# Can you put a cube in the dishwasher?



## chuckster2.0 (May 15, 2009)

I've been thinking about whether or not I can put my cube in the dishwasher to clean it. When I first got my cube, I put petroleum jelly in there when I learned to solve from pogobat. Then when I learned how bad petroleum jelly is for the cube, I tried to clean as best I could and then replaced it with silicone. Well, the brand I got turns into petroleum Jelly over time (either that or I did not get it perfectly cleaned which is what I thought initially until I cleaned It again and this time I really cleaned, then a few days later it seemed like more petroleum jelly appeared out of nowhere) The brand I used was blaster heavy duty silicone and since IT NEVER dries I use the quick way of lubing it. (remove a peice and spray) So I just bought CRC from walmart (sadly the don't carry Jig-a-loo anymore, which I wanted to test since it potential benefits outweigh the risks) and I want to clean my cube to the point that it is sterile (well really, really clean) so that I can use the CRC. So I want to put the peices in the dishwasher. But I am terrified that it might melt the cube. So to dishwash or not to dishwash that is the question. 
p.s. I also have an extra 5x5x5 rubiks peice that I am going to test but I also want an experienced opinion. (I'm very scientific in making choices, I will actually use scientific method.)


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## TomZ (May 15, 2009)

You must be very scientific if you can turn silicone into petroleum...

anyway, I'm not sure if anyone actually had their cube eaten by petroleum jelly. It's not the optimal cube lubricant but you shouldn't worry about a tiny bit left in there.

My guess is that the vaseline came from the hollow edges of the cubes. Try cleaning those out with a toothpick.


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## qqwref (May 15, 2009)

ABS plastic melts around 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Washing machines may be pretty hot, but they'll never get that hot (maximum of around 120 degrees, I'd guess) because water that hot would be boiling. You shouldn't have to worry about melting plastic unless your washing machine malfunctions.


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## chuckster2.0 (May 15, 2009)

TomZ said:


> You must be very scientific if you can turn silicone into petroleum...
> 
> anyway, I'm not sure if anyone actually had their cube eaten by petroleum jelly. It's not the optimal cube lubricant but you shouldn't worry about a tiny bit left in there.
> 
> My guess is that the vaseline came from the hollow edges of the cubes. Try cleaning those out with a toothpick.



The brand I used contains things like 

CAS # Chemical Name Perc.
63148629 Siloxanes and Silicones, di-Me <20%
64742478 Distillates, petroleum, hydrotreated lig <50%
64741657 Naphtha, petroleum, heavy alkylate <40%
68649423 Zinc Alkyl Dithiophosphate <10% 
and although I am scientific, my current knowledge of hydrocarbons is limited to basic high school chemistry so it is hard to understand how it is effecting my cube and although I think cleaning with a toothpich is a good idea, I want to know if I can put the cube in the dishwasher.


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## Stefan (May 15, 2009)

chuckster2.0 said:


> I will actually use scientific method.


What do you mean? How?


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## chuckster2.0 (May 15, 2009)

StefanPochmann said:


> chuckster2.0 said:
> 
> 
> > I will actually use scientific method.
> ...



Like I will think of a hypothesis like "My cube will not melt in the dishwasher" I will then test it using my extra 5x5x5 peice and then I will draw a conclusion. Scientific method. I use it


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## 04mucklowd (May 15, 2009)

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KEHErX7MZ0M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KEHErX7MZ0M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

he did


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## 04mucklowd (May 15, 2009)

ok the thing didnt work
here is the link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEHErX7MZ0M&feature=channel_page


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## Stefan (May 15, 2009)

chuckster2.0 said:


> Like I will think of a hypothesis like "My cube will not melt in the dishwasher" I will then test it using my extra 5x5x5 peice and then I will draw a conclusion. Scientific method. I use it


Um... the hypothesis is about your cube, but you test the 5x5x5 piece. Shouldn't you test the hypothesis?


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## chuckster2.0 (May 15, 2009)

StefanPochmann said:


> chuckster2.0 said:
> 
> 
> > Like I will think of a hypothesis like "My cube will not melt in the dishwasher" I will then test it using my extra 5x5x5 peice and then I will draw a conclusion. Scientific method. I use it
> ...


I don't want to ruin my 3x3x3 cube. So I will use a peice from an already broken 5x5x5 cube which uses the same plastic. This way, I'll know if my dishwasher will harm my 3x3x3 cube. An another example of this would be car manufactures testing the safety of a car by using a crash test dummy instead of an actual person. They use scietific methed as well.


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## Stefan (May 15, 2009)

chuckster2.0 said:


> So I will use a peice from an already broken 5x5x5 cube *which uses the same plastic*.


How do you know?

Plus, it's certainly not the same *shape*. And shape could matter. For example, why do you think the walls of a tea glass are so thin?


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## Nukoca (May 15, 2009)

The code: [youtube ]code at the end of URL[/youtube]


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## chuckster2.0 (May 15, 2009)

StefanPochmann said:


> chuckster2.0 said:
> 
> 
> > So I will use a peice from an already broken 5x5x5 cube *which uses the same plastic*.
> ...



I know that it is the same plastic becuase they are both rubiks brand cubes. Buying two different plastic when you can use one makes no business sense so rubiks would not do that. In addition the 5x5x5 peice is a smaller than any 3x3x3 piece so if it does'nt melt, my 3x3x3 won't


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## TomZ (May 15, 2009)

chuckster2.0 said:


> StefanPochmann said:
> 
> 
> > chuckster2.0 said:
> ...



I can identify at least two very different plastics on a Rubik's band cube. Or maybe even three if the core is a different plastic from the other pieces, which could be.

My guess is that the pieces would be fine if dishwashed but I wouldn't wash a core as water might get into it and start to corrode the screws. While this doesn't needly ruin this it does create a rather nasty rusty powder inside the cube.

The real question though is, do I want a cube to get into my dishwasher. Vaseline isn't much of a health hazard but silicone is really, really bad stuff. I don't think risking that is a good idea.


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## Hadley4000 (May 16, 2009)

Won't cause problems. I stuck my old Rubik's 4x4 in the land of spoons and plates. Cleaned it well and did no damage.


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