The dishwasher is a slow killer for silicone seals

The dishwasher won’t melt your silicone gasket, but it’s the fastest way to make it lose its seal.

Food-grade silicone handles dishwasher heat fine — it’s rated for much higher temps than your machine hits. The real problems are the detergents stripping the silicone over time and water pooling in the valve. A lid that gets cycled through the dishwasher regularly will eventually warp or get cloudy, and then your soup ends up in your backpack.

The right way: pop the gasket and valve out (most lids are designed for this), hand-wash everything in warm soapy water, and dry it fully before snapping it back together. Pay special attention to the groove under the gasket — that’s where rice and sauce hide. A soft brush or old toothbrush handles it.

If you’re using the dishwasher anyway, put the lid on the top rack, upside down, and let it air dry completely before reassembling. But honestly, hand-washing takes two minutes. The gasket is the part that actually does the job; treat it like it matters.

Two minutes with a soapy sponge now beats a leaky lid later.