Let's talk dishwasher detergent

[StressLess]

I've been getting dishwasher tabs (Finish Powerball) on Amazon Subscribe & Save for a few years now. I think the price has been ok compared with other places I could buy it, and it was easy to figure out a good shipping schedule because we use 1 tab a day.


I'm thinking it might be cheaper to go back to using a box of powder, though. Is that even true? Any recommendations? I don't especially like Cascade; I've had better luck with Electrasol (now Finish I think) or SunLight. I'm willing to buy store brands like Great Value at Walmart or Berkley Jensen at BJ's Wholesale if they work well and are cheap. (I'm not near a Costco.)

[GrimJack]

My only recommendation is NEVER use too much powder - if it does not get dissolved in the water, it behaves like sand-blasting; it will dull your glassware. I had a discussion with the repairman while he was working on the washer; he talked a lot about dishwashers including the above and he said I should run the water until it is hot before I start the washer so the internal heater does not kick in.

People who lover their jobs can talk a lot - <grin>.

[FrugalFish]

My reply probably won't help you much because cascade is about all I use- it is the only thing that works well in the particular machine we have.

Ours has a filter assembly that has to be removed and cleaned regularly. Cascade powder keeps that from getting gunky, BUT the cascade powder discolors any aluminum you put in the machine (and I'm way too lazy to not put things in the dishwasher if at all possible). Normally I just use cascade gel, even though it doesn't cut the greasy gunk in the trap.

Why not buy the smallest bottle of whatever brand you want to try and see how it works out? I'd suspect that people have very different experiences, depending on their machine, water quality, etc.

[disneysteve]

We don't use any pre-measured pods or tabs for laundry or dish washing. I think it's a safe bet that any time you are paying for convenience like that, you are overspending.

It is cheaper to buy a product in bulk, whether liquid or powder, and spend the 3 seconds it takes to measure it out yourself.

Also, almost always you can get things perfectly clean with a lot less product than the manufacturer recommends, which also saves you money. So a box that says "100 loads" might actually last 150 or 200 whereas a box of 100 pods will only get you 100 loads.

[FrugalFish]

Also, almost always you can get things perfectly clean with a lot less product than the manufacturer recommends, which also saves you money. So a box that says "100 loads" might actually last 150 or 200 whereas a box of 100 pods will only get you 100 loads.

Good point. A few years ago I saw an article written by a consumer reports tester who said he often used only a teaspoon or two to get a load of dishes clean at home. That probably wouldn't work with our hard water, but I rarely fill up the dispenser completely.

I use to know a lady who would say if you find you can use 10% less of a product and get the same result, then it's like getting 10% free

[disneysteve]

Good point. A few years ago I saw an article written by a consumer reports tester who said he often used only a teaspoon or two to get a load of dishes clean at home. That probably wouldn't work with our hard water, but I rarely fill up the dispenser completely.

I use to know a lady who would say if you find you can use 10% less of a product and get the same result, then it's like getting 10% free

This is something that we really learned from The Tightwad Gazette years ago. The manufacturers aren't stupid. They make things a certain size or make certain usage recommendations to maximize your use of the product and get you to buy more.

Dryer sheets are another one. We tear ours in halves or thirds and they work just fine.

Stop following the package instructions and you can save a significant amount of money.

[phantom]

Also, almost always you can get things perfectly clean with a lot less product than the manufacturer recommends, which also saves you money. So a box that says "100 loads" might actually last 150 or 200 whereas a box of 100 pods will only get you 100 loads.

Serious question: How do you tell if the lesser amount is enough? 90% of the time, dishes I put in the dishwasher and clothes I put into the washer look perfectly clean going in, and I'm just trusting that using the correct amount of soap means they come out with all the germs and bacteria gone.

[disneysteve]

Serious question: How do you tell if the lesser amount is enough? 90% of the time, dishes I put in the dishwasher and clothes I put into the washer look perfectly clean going in, and I'm just trusting that using the correct amount of soap means they come out with all the germs and bacteria gone.

It's the hot water that sterilizes the dishes, not the detergent. The detergent's job is to remove grease. If the items you're putting in aren't greasy - just crumbs and such - they would get just as clean with no detergent at all.

[Nutria]

It's the hot water that sterilizes the dishes, not the detergent. The detergent's job is to remove grease. If the items you're putting in aren't greasy - just crumbs and such - they would get just as clean with no detergent at all.

The detergent's wetting property must make it easier to wash away "sticky" bacteria.

[disneysteve]

The detergent's wetting property must make it easier to wash away "sticky" bacteria.

Perhaps, but even if that's true, you don't need nearly as much as they say.

[~bs]

i manually wash dishes nowadays. kinda gave up on dishwashers.

[disneysteve]

i manually wash dishes nowadays. kinda gave up on dishwashers.

Any reason why? Dishwashers are much more efficient from an energy/water usage standpoint.

We hand wash all the stuff that can't or at least shouldn't go in the dishwasher but everything that can go in does.

[~bs]

Any reason why? Dishwashers are much more efficient from an energy/water usage standpoint.

We hand wash all the stuff that can't or at least shouldn't go in the dishwasher but everything that can go in does.

ive had enough issues with them in the past that i dont bother anymore. the ones i've had don't clean as well as they should. and may require precleaning. washing dishes isnt like vacuuming where a mediocre job done by a roomba is good enough for now. Dishes need to be clean or it's gross.

ive had issues with the food waste the dishwasher is sending through the disposal pipe eventually clogging the sink pipes. Disassembling and cleaning sink piping is more irritating than handwashing dishes.

idk... i suppose i could give them a try again eventually, and I'm all for convenience, but the failures i've encountered are discouraging. It's actually cheaper for me to handwash since I live in a condo and the water is covered by association fees, but that doesn't even matter to me. I'd rather pay more for the convenience if it's actually convenient and I have confidence it'll do the job well. Also, I do cook quite frequently, and have 0 confidence the dishwasher will handle the pots and pans, which incidentally is the most PITA part of washing dishes.

[bennkar]

Any reason why? Dishwashers are much more efficient from an energy/water usage standpoint.

We hand wash all the stuff that can't or at least shouldn't go in the dishwasher but everything that can go in does.

We hand wash everything as well. If you pay attention to how you do it, it can be just as water efficient - seriously. Also, dishwashers will slowly ruin enameled cookware, as well as painted classic glassware (and even things like Corelle dishware) .

We find hand washing allows you to sort of meditate / de-stress while doing the dishes. And it gives you a sense of accomplishment when they're done. Of course this is a very much YMMV situation. We understand many people like using dishwashers, but this is our "thing".

[disneysteve]

I do cook quite frequently, and have 0 confidence the dishwasher will handle the pots and pans

dishwashers will slowly ruin enameled cookware, as well as painted classic glassware

As I said, we hand wash items that can't or shouldn't go in the dishwasher. All of the above items fall into that category in my opinion.

We use the dishwasher for the normal dishes, flatware, and regular everyday glassware. That's enough to fill it every 2-3 days.

Cookware, knives, specialty glassware, china, and other more delicate items get hand washed. I'm not ruining a $150 knife or a $100 saute pan or a $25 wine glass in the dishwasher.

I suspect that a lot of the complaints about the dishwasher ruining things happen because people put things in there that they shouldn't have.