Dishwashing Detergents

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For me it's Cascade Complete with Bleach. Does a great job and never a spot even without using Jet Dry but I do have soft water so I am sure that helps..
 
Here I use Sunlight lemon scent gel, does just as good as others and is cheaper. Also use Jet-Dri, still get some spotting, our well water is very hard with lime.
Cant use powders or electrasoll tabs because they wont disolve.

Sam
 
I bought a Rubbermaid one-gallon pitcher with a tight-sealing pour spout a couple of weeks ago and mixed some STPP with two boxes of Electrasol (now being called Finish) that contains chlorine bleach. The phosphate content has been dwindling in recent months and the Electrasol is down to 3.1% from a high of nearly 18%. I brought the level back up to around 12-15% in my mixture and it works wonderfully. The next time at at Target, I'll pick up another identical pitcher and mix some STPP with an enzyme detergent for the same effect. Many times, I use the enzyme detergent for the pre-wash and the chlorinated detergent for the main wash as it's hotter and better suited to bleaching action.

I do keep Somat rinse-aid in the dispenser but haven't added it to the KDS-17 since I installed it a month or so ago. I must confess that I've hadn't thought about it until now. Obviously, I haven't missed it ;-)
 
My favorite detergent is Miele powder. It really cleans the heaviest stuff -> see link! Am currently using Turbo Dry rinse aid and Somat salt. I never use any additives but I do add detergent to the pre-wash.

 
I've used the basic Cascade for a long time.. Last Nov, I tried Norwex, and Not happy with the results of that on my newer Maytag. I have to wash my pans by hand after I use the Norwex.

Today, I was getting grocery, and they had the Finish on sale for $3.17. So I will try that as soon I use up the Norwex.
 
bleach and SS

I was told that DW dets with bleach are bad for stainless steel interiors; is this true ? I know bleach and/or chlorine is corrosive with anything repeatedly over time .......
 
LCB & stainless steel

Hi Greg,
clorine is an strong oxidant, anyway the amount of CB used in washers and dishwashers isn't an issue, even in the long period

Here in Europe we have only stainless steel DWs since the early seventies and all our detergents were CB based till mid 90s .... despite of chlorine dishwashers lasted much longer (and thanks to CB they washed better)

Commercial DW use LCB based detergents, yet never heard of damaged sumps/tanks

Even our washers had (have) the bleach compartment and had stainless steel cylinder and tub.

Have a 20 y.o. Candy FL in the garage. I was given it by my aunts, who are LCB addicted. I use it to wash wetsuits or rags/mops (with LCB). Despite it's a cheap/bad quality machine and the LCB abuse its SS tub and cylinder are still new
 
Seems American shop brands are far better than what we get over here.

Made the mistake of stocking up on Sainsburys Lemon Dishwasher powder a few months ago when it was an amazing £1.24 for 1kg.

Now on the 3rd and last bottle and cant wait to get back to my old Finish powder, While it cleans plates and glasses to a reasonable standard it struggles so badly with roasting tins and casserole dishes and wont even touch tea and coffee stains.

Il admit now that I got sick of bleaching our mugs and gave up until the powder runs out.
Now have a cupboard full of mugs that are of varying shades of black and brown inside waiting the next week or so until I get some Finish.

Will load the lot into the DW and run them through a cycle with a good glug of LCB, then start again.

Wont ever use tablets, feel they are a total waste of packaging - much prefer the Finish in the 2kg refill bag.

Always use seperate rinse aids and salt.
Not any specific brands either, been using Tesco Naturally Rinse Aid recently and just replaced it with Finish.
Only thing with the Naturally one was I had to notch up the Rinse Dispenser from setting 2-5 and it still worked out cheaper than Finish.

Salt is whichever I can get at the supermarket im in the week I need some.

Currently finishing the last of some from Waitrose.
 
Actually,

my experience has been that UK brands, like all European products clean considerably better than do the American products.

We just plain have more phosphates, considerably higher enzyme dosages and more effective bleaches as well as protective agents.

Nothing I have ever tried cleans as well as SOMAT or MIELE (I strongly suspect they are the same thing). The Lidl and Aldi and Schlecker and Rossmann and DM and Tengleman house brands all work fine on Universal 55° (the special program my Miele uses which raises the water temperature in a special curve to match the enzymes needs perfectly). On a normal wash, nothing clens everything as well as SOMAT or MIELE.

I prefer the tabs for the simple reason that the powders make my nose burn. And powder for the pre-rinse hasn't been needed for decades.

American dishwashers, given a decent detergent - like Somat 7in1 clean just as well as do ours. It isn't the machines, it is the castrated detergents.

Same with the laundry products.
 
Somat 9

The newest dishwasher detergent by Henkel. Somat 9

1) Detergent
2) Rinse Aid
3) Salt Substitute
4) Stainless Steel Shine
5) Long-Term Glass Protection
6) Cleaning Enhancer
7) Low Temperature Activator
8) Odor Neutralizer
9) Extra Drying Effect

4-26-2009-11-41-9--logixx.jpg
 
I use the Cascade Advanced Power (Costco exclusive, it seems) in my Bosch 43C and the KA VariCycle toploader, which has a detergent dispenser. In the '58 KA KD2P toploader, I use Cascade with Dawn gel/powder packs, because it has no dispenser.

Formerly I used Kirkland brand DW powder but didn't like the aroma it left in the Bosch. It cleaned ok but it did stink. I see that Kirkland has a new environmental powder w/o phosphate. Haven't tried it but I figure it probably doesn't work as well as the phosphated powders.

Haven't had any problem with etching with any of these... I suspect those that do are using too much for the load and water softness. The water here is low hardness but not too soft (4 grains or so). And I don't pre-rinse, ever.

I avoid the gels because Bosch says not to use them.
 
We usually use store brand tablets (Sainsburys do 32 for 3 quid or so, they're fantastic, as are the Asda and Lidl equivalents), and find that they do a job equal to those of Finish tabs which sell at stupidly high prices if not on offer. Last time I was home mum and dad had those Finish tabs that come in plastic tubs with no need to unwrap - have to say they're fair but still don't do anything special compared to the store brand tabs. The Fairy capsule burst things on the other hand are almost next to useless... can't clean for toffee even on a 75*C wash.

We haven't used powder for a few years now - mainly because it is easier for anyone in the family to put in one tab and be done with it, but also because most supermarkets - even the huge ones we have in Lincoln - are getting very weak now when it comes to stocking powder.

Salt we will use own brand - rinse aid we're still on a 5 litre bottle of Calgonit we bought from JTF from when we had the AEG dishwasher, and still have a quarter of the bottle left... must be coming on to about 4 or 5 years now and we only paid 3.99 for it.

Jon
 
Finish Powder here, comes in 3kg bottles for $10 on sale and then usually lasts 3-4 months. 30mL in the main wash, 5mL in the prewash.

Finish rinse aid, again when its on sale 500mL for about $7 and lasts 2-3 months.

Our local appliance store decants Pool salt from the 20kg bag into convienient 1kg bags. 1kg lasts 6 months or so.

I use Finish liquid for Aluminium and food processor components, but not for every day cleaning.

The sensor cycle on our Miele takes 90-120mins and everything always comes out clean and dry.
 
if your glasse are "foggy" you could also use "glass magic" in a small green box available at walmart for about 3 bucks...after a few washes the glasses are clear again...

maytagbear....i got a jaqcuzzi...and a bed that massages...lol
 

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