Remember when I was complaining about my dishwasher not cleaning the dishes? Vince and I went and looked at new ones. To get one that we wanted was more than I was willing to pay. I found the receipt for the one we have and we’ve had it five years, which seems to be about as long as soe expect them to last. I expect more. I tried adding a container of vinegar on the top shelf. I tried several things. Still got dirty dishes. I tried Lemi Shine. I had about decided to wash my dishes by hand, which I did the first two years we were here because this house didn’t come with a dishwasher and I don’t cook as much as I once did. I figured I’d keep the bad dishwasher, and when we had company and a lot of dishes, I’d use the dishwasher.
While wandering around Walmart one day, waiting for Vince to meet me in the grocery section, I stopped and looked at dishwasher detergent and picked up this one.
Dishwasher Detergent
It looked interesting. I figured I’d try it. What a difference in my dishes. My glasses sparkle. I don’t have to make sure my plates are shining BEFORE I put them in the dishwasher. This detergent has made an unbelievable difference in my dishwasher’s performance.
Finish
This says it contains .5% phosphorus by weight. Is phosphorus/phosphate in dishwasher detergent harmful? I don’t even know. I read this article. I want to do what’s right for the environment but I also want my dishes to at least look fairly clean. We have a septic tank. Our water does not go into any stream or pond. I know . . eventually it goes somewhere but . . I don’t feel guilty about using this detergent.
In fact, the more I read, the more I feel like the whole phosphorus issue is kinda . . I hate to use the word but . . stupid. Maybe in huge quantities it would be a problem but for someone who runs the dishwasher 2 or 3 times a week, I feel there are so many more pollutants out there that could/should be an issue. Again . . I have no idea about any of this but I want my dishes to be clean and I’m happy I found a product that is legal to sell and works so well.
BTW, Consumer Reports did a study on the newly formulated detergents after the phosphorus ruling and Finish rated at the top. It was a different variation but even this one rated much higher than what I had been using.
Angie Kiker says
Judy, I have used this exact dishwasher detergent in our 12 yr. old Bosch dishwasher. Bosch actually recommends this brand, and as I recall it came with a sample in manual packet. Be aware that Finish makes another type of dishwasher detergent that does not have the “power-ball”. Glad your dishwasher is once again cleaning the dishes.
vivoaks says
Persistence pays off!! I’m glad you were able to take care of it without having to buy a new dishwasher. As for the phosphates, I know they do make a difference in how clean my laundry is – a LOT of difference. I, too, have a septic system, but I don’t worry about the phosphates. I want my clothes clean, period.
I don’t have a dishwasher so I don’t have this issue. Wish I DID have one, but we’re down to just two of us at home. so at this point I think it would be a waste of money, and I’d have to take space away from storage, which is not a good thing in a 50-year-old trailer. There’s NEVER enough storage.in a trailer! (Maybe that’s not a politically correct name anymore – it’s a mobile home! 🙂 ) hehehe
justquiltin says
That’s the cleaner I use – it does a great job for me.
Verna A. says
Similar story here– we were also considering replacing our dishwasher about a year ago. I bought these at our local home improvement store (because they were almost free after a mail-in rebate), and I was amazed at how clean my dishes were!
Carol says
The thing about phosphates is each user only releases a tiny bit but EVERYONE added together is the problem…and septic tanks and sewage treatment are NOT set up to remove them UNLESS you are lucky enough to live in an area where tertiary RO treatment is available. I too resent dirty laundry and dishes but I would like to avoid things like the toxic Lake Erie blooms and contaminated groundwater…. tough choices
Terri in BC says
I remember when Canada first banned phosphates, after the Lake Erie and Lake Ontario blooms killing all the fish. I also remember seeing “foam” on the shores and the stench. You are so right, that a tiny bit may not seem like much, but multiply it by the millions of people using it and next thing you know, you have poisoned the groundwater and have green, dead lakes.
Judy says
Thanks for the suggestion – I haven’t been happy with our dishwasher lately, so I’ll try it. Hubby has been complaining about the soap I’ve been using, too. He says it clogs our drain. Maybe this will do better.
Carol c says
I switched over to Finish several years ago after dishwasher problems as well. Have stuck with it and have been pleased. I buy it at Costco.
Linda in NE says
A friend of mine, who had the exact same machine as I still have, actually did buy a new dishwasher because it wasn’t cleaning the dishes like it once had. The only problem was that the new one didn’t do a whole lot better. I was having a problem with cloudy looking glasses and flatware too. Then I read about the phosphates being removed from dishwasher soap. Lemi-shine helped a little but not enough so I started buying commercial Cascade online. That fixed the problem for a while until I could no longer find it. Then I switched to Bubble Bandit from Amazon and have been using it ever since and my dishes get clean.
Liz says
Oops, I made a comment and included a link, so it is in limbo…. so here it is again.
My dishwasher was not cleaning well, probably due to a change in the water quality in the area. I clean out the food trap, but the holes were getting clogged (lime?). I tried vinegar and even soaking the trap in CLR, but it would clog up again.
I found this product – Glisten dishwasher cleaner. The inside looks clean and the drain is flowing. I can get it at Walmart, as well as Amazon. I am trying to use it on a monthly basis to keep everything flowing nicely.
Stitchin in Mich says
Finish has been working great for me. Did use Sunlight until I could not longer find it. Tried some others….dirty dishes and glasses that looked like they had dried milk on them. Our dishwasher runs only on full loads; about once a week.
Nelle Coursey says
OK I am going to have to try this! This is one of the reasons our detergents and dishwasher detergents don’t work any more! They took the phosphorous out due to California laws! I don’t know why we can’t have our detergent and they can have theirs! I always heard the phosphorous was good for the soil?? But who am I, I am not a scientist. LOL
dezertsuz says
There is naturally occurring phosphorous and plants use it a lot. If it’s in the dirt, the plants will use the majority of it. In your septic tank, it’s going to be filtered through a lot of dirt, and probably little or none will make it into any river or reservoir. That’s a tiny amount, and I don’t think it’s going to cause problems.
montanaclarks says
We purchased a high end dishwasher about seven years ago and the owner of the appliance store told us to use that exact detergent–Finish–and Lemi-shine. My dishes are always clean and so is my dishwasher.
wanda j says
I also found that if I never put tablet in the thing and just threw it in the bottom my dishes got cleaner. So maybe try that all the time. Just throw in the dishwasher and let it wash that way.