Service Care Blog

Odd odors in the microwave? Persistent reminders of prior foods lingering in the cavity?

Try this:

Put one cup of water in the microwave with a tablespoon of lemon juice (or vinegar) and cook it 2 to 5 minutes on high (keep an eye on it).

This should help to eliminate odors in the microwave.

Labels: microwave ovens, tips

Your dishwasher sprays hot, hot water mixed with a detergent caustic enough that you wouldn't want to get it on your hands for very long. For many types of dishes, this is just enough to get all the food off without doing (hopefully) any damage.

However, you really should never put any of the following types of materials into your dishwasher:

• Disposable plastic items. - "dishwasher safe" is a good indicator that it's okay, anything else might be ruined.
• Tin - will rust... so wash your tin cans in the sink.
• Gold items - okay, don't wash gold in the dishwasher, it doesn't seem right. Also, it will discolor.
• Cast Iron - never, I mean NEVER wash a cast iron pot in the dishwasher. It'll get rusty and lose the seasoning. Try boiling water in it, let it soak for a few minutes, pour out then wipe with paper towel. Done.
• Brass, Pewter, and bronze (all of which contain Tin, btw) - may pit and/or discolor.
• Wood - best to wash by hand, otherwise may crack, swell, bend, etc.

Use caution if washing really nice china... because it's really nice. Dishwashing in the machine might lead to fading of patterns, etc. Don't leave food sitting too long on stainless steel and silver, rinse it if not running the machine right away.

I'm sure there's more items that shouldn't be put in to a dishwasher, but these are definite no-nos.

Other things to keep out of dishwashers include horses, garden tools, cruise ships, and automobile fenders. I'm sure you've got more actual real suggestions for the list yourself.

Labels: dishwashers, tips