We bought a new dishwasher for the house we are moving into (they didn't have one at all), and I am wondering which kind of dishwasher detergent we should buy. We have a cheap dishwasher now at the apartment, and just some off brand dishwasher detergent and between the old dishwasher and the crappy soap, nothing gets clean.
Can you recommend a dishwasher detergent that works really well?
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
finish! we have both the gelpacks and the soap squares. i like the soap squares much better~
GOLD / papaya / 10206 posts
Another vote for Finish. I love the packs or pucks you just toss in. We usually buy the jumbo pack from Costco when it goes on sale.
pomegranate / 3008 posts
I prefer Cascade (the gel type, not the liquid or powder). I tried Seventh Generation but it just didn't do well for us.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
we used to use ecover tablets and they worked really well. but lately we've been making our own to save money it's easy and eco-friendly! just mix 4 tsp super washing soda, 1 tsp citric acid, and put some vinegar in the rinse compartment. gets the dishes super clean!
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@Mrs. Bee: How much would you say that costs to make, and does it last a long time? I am all about saving money, I want to try it!
coconut / 8854 posts
I just use Cascade powder! I think it cleans our dishes better than the little packets
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
@Bao: i bought this 5 pound bag of citric acid from amazon for $18. since you only use 1tsp at a time, it lasts a very long time.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OZFECU
then i bought super washing soda at my local grocery store for $3-$4. don't buy it on amazon -- it's overpriced.
i'm not sure what the exact cost is because i haven't calculated, but this lasts you a really long time and it's eco-friendly. i know it's definitely way cheaper than the ecover tablets we were using which were 29 cents per wash, and we usually run the dishwasher 2x a day.
grapefruit / 4235 posts
I prefer finish tabs, but I have a bag of sunlight packs and they seem to work well. Since they took the phosphates out of fish washing soap I've found that having rinse aid in the dishwasher is more important than ever.
I stock up on anything that is on sale - I won't pay more than .10/ea for dishwasher tabs.
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22276 posts
@Mrs. Bee: thanks for all that info! I will give it a try 
@dagret: I never even thought to calculate the price per tab...smart!
bananas / 9229 posts
We use the Cascade packs! I had a sample of a natural brand (can't remember which) but found my dishes were barely coming clean!
bananas / 9628 posts
We use trader joes, it was the top pick for an Eco friendly one in consumer reports. I didn't have good luck with the seventh generation one, so I looked it up in CR to see which they suggested & at the time that was their pick, not sure if it still is, but we like it.
honeydew / 7230 posts
We have found Cascade Complete works the best with the terrible water in our town. However, we still have to soak everything in vinegar water in the sink from time to time to get the hard water spots off. I would recommending trying a few different ones till you find what works best with your water!
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