Which dishwasher detergents are people using?

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nickuk

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The online manual for the dishwasher I shall probably purchase states that it is ok to use combination tablets for water up to 26 degrees Clarke. This surpised me. Our water is 19, and known as `hard'. Apparently one just has to switch off the water softener unit.

At the moment I am using seperate powder, rinse aid and salt primarily because I thought I had to use salt anyway in our hard water, but also because I had a preconception that sep. rinse aid would work better. I just don't understand how a tablet which dissolves in the wash water and is pumped away can do anything at all in the final rinse? I used to understand the concept of the little balls inside the tablet filled with rinse aid, apparently they only disolved in a certain ph or something so released into the rinse water. But I think that was Finish, the other combi products don't have that, they are just like regular tablets. Confused.

There is an appeal to just having the simplicity of one product, but there are drawbacks to tablets. The main one for me is how quickly they dissolve, and the obvious issue with quicker, short cycles. I would suspect they would also work out more expensive.

If I were to go for a combi tablet I would probably naturally only go for a cheaper one eg Sainsbugs store brand, as I have said before I have never had much luck with Finish tablets as they oversuds (to be fair to the brand, not so the powder). Infact, I am perplexed as to why Finish tabs are so popular in the UK!! Marketing triumph? Whenever I go past a dishwasher which sounds like it's choking, a quick peek in the cupboard reveals the latest incarnation of Finish `798 in 1 tablets'.

Thoughts?

Nick
 
Fairy Active Bursts

I am using Fairy all in one Lemon "Active Bursts", they are the only ones with a decent rinse aid in them to get glasses and cutlery really sparkling.

I got 42 in Asda for £5 the other day, they had a pack of 90 for £8 which i think the offer is still on.

prefering these to finish, I seem to get a whistling sound in the dishwasher with Finish and they seem to generate quite alot of foam,

I do agree Nick that Finish is overly marketed,

I sometimes use Aldis Magnum all in one tablets, which is also very good, and they clean extremely well and leave the glasses sparkling, these are £3.99 for 40 which is a bargain.
 
Finish 3-in-1 powerball tablets

Work great in our local very hard water and Bosch DW. Phosphates were recently banned from DW soap in the USA. I bought several cartons of Finish at the time but am not sure whether my cache contains phosphates or not---I cannot find any information on either the packaging or their US website. I bought enough for 4-5 years (thinking this might be the last time to buy with phosphates, if indeed the stuff I bought DOES have phosphates) so I will be able to stay with whatever is presently working for me. If they anticipated a drop in sales, or switch to other brands, in the wake of a phosphate ban, the lack of information on the packaging may be deliberate.
 
Cascade Professional powder with phosphate. And I have a hunch it has bleach in it too. I get it through a Janitorial supply.

~Tim
 
When living in the UK...

....we used LIDL W5 tablets in our Bosch. Powder never seemed to dispense properly out of the sliding (rather than 'flip open') dispenser.

Always found them to be top value and excellent performers....though the current tests by Which? don't see them rate as highly....

Now that we're home in Oz, and without LIDL, we use Aldi Logix original tablets - 30 for $5.49....perfect results out of the Dishlex....

It's the model before this....

http://www.dishlex.com.au/dx301sk.html
 
Cascade Complete (PF) with 1/2 tbsp STPP per cup

or...Cascade Complete (PF) in the prewash cup and a Finish Powerball Tab in the main wash cup.
 
Cascade. The non phosphate stuff. :P My mom bought 3 boxes of it a few weeks ago so we are stuck with it for a while!
 
Using what I have left of phosphate Cascade w/ Dawn, which is about 3.5 boxes or so in the KDS-17A. Hopefully that will last through next spring, at which time I'll be pulling out what little hair I have left :D

Ben
 
Dishwasher Detergents

My Mum just uses finish, in either powder or the "classic pre-soaking" formula tablets, with seperate salt and rinse aid. With her soft water you don't need much and the salt and rinse aid are set to the lowest setting.

I don't like the all in one products because last time I checked they contain phosphates, a totally unecessary harmful chemical when your dishwasher can soften it's own water using simple salt. Don't see how the rinse aid can be as effective either.

I tried the Lidl tablets last year when I had a dishwasher of my own and didn't get on with them very well at all.

Recently moved into a new flat though with no room for a dishwasher at all (not even a table top model), so I'm on the Fairy proffessional liquid and it's working out pretty well.

