Cups and Mugs - not dishwasher safe...

[QuackIsWhack]

Hi guys.

This is a bit of a stupid and petty post but it's bothering me something fierce....

My girlfriend ended up using a coffee cup that use to belong to my dad that was from the military school I went to. I think I gave it to him one father's day 20 years ago or so. He recently passed and I took it back for me to use. I'm in the process of moving in with my girlfriend so I decided to keep it there.

Anyway, she ended up using it one day, and ended up running it through the dishwasher on the bottom rack on high heat.

Needless to say I was furious. I don't remember the condition of the printing on the mug before she would have run it through the wash, but it's a bit faded now.

Would one wash on the bottom rack with high heat do much damage, whether it is a dishwasher safe cup or not?

Thanks!

 

[Jennasis]

Yep. Friends bought me a set of Star Wars drinking glasses that said NOT dishwasher safe. DH ran it through the dishwasher and now the the glasses are just plain clear drinking glasses as the designs melted off.

 

[Belle0101]

Bottom rack on high heat? Sure can.

DH had a Food & Wine glass that he put on the top rack of the dishwasher and like Jennais's Star Wars glasses it's now just a regular generic drinking glass.

 

[bcla]

Was it the kind with metallic trim or printing? Like a "gold rim" or where something is printed on the side with metal and it tends to spark in a microwave? That stuff is pretty much hand wash only.

 

[xlsm]

I understand being disappointed that this happened, but if the print is only faded (and you even said you're not sure of the prior condition anyway), it looks like you got lucky.
It's not going to randomly shatter one day or anything just because it was ran through the dishwasher once. Since it's so special to you, my suggestion is to take it out of the kitchen and use it for something else to prevent this from happening again.
Don't be furious at your girlfriend if she honestly didn't know. That won't help anything, and will only make both of you feel bad.


As for the cup, like I said, I'd take it out of rotation and not use it in the kitchen anymore. The chances of it breaking or accidentally ending up in the dishwasher again are pretty high. It's not a replaceable object and obviously has a lot of sentimental value, so if I were you, it'd gain a new home on my desk as a pencil holder, or I'd try to make it work as a decorative item in some way.

I'm truly sorry for the loss of your father.

 

[DebbieB]

I wash my Disney refillable mug on the top rack with no problem. I use it for water at work.

 

[QuackIsWhack]

No, it was blue printing, but printed on the surface of the cup without a protective glaze. If you run ytour finger over the print you can feel it raised and rough texture.

In all honesty it might have just been faded from years of use and top rack dishwashing but got sensative due to the nature of it.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I agree with xlsm. Neither one of you should be using it if it's sentimental and irreplaceable. If it's special, treat it like it's special. Put it on a shelf somewhere and dust it occasionally. It's far too likely to get broken being treated like a regular mug in the kitchen.

 

[aprilchem]

I would say "furious" is a really strong word to use to describe your reaction to putting a mug in the dishwasher. It was with the other mugs and you hadn't specifically asked her to not use it then your reaction was a bit extreme.

 

[QuackIsWhack]

I would say "furious" is a really strong word to use to describe your reaction to putting a mug in the dishwasher. It was with the other mugs and you hadn't specifically asked her to not use it then your reaction was a bit extreme.

LOL, yes I agree. I was reserved at the time and didn't show my emotions. I don't deny being at fault either.

 

[gwynne]

LOL, yes I agree. I was reserved at the time and didn't show my emotions. I don't deny being at fault either.

Grief can come out in unexpected ways. If you're aware, it helps. Sometimes the actual emotion isn't really anger, it's sadness and sense of loss. Take it one day at a time, grief is a journey but it does get better.

And I totally agree with setting sentimental items aside in a safe place. It will be easier for your and your girlfriend.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I agree with those who say put special items somewhere else and do not use them for regular stuff.

 

[Dizlvr]

My dh has a couple mugs that have sentimental value to him, he has one on his desk that he sticks pens in, and another on his workbench with stuff in it.

 

[cabanafrau]

Grief can come out in unexpected ways. If you're aware, it helps. Sometimes the actual emotion isn't really anger, it's sadness and sense of loss. Take it one day at a time, grief is a journey but it does get better.

And I totally agree with setting sentimental items aside in a safe place. It will be easier for your and your girlfriend.

Exactly what I think is going on here. It's not about the mug. I also suspect that if you were truly furious your emotions weren't really as reserved as you perceive them to be. Grief sneaks up on you like that.

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[fly girl]

I'm sorry about your loss.

My husband uses his dad's coffee mug everyday. It's his small connection to him since he passed.

I know it's not the same, but maybe see if you can find the same mug on eBay. You can use the duplicate as an everyday thing and store the sentimental one. Then if anything happens to the duplicate it's not a big deal.