Dishwasher pacs

[stchuck]

Meijer store brand

On a whim to try a cheaper alternative than Finish or Cascade I just bought a small bag of Meijer brand dishwasher pacs about a week ago.. I have done three loads. I don't see a difference from the big name brands. I don't know who makes them but so far so good. I am really pleasantly surprised.

 

[mich]

More than likely..

There made by Huish/Sun.

 

[washer111]

I personally found that "Kwit" dishwasher detergent was equivalent to Finish in terms of the formula and smell. It was also manufactured by R&B (Reckitt Whatsit-Do-Bit). So it cleaned just as good for much less

 

The best part it was around $4-5 cheaper than the equivalent sized package of Finish - so I was happy about that. Shame the store don't stock that anymore either. They replaced it with Finish... Gotta love greed.

 

[abcomatic]

How would powdered Bubble Bandit do?

 

[jkbff]

K so I went to walmart... I hate when I go shopping when I'm either obsessed with something, hungry, sick and hopped up on nyquil or all of the above... Nothing good ever comes of it.

We shall find out the results bit by bit I guess. I know a lot of you suggested Finish, but I've never really had luck when I've used Finish before, and at this walmart, the shelves are hard to keep stocked because of the influx of Oil Field people working... Of all the detergents, Finish was the main brand with stocked shelves. People have picked over the Cascade.. I'll try Finish after I make it through the 177 pacs I have.

I did decide to try some Tide Pacs as well.. Just to see how those work in my Front-loader.

 

[jkbff]

When you guys use your pacs, do you still add a bit of detergent to the prewash when needed?

 

[frigilux]

Joshua-- It's fun to have a smorgasbord of detergents to try, isn't it?

Having used dishwasher pacs for quite awhile now, I've overcome the urge to add extra detergent for the prewash. A single pac will clean nearly any load. I do keep some Cascade Complete powder (or gel) on hand for super-tough loads of pots/pans, for which I'll fill the main wash dispenser to capacity, plus more for the prewash. But that's a rare occurrence. I suppose one could simply toss in two pacs, but I've never done that.

Don't know about your Maytag, but the prewash on my new GE is so brief that it seems a waste to add any detergent to it. The cycle has obviously been programmed with pacs in mind.

I'm quickly becoming a pod person in the laundry room, as well. Tide and Wisk pods seem to do the best job on stains, but sudsing can be problematic in softened water with small, lightly-soiled loads. I use Arm & Hammer pods for them, as its sudsing is more controlled. Have also tried All, Gain, and Purex pods, none of which I plan to repurchase.

[this post was last edited: 2/22/2014-07:09]

 

[xraytech]

I personally don't like the detergent pacs, in my mothers machine a BOL Frigidaire made Kenmore, she has alternated between Cascade pacs and the Finish powerball pacs, usually the Finish as they are very inexpensive at SAMs Club and perform better. Unfortunately regardless of the brand at least half of the loads the pac is either doesn't dissolve or partially dissolves.

In my dishwasher, an 18" Kenmore portable I am still on my initial detergent purchase which was Cascade complete gel because it was buy one get one 50% off and I had a coupon. I will likely switch to finish gel next. I also keep a box of finish powder around, but use it for cleaning my coffee percolators

 

[frigilux]

Sam-- I believe you diagnosed the problem with partially-dissolved dishwasher detergents pacs when you wrote 'BOL Frigidaire-made Kenmore'. 

 

Pacs/pods/tablets have always dissolved completely in both the LG and GE dishwashers I've had. 

 

[xraytech]

Frigilux, I'm not sure the dishwasher is completely to blame, as in the last dishwasher that was a Kenmore Elite they would occasionally not dissolve.
Was thinking part of the problem could also be the hard well water