Paul, your post reminded me of a dishwasher-type machine that Chipco sold in their product catalog a few years ago. (They may still sell them; I don't have a recent catalog). See image below.

The Chipco chips are supposed to be a rugged ceramic-type material. The Bud Jones plastic chips are very durable, too. Even the new Paul-son full-graphic inlay chips are pretty durable. However, I would still be leery about using the washing machine to clean older clay based chips, and particularly hot-stamped chips of any era.

I'm glad you had a good outcome with the chips you cleaned.