As the popularity of acrylic paint for arts and crafts continues to climb, the number of people that we see asking about the various ways that they are able to get the best performance from their acrylic paint continues to increase. We have noticed a number of people reaching out to ask if acrylic paint is dishwasher safe or not over the last few months though so we have decided to make this the focus of todays article.
Unlike some of the other questions that we see about acrylic paint, there are two main variants when it comes to acrylic paint being dishwasher safe that we see. The first is asking how you can intentionally add acrylic paint to something like a ceramic mug to make it dishwasher safe so the paint won’t wash off. The second is based around when you accidentally get acrylic paint on something that you need to use a dishwasher to wash the paint off.
We will be answer both of these questions in the article and we have added our table of contents below to help our readers quickly and easily navigate specifically to the questions they are interested in. As both questions have different answers, we felt that this would be the best method to use.
Is Acrylic Paint Dishwasher Safe?
Although acrylic paint is not dishwasher safe right out of the tube due to it being a water based paint, there are a number of quick and easy steps that you can take to make it dishwasher safe. There is no need to buy the expensive sealants either as there are cheap alternative products that you can use too.
We have already gone over the washability of acrylic paint in a number of different situations but we wanted to publish this dedicated article for when it comes to using acrylic paint on something that will be washed in a dishwasher. The key thing that we can recommend to our readers is that using a decent yet cheap acrylic paint is well worth it and will improve the overall end result.
The cheaper acrylic paints that are often only around $5 cheaper than the decent sets can have issues when used with any sealing agents to try and lock the paint in. This not only results in the color fading quick but it can cause the sealant to peel or flake causing problems when using your acrylic paint decorated items in a dishwasher.
How Do You Make Acrylic Paint Dishwasher Safe?
The easiest way to make acrylic paint dishwasher safe is to apply your acrylic paint to the item you are painting, let it dry, and then apply a sealing agent. This will lock the paint in to the item you have painted and provide a waterproof barrier that makes it dishwasher safe.
Although there are an absolute ton of sealing agents on the market that work well with acrylic paint, they tend not to do well with water as they are also water based products. We usually recommend our readers use Mod Podge to make their acrylic paint dishwasher safe as it is cheap, easy to use, and performs very well with many people using it for the same purpose.
Two things to keep in mind is that you only need a very thin layer of Mod Podge over your acrylic paint and that you have to wait for your acrylic paint to actually dry prior to applying your Mod Podge. These are two very common mistakes that we see people making time and time again that are both very easy to avoid.
Will Acrylic Paint Wash Off In The Dishwasher?
Provided that you have not sealed the acrylic paint onto the surface that you want to wash, acrylic paint will easily wash off in the dishwasher. This is due to acrylic paint being a water based paint and it being very easy to wash off with water even if the paint has been left to dry.
This is true for all types of acrylic paint too due to water being able to re-hydrate the pigment if the paint has not been sealed making it easy for a dishwasher to wash off with ease. The vast majority of modern dishwashers will easily be able to remove acrylic paint and wash the pigment away with the rest of the waste washed off the items in the dishwasher without having any issues.
If you use a mug as a brush holder during your painting sessions, this can be a quick and easy way to clean it too. The same can be said if you accidentally spill some of your acrylic paint onto other items too as a dishwasher will allow you to quickly and easily wash it off without issue.
Do All Acrylic Paints Need To Be Sealed To Be Dishwasher Safe?
Although there are a few other methods that you could try to make your acrylic paint artwork dishwasher safe, in our opinion, using a sealing agent such as Mod Podge is definitely the best option. The other methods tend not to be as good at protecting your artwork as sealing agents and may cause issues if put into a dishwasher.
So even though there are some other things that you are able to try, we would not recommend it as they tend to be a waste of time. On top of this, there are also a small number of paints on the market that claim to be dishwasher safe once dry but we have seen no evidence of this with acrylic paints.
Although other types of paint can become dishwasher safe once you have left them to dry on the surface that you have painted with them, the water based nature of acrylic paints prevents this from being the case. On top of this, the temperature of the water in a dishwasher as well as the addition of soap will easily wash it off it not sealed correctly.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if acrylic paint is dishwasher safe or not to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you correctly protect any artwork that you have applied to plates or mug with a sealing agent to help make it dishwasher safe. If your acrylic paint is sealed correctly, it really can last you for decades if cared for correctly even if washed in a dishwasher each week.
