What is the best type of dishwasher soap to use?

Question

Ok I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow and I need to get a new dishwasher soap (either liquid or gel packs, doesn't matter) and I need to know what the best kind is, because everytime I wash my dishes in the dishwasher the dishes (mostly glasses/cups) on the top rack never get clean, they usually have a dirty film on the outside or dirt (like from the other dishes below) stuck on the inside of them! How can I get ALL my dishes clean? And do dishwasher cleaners (the cleaner you can buy and run in your dishwasher to clean your dishwasher not dishes) really work or are they pointless?

Oh yeah, I use jet dry, so it's not from hard water stains.

It's not water spots I have a problem with, I have a problem with food and other "mush" from the dishes on the bottom rack coming up and getting on the dishes above....I could care less about water spots or water film....

Answer 1

There's only one thing to look at when it comes to buying dishwasher detergent... On the back of every box or bottle you will see number with a % sign... This is an indicator of what the phosphate level is in the detergent... The higher the level, the better the soap... I would recommend a powder soap, cause liquid soaps are diluted, and have a lower phosphate percentage... Buy a soap that is 7% or higher... If you have problems with spotting, you can also buy a product called Glass Magic... This soap has a phosphate level of around 21%, but you don't want to use it directly, cause it might etch your glassware.. I recommend you mix it with a powder detergent, thus increasing the phosphate levels, but not enough that it will etch your glassware...As for your problem with your dishes not getting clean on the upper rack, That's a classic indicator that your not getting enough water in the dishwasher.. Here's a simple way to check that... After the dishwasher is done filling, open the door and see where the water level is in the tub... It should be no less than a 1/4'' below the heating element that's at the bottom of the tub... Also make sure that your upper and lower wash arms are spinning and that the holes in the wash arms are free of obstructions...

Answer 2

I like cascade but you need to make sure you are getting all the water pressure you can. Try doing dishes in the evening when water pressure is at its highest. Is you hot water turned down too low?? so that the water is not hot enough for the machine. Make sure all arms are free to move and the food traps are clean. If all these are good, put 1 cups of vinegar into the empty dishwasher and run it through a cycle. The vinegar will help clean out deposits of minerals etc. that might be effecting your dishwasher.
If this doesn't work try adding a 1/2 cup of borax to the load.

Brin

Answer 3

I prefer liquid, the powder can clump plus I think the liquid is easier to control. There are lots of tablets and little gel packs out now some are a combination. Which works best depends on what type of things you are washing and what type of soil (food product) you are trying to remove. If you are having any specific problems read the containers. I buy two kinds a real cheap one and a real good one (Cascade Complete). Then depending on how much I have to wash and how dirty the dishes are I use whichever one I need. Honestly I use the cheap one most often. However I don't have any fine china or glasses. You have to be careful if you do, because some detergents will cause etching, the glasses will look cloudy but not the cloudy film that Jet Dry takes care of they will actually be lightly scratched. So I hope that was more helpful than confusing.

Answer 4

I always rinse my dishes, including glasses, with warm to hot water before putting them into the dishwasher. I was told NEVER use powder dish washing soap, but to always use liquid because it will not clog the outtake of the dishwasher. I have never had a problem in the many years I have had a dishwasher. Your water may be hard, and there is a liquid that you can put in a small container in your dishwaher that will keep the glasses from spotting. It is sold at the local grocery store.

Answer 5

I have a friend that services dishwashers. He said the biggest mistake people make is not rinsing food off the dishes before loading. He said I don't care what the manual says or the sales person says, dishwashers are not designed to remove large particles of food. He said the food needs to be scrapped off and the dishes rinsed. Also to use a disposal/dishwasher cleaner a few times a year, to get rid of mineral build up and other gunk.

Answer 6

Funny enough, I was just thinking about this...no, really, I was.

We switched to WalMart/Sam's Club Member's Mark brand several years back based on Consumer Reports.

I'm not going to pull out the research for you but I do recall some talk about its enzymatic action making it as good as the leading brands just much cheaper.

Also, if you are having problems with food particles consider that it might be the machine. You mentioned liquid soap or gels but consider the powders as the slight but extra abrassive quality in the granules may in fact take care of the problem.

(I did not know prior to this moment that I had such strong feelings about dishwasher soaps :)

Visually inspect the washer itself, look down and see if there is food near the agitator, or if the screen is clogged at the drain.

cheers

Answer 7

If you don't have a water softener,try putting !/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle.That's what we do. It will take a few times but the soap film,which is the cloudiness your seeing.disappear.If you have a softener.It may not be set up for the amount of water your using,or it is out of salt.

Answer 8

Cascade liquid an run some vinegar thru once a month or so.

Answer 9

whatever you get make sure it's biodegradable
save the enviornment