cascade rinse aids over the years

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Rinse aids

P&G's rinse aids probably appeared around the same time as the detergents.

I'm assuming that, since the likes of UK Kenwood and UK Swanmaid sourced their detergent from Procter & Gamble (P&G's 'Freedom' detergent, under one name or another), it could well be the case that P&G also supplied the rinse aids.

The Which? magazines of the early Sixties stated that rinse aids were beneficial for good results.
 
baskets

I remember these Jet Dry baskets when I was a kid. They clipped to the dishwasher rack. Did they predate liquid rinse aid dispensers in dishwashers?

I just found them on the Wal-Mart website under the Finish name.

Sarah

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sound of spray arms spinning faster

Hi Jerome, your mention of hearing faster spinning with a particular rinse aid brings me to mention the satisfying smooth quiet hum of the spin cycle of my F&P gwl 11 washer those FEW times when the laundry load is almost perfectly balanced. Can anyone comment if other than more than one heavy item in a mixed load is there a method to ensure more evenly balanced spin cycles?
 
"Did they predate liquid rinse aid dispensers in dishwashers?"

Early on not all dishwashers had built in rinse agent dispensers. Hence Jet Dry and others offering solid versions that came in those little baskets.



Mind you solid versions rinse aids had long been available for commercial ware washing equipment.

Mind you for years P&G flogged Cascade with it's "sheeting action" would leave dishes "virtually spotless". Guess that's why P&G didn't bother offering a rinse aid under Cascade brand until early 2000's (IIRC). By this time rinse aid dispensers had pretty much become standard on all dishwashers.



 
Tidbit from history.

Ecolab seeing growth in domestic dw market introduced Electrasol in 1953 then Finish. Latter was meant to be more upscale brand IIRC.

Jet Dry rinse aids were from Reckitt Benckiser who went on to buy domestic consumer division from Ecolab. In short order Electrasol brand was slowly edged out as Finish became RB's sole and top shelf product line of dishwasher products.

Thus now instead of just "Jet Dry" you have "Finish Jet Dry"

Think for awhile RB was flogging "Electrasol/Finish", but they may have since dropped Electrasol.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/business/media/29adnewsletter2.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finish_(detergent)

Before there was "Finish Powerball" we had Electrasol tablets which one at least rather liked.

 
P&G did not begin including "rinse agents" into Cascade until "Cascade with Sheeting" action.

https://www.whatsinproducts.com/chemicals/view/1/1883

Many automatic dishwasher detergents early on for domestic use relied upon being laden with phosphates to provide yibble and spot free results. Phosphates bound minerals in water so they didn't leave residue (hopefully), and the slippery water produced helped things dry spot free.

True rinse agents are loaded with surfactants (non-ionic usually). They also contain alcohol which is responsible for fast drying of dishes. You see this in how glass, window and mirror cleaners often also contain good amount of alcohol.

My guess is in aide of reducing or eliminating phosphates dishwasher detergent makers upped surfactant level. This could explain why some modern dw detergents are more frothy than others.

Years ago purchased a canister of Ecolab solid rinse agent going cheap on fleaPay. Rise aid dispenser on my GE Mobile Maid was kaput and thought could use it as a cheaper version of those solid rinse agents that come in those little baskets.

It didn't work out....

During course of cycles so much froth would quickly build up could hear pump cavitating. Opening machine revealed a huge amount of froth.

Switched to adding small amounts of the stuff to final rinse. Even amount barely size of a fingernail caused high levels of froth to appear nearly at once. So that was end of experiment.

Happily local shops were having a sale on Cascade clear rinse agent (they were discontinuing it for some reason). Got a job lot for pennies on dollar and haven't looked back since.
 
As one has said

Going by NOS vintage bottles of Cascade "Crystal" rinse agent the stuff is no more than surfactants (nonionic), alcohol and some sort of dispersant (propylene glycol), along with of course water.

Notice how that Cascade commercial linked above states rinse agent adds a "extra layer". Meaning it isn't exactly necessary because Cascade DW detergent already has "sheeting action". In the detergent that is thanks to healthy doses of phosphates and surfactants (nonionic and anionic)

Ethanol (alcohol) is useful for fast streak free drying. This is why you find the stuff in glass, window and mirror cleaners.

If dishes are washed and rinsed with water at high enough temps they will "flash" dry quickly enough. More so if door is opened and or things are otherwise exposed to air.

My hunch is rinse aids began being pushed as part of energy savings on dw use. Water temps dropped and people were using "energy saver" setting which usually meant turning off heated drying.

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