Can bone china tableware go in the dishwasher? -Is bone china tableware dishwasher safe?
It is safe to put bone china tableware in the dishwasher, it won’t break or explode in the dishwasher, however, after many times of washing, the designs on the bone china tableware might fade, and the designs will not look as bright, especially the designs with gold.
As we mentioned in the previous articles, how does bone china made, the making procedure of bone china includes two times high-temperature firing at least, if the designs include designs or gold rim, the firing time would be even more, for 3 to 4 times. After hours of high-temperature firing, the bone china is considered the strongest porcelain, so it is safe to put it in the dishwasher to endure the high water pressure.
The designs fade mainly because of the below two reasons.
1. The decoration method of the bone china tableware.
Although there are three decoration methods for the designs on the bone china tableware, which are under-glaze decoration, in-glaze decoration, and on-glaze decoration. About 80% of the designs are done by on-glaze decoration, which means the designs are on the top layer of the tableware, that’s the layer directly in contact with the food and water. It has a higher chance of fading after many times using, the high water pressure from the dishwasher gives the tableware a higher risk of fade.
2. The adhere force of the gold pigment
The shining gold adds a luxurious feeling to the bone china tableware,
For different designs, the firing procedure and requirements are different. The firing temperature of the gold is a little lower than the color pigment(which is used to realize the designs), and given the content and features of the gold pigment, it is more easily to, Sandpaper, steel wire balls, and even daily use can all cause the gold rim or gold design to wear off.
Pictures say all. Below are a few pictures that prove the points mentioned above.
The dishes have been in use for around 4 years. And they have been washed by wash machine for over many times, (we started to use dishwasher about 3 years ago)
The white bone china tableware stays the same after washing in the dishwasher. Clean and bright.
The bone china tableware with colorful designs remains the same.
The bone china tableware with gold designs. The pattern was with shining platinum, compared to the tableware that has never been used in the dishwasher, we can see that the platinum is no longer existing, leaving just the color pattern.
The bone china mug with gold rim, after times of using and washing, the gold is not as shiny as before, and in some places, the gold line is missing.
More examples.
After many times washing, the parts of the design which contain gold fade, leaving the design looking pale.
Whether the world-renowned bone china tableware brands like Royal Dalton, Limoges, Mikasa, and other fine bone china dishwashers safe? The value of the famous brand mainly comes from the designs and its reputation, it may have a more strict quality control system, but the making process and raw material are the same as other bone china tableware, so the caring of Royal Dalton, Limoges, Mikasa fine bone china are the same as other bone china tableware. This means Royal Dalton, Limoges, and Mikasa bone china tableware are dishwasher safe.
The dishwasher is a great invention, it dramatically saves the family’s dispute about who should do the dishes, it saves the time of standing over the kitchen sink and cleaning, and dishwashers are safer and decrease the likelihood of breaking delicate dishes when washing them becomes slippery or sloppy. Besides, Running your dishes through the dishwasher ensures that some germs are not gathered, and the hot water utilized destroys any caught bacteria.
First, For the above reasons, we recommend you use the dishwasher for the family’s dishwashing. However, the fact that the designs will fade after many times of use, if you are someone who wants the bone china tableware to look new, choose the bone china tableware without any designs or the designs just with gold. From the production side, the cost without gold is more expensive, choosing white tableware or simple designs would cost less.
Second, don’t regard the bone china tableware as something luxurious, it is just a commodity that we could change from time to time if it makes us happy, just like we buy linings or clothes. After all, it’s still a kind of porcelain, there is a chance it would break if didn’t handle well.
Third, bone china tableware with designs with gold is not safe to put in the microwave, check the article Is Bone China Microwave Safe?- Advice from Factory, it is dangerous to put tableware with gold in the microwave as the radiation will seriously damage the gold layer and lose the yellow brightness, and the sparks would cause panic and danger, which will matter more than just ruining the bone china tableware.
Fourth, if the design includes much gold and you do love the tableware a lot, wash it by hand and handle it with care.
Hope the above article helped you solve the puzzle of whether bone china tableware dishwasher safe, leave us a message if you have more related questions.