Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Does Your Dishwashing Detergent Matter?

Before we got our new GE dishwasher last month, I would complain about how useless our dishwasher was. We hadn’t even bothered to use it in almost a year because it didn’t really do anything anyway.

But I have to confess that I always blamed the dishwasher and never thought about what kind of dishwashing detergent I was using. And that can make a difference.

Now, I truly believe that no matter what kind of detergent I was putting in our old dishwasher, it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference- that thing was so old.

However, if you have every reason to believe your dishwasher is capable of getting your dishes clean and you are unhappy with its performance, try using a different detergent.

It sounds so simple- I never blame my washing machine for not getting our clothes clean- I look at the detergent(well, and how prone my boys are to staining their clothes). But for some reason, I never really applied that same logic to a dishwasher.

A few years ago, phosphates were removed from dishwashing detergent. It was a good thing to do for the environment, but it did impact the performance of detergents.

GE partnered with P&G and Cascade and sent me several months’ supply of  Cascade Complete Pacs. That way, any feedback I had for them about the GE® Hybrid Stainless Steel Interior Dishwasher with Hidden Controls would be about the dishwasher itself and not be affected by my detergent choice. You think they realize that I’m a big “whatever’s on sale girl” and that’s why they did this? Maybe.

cascade review

I have to say that they made a believer out of me. Our GE dishwasher(and using these Cascade Complete Pacs)- my dishes really do get clean. Even with my totally lazy way of not doing much rinsing and sometimes waiting until the next day to wash the dishes.

What dishwashing detergent do you use? Are you happy with it?

GE Appliances has provided me with a dishwasher and a supply of dish detergent for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Comments

    • It might be- but I never thought about the detergent before this. Maybe give something else a try? 

  2. I have only paid attention to the type (no lemon so it won’t tarnish our dishes) but now I may have to look into it even more.

  3. This is too funny! I’ve been complaining about my dishwasher and just yesterday bought the NOT on-sale detergent. You know what it was? Cascade Complete! Let’s see if it works. I’m tired of dirty dishes even after I run the dishwasher!

    • I hate when that happens! Seems like a waste of running it! I hope the Cascade works better for you! 

  5. Hmmmm….I don’t know why, but I hadn’t considered the detergent either. We haven’t used our dishwasher in months because it never gets the dishes clean. I’ll have to pick up some Cascade at Walmart tomorrow.