New dishwasher: Worst Mother’s day present evar?

QUICK: Mama’s not home and I have some gnarly items that need washing, including, but not limited to: Dirt/mud encrusted old bottles found on our property, and various pieces of a “barely used” (berkeleying disgusting) free grill I scooped up last weekend.

Of course, I *could* hand-wash all this stuff in the driveway, but it’s hot and I’m lazy.

Will I destroy the dishwasher if I put a ton of muddy/greasy crap in there? Is it safe to ASSume there’s some sort of easily accessible “trap/filter” I can just clean when I’m done? Can I clean *that* in the dishwasher too? <jokes>...on the last sentence.

I wouldn't worry about the grease too much, but I don't think sand/dirt is a good idea.  There's usually a screen at the bottom of them to clean out.  I've done car parts.  I think we all have.  Works great.  My friend used to clean his AR15 parts in one. 

Go ahead. You’ll be fine.

Or maybe not. I don’t know. Let’s see what happens. 

The grease shouldn't be a problem. The sand might be a little hard on the pump though. 

I’ve cleaned car parts in our dishwasher. I’ve also been caught. Just as an FYI the correct answer to why there are car parts in the dishwasher isn’t “I didn’t think you’d be home so soon”.

It depends on the dishwasher whether there's a screen to catch larger chunks. Also, if you're on a septic system I'd avoid using it on car parts. 

These are the hilarious answers I was looking for <3

If I get the heads-up, I’ll coat myself in mud and pretend to be scrubbing old bottles as she’s pulling down the driveway.

Grill parts are in the DW. Ended up cleaning bottles in the kitchen sink, which needs the trap cleaned anyway.

The only REALLY gnarly ones were the ones that still had rusty caps on them...which I thought were just “dirt plugs” There’s one smaller one with silver paint inside that I left the cap on. It’d be cool to find out from the PO of the property if there was/is a pin-striper/sign guy in the family.

Dat silver swirl doe.

That's probably full of that lead based sign paint.  Good stuff.  I don't think you can hardly buy it anymore.

Dem funkeh azz bottle. Toothbrush wouldn’t get all the way in, but a rusty coat-hanger did. Pretty sure I’m licensed to perform “out-patient procedures” now.

Dr. Hess said:

That's probably full of that lead based sign paint.  Good stuff.  I don't think you can hardly buy it anymore.

My thoughts exactly!!!

Also, I need to post a thread on lead-based paint soon, and ask your opinion on how freaked out I should be about its presence in thee olde farmhouse.

As long as there's no children playing in it, I wouldn't be too freaked out.  It doesn't hurt adults nearly as bad as the chillin's.  Granted, some are more susceptible to it than others and as a heavy metal, it accumulates in the body, so long term exposure is not the greatest thing in the world.  Scraping it off walls is much worse for everyone around than just leaving it there.  And it is most dangerous when it travels at a high rate of speed, say, supersonic, especially at around Mach 3. 

poopshovel again said:

Dr. Hess said:

That's probably full of that lead based sign paint.  Good stuff.  I don't think you can hardly buy it anymore.

My thoughts exactly!!!

Also, I need to post a thread on lead-based paint soon, and ask your opinion on how freaked out I should be about its presence in thee olde farmhouse.

I posed this question to one of our environmental engineers. He recommended I avoid chewing on the walls and door frames. He also stated that lead is at its most hazardous when traveling at approximately Mach 2

Should’ve gotten a “before” pic, but this is the lot, after a bit of scrubbing.

Grill grates came out slightly less gnarly than they were when they went in, and I cooked some big bawler steaks on them. I *think* I just won at mother’s day. Time will tell....

I  thought of this video when I read the title of this post.

In reply to poopshovel again :

Outpatient indeed.

As an appliance technician that makes house calls, I cannot approve of this. The grease will cake and never come out. (Dish detergent is not soap folks, it’s bleach). Yes, I know, “but the dishwasher takes grease off my plates!” Yup, sure does. That’s animal fat. Not the same as the grease for wheel bearings, etc.  

the dirt grit will grind out the impeller wheel of the drain pump and wash motor. You’ll spend an eternity (or a fortune) getting it out. It’s not a parts washer, it was never designed as such. And I know twenty people will come in here to exclaim “ I did it and my dishwasher is fine!”. To which I reply: you’re likely the kind of individual that allows a “certain amount of dirt and household grime” to be “acceptable”. 

Oh, and no degreasing agents, ever. 

New dishwashers won’t last long, old dishwashers can take it, but theyll never be the same again. 

13yrs experience talking here. I’ve seen it all. I’ve repaired it all. I’ve junked it all. 

In reply to Trackmouse :

Welp. E36 M3.