Oh No! The Dishwasher?

[Mrs. N]

I have been gluten-free for several months, but I have been dragging for the last three weeks or so for no apparent reason. Could I be getting glutened from the dishwasher that we put in a few weeks ago? My son has been gluten-free since July, about a month after me, and he has had a LOT of problems lately for no apparent reason.

Please say it isn't so!! Please don't tell me I'm going to have to go back to hand washing everything!

[DarkIvy]

Hmm... I'm not really sure. I've been wondering this myself. I know at my parents house, they are less diligent about washing off all the food particles before they put things in, so I have to rewash all the dishes I use before I use them by hand. I've gotten sick before because there were crumbs stuck to the bottom of my glass that I didn't realize were there until it was already too late.

At my home, though, it's been less of an issue. For one thing, My boyfriend and I are very particular about making sure ALL the food particles are off before we put anything in the washer. We use a bleach-based dishwashing gel for the dishwasher. There's also little gluten in the house to begin with, as I do 90% of the cooking. BF eats what I eat for the most part, so the only major gluten sources we have are from the cats' food and from some of his snacks, like ramen. He usually just cooks that in the aluminum pot, which we scrub clean with dishwashing liquid before we put it into the washer.

Other than that, I make sure to replace sponges regularly, and I soak dishrags in bleach and wash them in hot water. I make the bf clean up all his gluten mess with a Clorox bleach wipe, too. I'm pretty picky about this stuff, and I think it helps. I've been wondering if all this is enough, of if I should get a separate sponge to clean the glutened dishes, then rinse them well before I put them in the washer. It seems so excessive, though, and such a pain.

[Hummingbird4]

I use the same dishwasher that I used pre-Celiac, and I'm not getting glutened (that I know of). It washes with hot water and soap... surely it's getting the dishes clean enough.

That said, I got rid of all of my nonstick pans (I don't wash them in the dishwasher anyway) and all of my cutting boards and wooden utensils. Actually, my rubber spatulas went bye-bye too. Anything that looked suspicious, like it might harbor gluten particles, I got rid of. That includes plastic storage containers. I also got a new scrubber thingy for my dishes. I don't use sponges.

So, you might look into those. I think your dishwasher is fine.

[Juliebove]

I vaguely remember a post about this some time ago that some dishwashing soaps are not gluten-free. I want to say that it was the Kirkland brand, but I could be wrong. We use Electrasol and haven't had any problems with it.

[Mrs. N]

What I'm wondering about is if gluten is getting stuck in the worn spots in the racks, or maybe it's not rinsing well and/or is getting spread onto everything via the swill splashing around. I do rinse everything well, but is it possible that gluten from previous washes is still in the dishwasher?

Thanks for mentioning plastics. I think there are still some things lingering that I need to get rid of.

What about dishcloths? Can all of the gluten be washed out of those, or do they tend to hang onto it?

I need to go read that "opt out" thread. I know I can't, but I sure wish I could opt out of all of this and have a huge slice of dairy covered, gluten contaminated pizza!

[Chicklet]

I have no problem with my dishwasher and live in a combined household. LOL Do you have seperate butter/margerine? What about toaster?

Have you cleaned that dishwasher well, taken out the spray arms and flush them clean. I don't worry about my dishcloths either but interesting thoughts.

I hope this helps Esther. Glad to see you on here.

[jerseyangel]

I don't believe I've ever had a problem with the dishwasher in that way. Last year, we moved to this house which has a well. I have found that because the water has more minerals, I need to clean the dishwasher about once a month. Once I realized this and began doing it regularly, I've noticed less spots on glass and silverware.

I use either Jet Dry Dishwasher Cleaner or Dishwasher Magic--both available at Wal Mart.

[plantime]

I never knew dishwasher cleaners existed. I will have to find some! I always take mine apart and scrub it by hand each month. Thanks Patti!

[jerseyangel]

I never knew dishwasher cleaners existed. I will have to find some! I always take mine apart and scrub it by hand each month. Thanks Patti!

Oh yes! Get the cleaner--much, much easier! It's right near the regular dishwasher detergent--and makes a big difference.