Found Dairy Mug in Meat Dishwasher

I was unloading the clean dishes from my meaty dishwasher and found a dairy mug in there. What do I do? Assuming everything is fine, do I need to wash the dairy mug before using it for dairy again?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question!

First let me assure you that your dishwasher remains a kosher meaty dishwasher. There is no need to do anything to the dishwasher. It needs no special koshering or cleaning.

Although you should be careful not to allow this to happen again, the dairy mug also remains kosher and dairy for the following reason.

The Shulchan Aruch tells us that when cleaning chemicals, soaps, and detergents are used when washing dishes, they add what is known as “ta’am lifgam” – a detrimental taste to the washing environment. Soap works wonders in removing dirt from hands, dishes, and clothes, but nobody would want to eat it. A detrimental taste, kosher or not, cannot affect the status of the food or dishes it comes into contact with.

As such, the soap in the dishwasher renders any meaty residue in the dishwasher as “ta’am lifgam” and, as such, it cannot affect the kosher status of your mug. The same is true in the reverse, the dairy residue from your dairy must is rendered “ta’am lifgam” and cannot affect the kosher status of your meaty dishes.

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