Cascade phosphate free is getting TERRIBLE reviews by customers!

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Citric acid

I'm almost out of the citric acid powder I have but I've been adding it along with the dishwasher detergent for a long time. I'm using the new Cascade and I'm not seeing the white chalky film on anything unless it was a super dirty pot and pan, and that just wipes right off easily, but I'm wondering if the citric acid I'm using is why? I'm going to buy some STPP next.
 
STTP worked for me

STPP is awesome. As described in another message, I had the same issue in our six month old KitchenAid with the "horrible" new Cascade Complete. 1 tbsp of STPP divided between the two detergent cups (topped off with Cascade) made a world of difference. Our water has hardness of about 14 gr/gallon.

If you have this issue, please post a review at the Cascade website. Hopefully they will eventually do something.

I have been telling friends and neighbors to hopefully save them a service call. It will be interesting what the upcoming Consumer Reports issue with the new dishwasher detergent ratings will show.

I have also seen Glass Magic recently disappear from stores around here. Anyone else seen it go away? Possibly because of the phosphate ban (mostly STPP in Glass Magic)?

http://www.cascadeclean.com/en_US/allinoneactionpowder/readreviews.do
 
STPP in Glass Magic? I thought that was citric acid? I know citric acid is the main ingredient in lemishine, which is what I have been using....I don't think I have used the new Cascade once without adding the lemishine with it, perhaps that's why I haven't been seeing such bad results, though I'm sure the STPP (phosphates) are much better.
 
Wow...

Thanks, Lawrence, I knew the older ones didnt, but thought the new ones would, wonder if that makes the difference then!!

Just looked at Sears online and could see in their blurb as not having the water softener feature, even the Bosch which was surprised at, but Miele USA do promote it.

So if the formulation is similar to Europe then a lot more complaints will coming forward me thinks!!!
 
Mark, it will greatly diminish the cleaning power of your detergent to add citric acid to it. The citric acid will cut the alkalinity of the detergent by lowering the pH too much. Citric should be separate!
 
I have been using Finish non phosphate powder or All in 1 tabs for the last few weeks and am getting very good results with it.

Today I washed a 2 day load of dishes covered with dried pasta and tomatoe sauce and tried Cascade All in 1 Complete non phosphate powder. Everything looks clean but I think I prefer Finish because it leaves the dishes a bit brighter and squeaky.

Next I checked the link in the first post of this thread. WOW! The white haze problem extends to all of the Cascade products not just the powder. No one is happy with it. I wonder what P&G will do? What can they do, and how could they have not known this was going to be a problem?
 
Nope

Water hardness varies across the rather huge USA, but Amercian domestic dishwashers, other than those either made in Europe or based upon such designs have built water softeners.

Phosphate laden dishwasher detergent was until recently the main weapon against water hardness and it's problems for automatic dishwashers. Anyone who's water needed more treatment than this normally installed a whole house water softener system.
 
European dishwashers - you shouldn't need phosphates!

If your dishwasher has a built-in water softener and you use the correct dose of salt to keep it replenished, you should not need phosphates at all.

I use phosphate free dishwasher tablets all time eg Sun Green Power and Ecover and I get excellent results.
For euro ma Hines the phosphates are really totally unnecessary.

I realise that many US dishwashers don't have softeners donuts hard to know what you guys can do!

Install water softeners?!
 
I've been using the Finish dispenser, the round one in the top rack, for the last 2 or 3 loads and it seems to work quite well. I would guess it is phosphate free, don't have the packaging anymore. Great deal, on sale at my local Meijer's for $4.97 less a $3.00 online coupon. Odds are I won't continue to use it as it is a bit pricey, but for me it does work well.
 
I noticed Walmart & my local grocery store both still have Cascade Complete packs with phosphates at the back of the shelves. they have the darker green plastic tops on the tub containers. the new formula all have lighter green color packaging.
 
I got a phone call from the lady down the street that I mentioned earlier in this thread. She said her DW isn't cleaning well again. I told her to call me when she loads it up that evening and let me come down and look at it.

I got down there and looked at it. Well, she loaded it properly. BUT, the amount of detergent was unbelieveable! She uses Walmart Great Value Orange Gel. She only put in a squirt in each cup. Each squirt was about the size and thickness of a dime! I told her that you need to use a lot more than that! She said "I've been doing it that way for years". Hmmm and to think that we have had dinner at her house multiple times before.....
 
