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gelaundry4ever

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Hey guys, I have been a fan of Cascade since 2007, and I still enjoy their products. They've served me well for years in every formula. Here we are today, and I've tried Finish Ultimate in my Kenmore and I couldn't believe it. While the Cascade platinum plus did good and had a great smell, it did leave some food behind, in addition to foam. After I used Finish Ultimate, I was hooked. I just ordered Finish rinse aid in the green apple scent, and now I'm about to convert to all Finish products. I noticed that my pump ran quite more healthy, whereas with Cascade it labored, yet the spray pressure was consistent. My Kenmore is a 630 model, meaning it's a Bosch product.
I must say that that Finish works better than Cascade, even their toughest yet. Finish converts, please post your testimony here. Thank you.
 
I've used Finish before and was not impressed. I remember it left behind some water marks on the glasses. Never had that problem with either Cascade or Kirkland. Although I've noticed that some dishwashers would only recommend what brand of detergent to use so I guess it would depend on the machine. Some would say only use Cascade and some would say only use Finish. My dishwasher is a Whirlpool built KitchenAid and it doesn't say what detergent to strictly use but it definitely works better with Cascade. I prefer using Kirkland because they get my smoker racks cleaner and they're also cheaper as well. I only get Cascade whenever they'd go on sale.
 
My friend on YouTube has a Bosch and he finds that Cascade works better for him. Not just any kind of Cascade, but the professional fryer boil out kind that's a commercial grade detergent.

 
I just use

Regular Dishwasher Powder. I've been using Cascade Complete Powder for Eons, as well as a stash of old Electrasol Tablets from time to time. Never had any issues with spotting or cleaning.

Dishwasher is also a Bosch - with the Electrasol Sticker on the door panel.

I will say this. I think in a lot of cases, these tablets and gel pacs are simply way too much detergent, and you do hear machine pumps struggling to run. Then there is the fact that these new pacs and tablets cost upwards of .50 a load, while powder costs as little as .03. Huge Difference.
 
Just wondering now...

@mattl, what is the sore spot you see when you use Powder Detergent?

I live in a Hard Water Area (about 6GPG) and do not have a water softener. All I use is Cascade Complete Powder and Cascade Rinse Aid. Once every couple of months, I'll also do an empty wash with Lemishine to prevent any buildup in the machine.

I do not rinse anything, just scrape and have consistently table-ready dishes. My silverware and glasses look great, although, occasionally there will be a random single spot on a glass.

The only real difference I ever noticed - using Platinum Cascade, was my silverware looked a little more polished and shiny than usual. However, I did not think this was worth it in terms of cost, and I was worried about the wash motor in my Bosch getting destroyed from the excess froth.

I am just curious now - what is the big deal? Am I really missing out on something that I do not know about? I just felt like the current advertising and push for Pods and stuff was an advertising effort by P&G.

I would like to know more!
 
I have no idea of the hardness of my water, connected to the out county water system.  I have no sudsing issues with the pods, the few times I've opened the DW just noticed a thin layer of suds.

 

With the pods I never take anything out that isn't spotless, with the powder I'd occasionally find a problem dish or bowl. A $20  tub of pods lasts me 8-9 months so I  don't have an issue with  the cost.
 
Powder and liquid dishwasher detergents

Should not be used in dishwashers, unless you have perfectly soft, water, or a dishwasher with a built-in water softener.

GMHW Reply number seven the foaming will not hurt the pump whatsoever. However, if you’re getting even the slightest mineral buildup from using powder, it will destroy the pump seal which will destroy the motor in the pump necessitating a possibly expensive repair.

I use a tablespoon of liquid dishwasher detergent in the pre-wash cup and a quality pod in the main cup and get absolutely sparkling dishes out, in the pre-worship probably doesn’t matter too much. Sometimes I use a cheap powder too To Do the pre-wash.

John
 
I feel like I could never get the dosing right for powdered or liquid detergents in a DW so I've always used pods. I used to use Cascade Platinum but I found it sudsed up too much, so I now use Cascade Complete pods and they do an satisfactory job. I don't think any detergent is going to blow me away in my small, cheap apartment-grade dishwasher.

