In spring of 2010 I decided to do a test to see how well Bakelite held up in a dishwasher. If you want to preserve your Bakelite, best to wash by hand.
Previously, when figuring out whether Bakelite was dishwasher safe or not, I had to rely on my own anecdotal evidence, far from scientific. Finding that less than satisfying, I decided to perform my own test to see just how well Bakelite held up in the dishwasher.
The test was simple; I attached two Bakelite handle halves to the dishwasher rack with zip ties, one on the top rack, and one on the bottom. In our household, we do about a load of dishes each day, so it is safe to say that the number of washes is about equal to the number of days in the dishwasher, within a few percent.
After two months, or 60 washes, I began to notice a little bit of fading and dulling of the shine on the Bakelite. Below is what the handles look like after six months, or 180 washes. The darker/shinier handle is the unwashed (new) comparison.
Clearly, the Bakelite has suffered as a result of washing in the dishwasher. There was no difference between the top rack and bottom rack; both suffered equally.
I can now say with great confidence that you should refrain from putting your cookware with Bakelite parts into the dishwasher.
