Back to the Phosphate Batcave!

[mrcleanjeans]

Sorry gang, the nonphosphate Finish powder that I raved about and was working well has by now, about a month later slowly caused chalky residues on the dishes. I will go over to Gordon Food Services down the street and get institutional Cascade powder, which is chlorinated and phosphated, much like the Cascade that was out before they went enzyme. I do like those enzymes for stuck on food however. I hope that the Shine Shield is NOT in it though, I feel that it dulls the dishes shine!

 

[angus]

For those of us who have Ocean State JOb Lot Stores nearby, I was there Sunday and they had shelves of Cascade Complete Powder, regular and with bleach and all with phosphates. Not sure if all stores have it, but the one in Milford, CT has it...

 

[rp2813]

Yes, the close-out types of stores have been carrying phosphated Cascade here too since it was pulled from regular store shelves.  Grocery Outlet and Big Lots are two stores where it's been sighted, and I bought a stash for myself at Grocery Outlet a while back.

 

[retropia]

Dave, thanks for updating us with the latest results.  I was wondering what miracle ingredient Finish could be adding to its detergent to make up for lack of phosphates.  For those without hard water, it probably works fine. That is not my situation, unfortunately.

 

Big Lots here hasn't had any vintage Cascade in a long time. I occasionally find vintage Cascade action pacs in other stores around town, but haven't found any powder recently. Commercial Cascade is available nearby at GFS, but I'm not crazy about bleach in dishwasher detergent and prefer enzymes. Bleach tends to degrade unfinished aluminum items.

 

When my vintage Cascade stash is depleted, I'll probably switch to modern non-phosphated detergent and purchase STPP to mix in manually.

 

 

[jerrod6]

Has your water hardness changed?  I ask because my water hardness is not consistent.  My  water department states that the hardness varies between 7 and 14 grains of hardness.  Just used Finish NP powder in a load yesterday and everything is spotless. Water hardness as reported by DW is 15 grains, but it has reported as low as 6.

 

[joe_in_philly]

Jerrod:

Have you noticed a pattern of when the water is harder or softer, such as by season or weather? I believe I am in the Baxter/Queen Lane mix area. I have no way to measure water softness, but I notice that sometimes I need a fraction of the detergent one week compared to another. It makes me think my water hardness varies considerably and frequently.

Joe