Ryne
 
 
Pods cannot be placed in DishDrawer detergent dispensers.  The dispenser cups are designed only for powders, they don't open to release detergent.  Incoming water fill flows through the cups to flush the detergent out, doesn't work with pods.  The only way to use pods is place them in the silverware basket or on one of the side shelves.  Current DishDrawer models include a tray that fits atop a compartment of the silverware basket to hold a pod.

A further problem is that my DD runs one or more prewash/prerinse periods on all cycles except Fast Eco, which is 38 mins for a wash and two rinses and heats to only 105°F (meaning the main wash and final rinse aren't extended in time unless the water temp is below 105°F).  I'm not sure but I believe the more-recent DD model revisions no longer run a pre-anything, all cycles begin directly with the main wash period which facilitates use of pods.

I recently bought a small package of Finish Ultimate pods.  Ran a load with one a few days ago.  Normal cycle runs a prewash and prerinse.  I didn't purge the water line before starting so the incoming fill was tap-cold for essentially the entire cycle in the hope that the pod wouldn't dissolve very much until later into the main wash when onboard water heating took effect (target temp of 140°F).

I placed the pod under a custard cup on a side shelf.  An item below that shelf partially obscured water spray to the pod, also in the hope that it would dissolve slowly.  I checked after the prerinse drain.  The pod was gone other than a bit of residue sticking to the shelf.  No detergent for the main wash.  I added the standard 3 teaspoons of Cascade Boil Out.

The only way I can use pods effectively is monitor the machine and add it when the main wash begins.

No, I am not replacing a perfectly functional dishwasher to faciliate the use of stupid detergent pods.[this post was last edited: 1/3/2024-12:30]
 
 
I ran a load yesterday with a Finish Quantum Powerball pod.  The residual perfume-scent is objectionable.  Plastic items pick it up especially so.  A whipped topping bowl (used for leftovers and/or cereal), another plasic storage container and lid, and a 24 oz. Tervis tumbler and lid continue to reek of it today.
 
Loved Finish Powerball (the hard square tablet with the red ball in the middle) Ran out of that...Put Finish powerball on the list and they came back with Kirkland dishwasher packs. I was like OH hell no..but they worked almost as well as the powerball and I didn't think I would ever get through them all....Over a year...anyway...then I got Finish Quantum (not powerball) and I don't like it... I only run the dishwasher packed full nothing rinsed except egg..and there's no foam or laboring sound at all...that's not an issue... it leaves a white film on the sides and bottom of the dishwasher itself... but not on the dishes... the Kirkland or powerball did not do this. I mean, it cleans fine otherwise. The reason I avoid Cascade is the things I've read about too much foam...very bad for dishwashers when you hear them struggling. I usually stay away from generic dishwasher detergents but after using Kirkland vs Quantum I'd totally go back to Kirkland... but it's gonna be a while before I get through this quantum
 
powerball tabs and smashing them to powder

I have not needed to buy DW detergent in a long time, are Powerball tabs still available? Glenn in the past I have hammered the tabs to break up into powder to use in DishDrawer dispenser-my soft water doesn't need a whole tab really-but other times I would put the whole tab in cutlery basket and it would mostly be intact at beginning of main wash. I have also used Finish pods in cutlery basket, seems ok so far.
 
Alright

If I ever get some sample pods and/or find any kind of detergent that's on sale, I'll give Finish another shot. It's likely that I didn't had good experience with Finish was because I didn't put any rinse aid inside that supposedly should help not leave any water marks behind.
 
Finish Ultimate

The New Finish Ultimate has a liquid powerball in it, along with a gel compartment and a powerder chamber. I have put egg covered dishes in, on top of blueberry pancake batter bowls and they NEVER disappoint. They clean better than even Cascade's toughest, which is saying something. In addition, I find that Finish rinse aid does better. Trust me when I say this, there's no laboring. It leaves a fresh smell, which reminds me of dirty laundry being washed with laundry detergent that mixes in with the water, allowing the bad odors to dissipate.
 

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