Dishwasher Dangerous

My mother-in-law has all these plates and I’m not sure if any of them were actually purchased by her or received as a wedding gift, because they always seem to be her mother’s. They’re really lovely plates but they’re always referred to as "old", at least according to her.

So when I’m there and I happen to be helping with the dishes, I always have to ask whether or not certain plates and bowls can go into the dishwasher. Because you just don’t know. And I certainly don’t want to be responsible for ruining a set of dishes that once belonged to my grandmother-in-law, so to speak.


Some of these plates have got to be over fifty years old. I know some of these pieces weren’t prepared for the harsh conditions of a dishwasher. Or maybe it’s vice versa. They’re not "dishwasher safe", in fact they’re "dishwasher dangerous". Dishes may explode in the wash and perhaps the dishwasher will blow up and burst into flames.


There’s always this temptation for me, to see what exactly is so taboo about certain dishes going in. Now, I’m not about to try such a risky experiment with someone else’s belongings, but if I come across a dish that I’m willing to take a chance on one of these days, believe me I will.