Matt
 
I have a stash of phosphated DW detergents, but have been using the non phosphate stuff for several weeks. I rotate each week. So far Finish non phos powder, Finish all in 1 non phos tabs have been the best of my non phosphated detergents. Phosphated detergent: - Finish quantum tabs, or 1/2 Miele tab work well.

Rinse aid: Regular Jet dry green apple and vinegar scent or Miele
 
I'm using Cascade with Dawn. No phosphates but it does OK on the dishes. Mostly due to the vintage Potscrubber 1200 that actually uses water and heat. I use both prewash and wash cups and the heavy soil cycle.
 
 
WM GreatValue for years ... added STPP when it went 'free.'  Started last week on a box of Cascade Complete w/phosphates, stash of four boxes I found recently.  Regular Finish/Jet-Dry or the Turbo version, depending on what grabs me @ the store.

What's the marketing deal with scented rinse aid?  Seems "ewwww" to me, LOL.
 
Cascade complete, Cascade action packs,finish quantum.I have vacuum sealed it in jars so it will last longer bought a bunch of the phosphate stuff.I noticed that at a Kroger here in Memphis that there is still a lot of the phosphate containing stuff.
 
I'm still using vintage Cascade with phosphates, Action Pacs and powder, from my stash.

Kroger also sells a "Value" brand dishwasher detergent powder that I sometimes use, that has both bleach and 2% phosphates, no enzymes. I use that in my pre-wash cup and then vintage Cascade in the main wash cup.

I have no idea who makes it for Kroger, but it's super-cheap, $2.19 currently per box.
 
Sunsations Phosphate Free

My water is so soft that it still does fine in my 18 inch portable. Takes about 2 teaspoons a load in Portland water.
 
The empty Le Cruset pot will be washed and

Il give the vintage Fairy Powder a whirl on it. Failing that - I suspect the powder is long dead after a good 8/9 years? I will make it clean using modern day Finish Quantums.

My personal favourite If I can get them on offer.

Still use Rinse aid and salt though but at the lower dosage settings.

aquarius1984++11-6-2010-13-56-30.jpg
 
I use Wilkinsons own dishwasher powder, it gives good results.

I use a Bosch tabletop dishwasher so cant fit fullsize tablets in and if I just drop it in on the wash cycle they foam up all over the place.

Have used tesco value tablets, they are brilliant and small and the fit in the dispenser ok... they also dont foam up. Ive stopped using them though because our local tesco metro doesnt do the basic range of tablets any more only their own brand premium products.

@ matt Hoover1100 - Is there any difference between fair "proffesional" washing up liquids and the normal fairy?
 
tablets

I've tried some finish quantum powerball tablets in my LG but they don't fit the dispenser without being squeezed in and hence are still there when on its rinse cycle. so I have to open the door up when it starts the wash cycle and chcuk it in. Be glad when i've finished them. Normally I use fairy active burst lemon which I love and I also use astonish 5 in 1 tabs which are very good and get everything really sparkling and dont stick in the dispenser. I also use Lidls W5 now n then.

zodawash++11-6-2010-18-18-10.jpg
 
detergent

i have been using finish regular powder with advanced cleaning power lemon scent. i used to use cascade complete action pacs, but since they took phosphates out it leaves white residue on everything and doesn't clean like it used to. i have had very good results with the finish powder, cleans BETTER than cascade AND it is about half the price.
 
I saw some Sun 5 in 1 tablets in a local grocery store last week. I didn't know that brand was still going in the UK. Does anyone know if they are any good? I am using Finish Powerball and have been using it all year. They always seem to be on special offer somewhere - most recently Lidl so I topped up my supply.
 
I have used Sun tablets a year or so ago, and they seemed to work fine. They do have an odd perfumed fragrance to them, that might not appeal to all people. The ones I had were the 'Professional' type with dissolvable wrappers: loose, baggy wrappers, if I remember rightly, as opposed to the shrink-wrapped type that Finish has.
 
Cascade

I have several packages of the good stuff stashed away for emergencies, but actually the new stuff without Phosphates is doing a good job. I am using the Cascade complete, not sure if it would be different if I was using the cheaper variety with Dawn.

As a test last night I washed spaghetti dishes, not rinsed put in the DW straight from the table, I also threw in the pan, again just scraped not rinsed. Everything came out spotless, in fact there wasn't even the reddish tenge on the tub like I usually get when I do this. No white film, no residue, everything was clean.

I also use Jet-dry Turbo in the rinse aide despenser.
 

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