dishwasher & Cutlery

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