“A dishwasher’s heat can cause harmful chemicals such as phthalates and BPA to leach from plastics that contain them,” says Don Huber, director of product safety for Consumer Reports. If the manufacturer says the plastic is dishwasher-safe, place it on the top rack—away from the heating element.

Not dishwasher safe

• Antique, hand-painted and metal-rimmed china.
• Thin plastic.
• Cast iron, non-stick and copper pots and pans.
• Crystal and delicate glassware.
• Knives.
• Wood.
• Insulated mugs and containers.
• Silver.

China: Yes Fine china, especially if produced after 1979, is perfectly safe to clean in your dishwasher by most manufacturers’ recommendations. Lennox, Noritake and Mikasa all suggest washing fine china in the dishwasher as long as the “light” or “china” setting is selected.

If you are not using the crystal then leave the sticker on. But it depends on your approach to the crystal and what pieces you have.

Cleaning wine glasses in the dishwasher The main advice here is that it’s perfectly fine to wash your wine glasses in the dishwasher. If you can, place glasses in the upper rack (though sturdier, thicker glasses will be fine on the bottom rack).

Waterford Crystal pieces are valuable because they contain very intricate design elements, and the process to create them is both complex and labor intensive. The larger the piece, the more detail it includes, and the more expensive it is purchase.

To identify Waterford crystal, hold the item up the light and use a magnifying glass to locate an acid stamp that says “Waterford.” Alternatively, if the item was made after 2000, look for an acid stamp in the shape of a seahorse. You can also look for a gold sticker featuring Waterford’s green seahorse emblem.

Since 1950, each piece of Waterford crystal has been stamped with the company logo. Resembling a stencil pattern, the Waterford name is slightly opaque. On a wine glass, it’s found on the underside of the base. If the piece is older, a magnifying glass may be necessary to find the stamp due to wear.

Key difference: Glass is a generic name, while, crystal is a subcategory of glass, made in the same manner as glass but with different materials. Actually, there is no official clean cut definition of crystal. Still, the general rule that applies is that crystal is a type of glass that contains lead.

Most often a glass mark is on the bottom of the piece, but there are some pieces that are marked on the side….Other markings on antique glass pieces that offer clues to its age are:

1. Pontil mark of a blown glass piece and whether it is highly polished or not.
2. Mold marks.
3. Any marks within the glass itself such as bubbles.

American cut glass is a very valuable collectible on the antiques market. Values range based on quality, maker, condition, and pattern and many pieces regularly are worth $1,000 to $100,000.