Around here the switch over literally happened overnight.

One cannot find a bottle or box of phosphate Cascade for love nor money. Don't know what store managers did with the old stock, but one must assume marching orders were issued.

Have checked off price and discount stores, but still nothing. May hit "Nationwide Warehouse" in the Village to see what there is.

Now common sense says the stuff couldn't simply have been chucked into rubbish, think of the pollution from dumping cases of dishwashing gels and powders into landfills. So what did they do with the stuff!

Stores locally had shelves full of the old stock, and again overnight it was replaced.
 
I went to the store again today, they had one or two tubs of the Complete tabs like I got (that sell for $12+). they also had several jugs of the liquid Complete (dark green) next to lighter jugs of comparable Complete on the shelf, but that's it. I didn't look at the darker jugs to see if there4 were till phosphates, I just don't like those liquids.
 
Found some older Cascade at a grocery store today.....

The store I was at is not reknown for rotating stock. Someone before me must have known to check the back of the shelves, as there was exposed a dark green box of Lemon Cascade, with 6.4% phosphate formula. Nothing left on the shelves otherwise had it. I got two boxes, and re-covered the remaining boxes (there may have been about 6 left) in case someone else wants to go fishing for it.

It pays to look at the backs of the shelves! If anyone wants me to nab what's left, send me an e-mail and I'll get it for you.

Gordon
 
I just picked up a bunch of 6.25 lb boxes of 6.4% phosphorus Cascade Complete at $5/box, at a local discount grocery store. That works out to $.80/lb. Also picked up a few boxes of 4.68 lb Cascade with Bleach (no doubt, an oxygen bleach) for $4/box. That works out to about $.86/lb. They also had phosphated Cascade Complete actionpak gel packs, 20 for $3. That actually compares well with the $17/85 pac tubs I've been getting at Costco. Would have to get my old receipts to figure out how much the older phosphated Cascade powder was costing me at Costco per lb.

Big Lots had the phosphated Cascade with Bleach, 4.68 lb, for $6/box. I passed on that. The only phosphated dw detergent I found at the 99 cents store was 9 gelpacs for $1. Not bad, actually, since that is the cheapest, but I wasn't sure of the brand. I passed on that also.

Anyway, I'm fixed for phosphated dw detergent for a while, between the stuff I bought today and the sacks of STPP in storage...

Hopefully in due course, when enough consumers reject the new phosphate free Cascade, we'll be seeing the "green" versions wind up at the discount lots shops, and a good phosphated version will return to the mainstream store shelves.
 
"Just wondering how many of you experiencing poor results with the new formulation have a water softener built-into your dishwasher??"

Chestermike: I have a Dw with a built in softener. It has several programs that are designated as "glass care" which are supposed to help protect your glasses from etching. For these programs it keeps the wash temperature below 131F and it mixes hard and soft water together to prevent the water from being too soft. I have used the non phosphate detergents in these programs and don't have any problem with white film. I alternate detergents each week and so far I have tried Finish all in 1 tabs, Finish powder, and Cascade complete all in 1 powder. All of these non phosphate. The Finish powder is actually better than the old version which contained chlorine bleach. My state banned phosphates in DW detergents effective June 2010, so I also have a stash of phosphated detergents, but I am trying the non phosphate formulas to see how they work.
 
Sudsmaster:

Several states have made it illegal to sell DW detergent with phosphates, so even if the companies return to phosphate formulas they will be unable to sell them in those states. It would take action at the state level to allow them to be sold again.
 
It's Baaaaaaack!

After my nightly bike ride in the park, ran into local supermarket to get a carton of milk. As usual did my quick walk down the detergent aisle and what did I spy with my little eye? Cascade "Complete" with phosphates (5.5%)was back on the shelf.

Inquired of the stock boy and he said that they were just put out! Was too knackered to think about fetching back several boxes of the stuff (they are rather large),but certianly will be doing so by the end of the week, unless they are all gone.

Even at $7.89 for these large boxes, still better than having to order more STPP, or running my stash low. As one moves away from American detergents to the European variety, find less need for STPP, especially with Ariel Excel gel.

Obviously even before CR's latest issue, P&G was getting an earful regarding their "new" detergents, and sales, (or lack thereof), certainly speak volumes.
 

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