DIshwashing Advice: Hand Washing With Auto Detergent

[matthewza]

Hello all!

Been a while since I've posted or even commented on a thread, but the student life has kept me busy, especially this time of year with final assignments being due soon.

So, here's the situation I found myself in tonight:
Last night I used the last of my dishwashing liquid (hand wash. Don't have a dishwasher in my bachelor pad, 1 500km away from the parents who do), but I forgot to buy when I was at the shops today, so tonight I used the auto dishwash powder I bought when I bought a 2nd hand dishwasher a few months ago (didn't work out - it was leaking so I took it back to the 2nd hand shop and got a refund, thinking I am obviously not meant to have one. But I still have the detergent). However, I immediately noticed that the dishes are super slippery, and I almost broke a plate and pyrex dish while washing up tonight. Because of this I decided to rinse them. I never do this with the normal handwash liquid - I wash and put the wet dishes on the drying rack and pack them away the next day.

My question - Can one hand wash dishes with auto dish washer detergent? I'm going home for the end of year holiday on the 30th of this month, so I don't really want to buy a bottle of dish liquid now (only coming back in February), but if I must, I will. Or just look for another dishwasher.

Thanks in advance!
Matthew

 

[danemodsandy]

Matthew:

The reason that your dishes were super-slippery is that dishwasher detergent is quite alkaline; it dissolves the skin on your hands. Chlorine bleach will do the same thing. That was the slippery feeling. The stuff is not nearly so caustic as it used to be, but if you continue using it for hand-washing, you're going to end up with some pretty dried-out and old-looking hands.

I am a little puzzled at your statement that you normally don't rinse dishes washed with hand-washing liquid. Is the stuff formulated for that purpose in SA? Here in the States, not rinsing dishes would result in a soapy taste on the dishes, and can also result in diarrhea.

 

[tennblondie78]

I see no reason you can't use your automatic dishwaser detergent. I have honestly never heard of someone not rinsing the soap off dishes before. Can't you taste soap in your food and drinks??

 

[brisnat81]

If you hand wash in AU, you don't rinse either generally unless you're washing wine glasses or the such.

Older people do at times (My grandparents era, IE now in their 90's), I assume as a hangover from a time when you used Soap to wash dishes, but I've never seen anyone from my parents generation rinse.

If you're using Morning Fresh, Palmolive or Dawn the soap and water usually just drains off whilst the dishes are in the dish rack.

I guess if you overdosed on detergent you might need to rinse, but I've never had an issue.

 

[logixx]

I would never not rinse the soap and remaining grease off after hand-washing dishes - no matter what the manufacturer claims. That, to me, is a silly as No-Rinse Tide.

 

Pretty much anything that cuts grease will work in a pinch: hand soap, multipurpose cleaner, laundry detergent... Just rinse well.

 

[jerrod6]

At times I will but a bit of auto dishwasher detergent  and hot water in a pan with burned on food, let it soak for several minutes then wash it with a dish brush.

 

As you found out the solution makes items almost too slippery to hold and I never feel like I have completely rinse the stuff off, so I never do this with dishes I eat off of.  The stuff does irritate my hands big time.

 

[matthewza]

SA Hand Wash Habbits

Here in SA, just about nobody rinses their dishes if they hand wash. And the most popular dish liquid we have (that I use) is Sunlight. And no, You never taste soap on any food or drinks. As Brisnat81 said, they soapy water just runs off while they on the rack. My grandparents never had a dishwasher and they never rinsed, and neither did my parents before they got their 1st dishwasher. In SA we don't even rinse our dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Bones and solid leftovers get scraped into the dogs bowls, and then straight to the dishwasher.

I was also a bit worried about the effect the auto detergent will have on my hands, as it is much stronger than handwash liquid, and its 3in1. I just got back from the shops and I bit the bullet and bought dish liquid. The auto will just go home with me the end of the month. Don't really have much space for a dishwasher anyways, and I need to learn to start saving money, haha

Thankx for the advice, much appreciated as always!

Matthew