I’ve used Dishwasher powder and separate rinse aid solution for over thirty years. I’ve been very satisfied. A box of Dishwasher soap last at least a year. I learned 25 years ago, that you only need to fill the soap dispenser half way with powder. I refill the rinse aid dispenser twice a year.
I’ve seen the dishwasher tablets. In fact, my new Maytag dishwasher came with samples. I never used them. I’m not even sure how to use the things. Do you put them in the same soap dispenser? Will the little dispenser door/lid shut?
Anyone see any advantages to these things? :dubious: It seems like it’s a lot more expensive. It bothers me that you only get a dozen or so tablets. Gosh, a box of soap seems to last forever.
In term of cleaning effectiveness, are they claiming tablets are any better?
Why should I switch? If it ain’t broke, why change?
I’m open minded. I just am curious why this is any better.
I tend to over fill things–my brain is really stuck on “if some is good, more is better–go ahead and top that off. One more shake”–so I find the tablets actually last longer. But that’s my neurosis.
I get giant containers of them from Costco, and they work fine. I haven’t compared the price, but they are much simpler to use, and better controlled for soap amount.
I like them. Like Voyager, I get them from Costco, and only when they’re on sale. I’ve gotten so lazy that I prefer the ones that don’t have a little plastic wrapper around them so I can just toss it in without having to unwrap it each time. I wouldn’t get them if they weren’t on sale at Costco, though, because I’m cheap. I figured out how much it cost per load, and it was some trivial amount more money per load.
You just toss it in the dishwasher. Don’t put it in the soap dispenser, which only opens partway through the wash cycle.
I don’t see any reason for you to switch. All the tablets I have found cost more than regular dishwasher detergent.
They do seem to clean better. I had a very bad dishwasher - often bits of food would be heat fused to the “clean” dishes. Using the tablets improved this greatly. However, when I got a good dishwasher, I went back to cheap detergent.
Yep, they cost more but are less of a hassle if you’re prone to spilling the detergent, like I am. I like them, but like others, I only buy them on sale.
OK, wait. I’m confused. I use these things,which are plastic wrapped but not intended to be unwrapped. I’ve always put them in the dispenser, and always get clean dishes though I never rinse.
Is there some other kind? Should I not be putting them in the dispenser? You’re screwing with my system, man!
But, regarding cost, I’m sure they’re more expensive. It’s one of the few things I don’t care about the expense; they work very well, and I hate to do dishes. These make it easier, and probably cost me an extra dollar or so a month. Whatever.
There are some that have a “power ball” type pearl that need to be unwrapped and placed in the detergent holder with lid shut. Different manufacturers have different methods.
If you get a year out of a box there is no way you would get remotely the same from these. They are individual and impossible to divide. I think in fact this is why manufacturers want you to use them, IMO.
I buy them when they are on sale and I have a coupon. It’s my daughter’s job to put the soap in and run the machine. For a kid, they are easier than a big box.
I use the finish powerball tabs, even though a dishwasher repairman once told me that they contain way too much soap & are bad for your dishwasher. I have no idea if he’s right or wrong about that.
That particular brand is made to go in the dispenser, with the dispenser door closed.
I use the single-use Finish tabs with the little red ball. We buy them primarily because we have two small children and if they spill the can it’s not nearly as big of a mess.
I’m thinking the same thing. I use those (or something very similar-looking), and have always put them in the soap dispenser with the door closed. I’ve been doing that for a decade or more with perfectly satisfactory results - it never even occurred to me until this thread to just toss it in the bottom of the washer.
I’ll try to remember to check the label on the packaging when I get home…
After reading this recent thread about changes in dishwasher detergent formula, I’ve been wondering if I should switch to tablets.
I found the Finish Powerball at our local Sam’s Club at a price which is about 14.4 cents per tablet. Is that a good price? Some of the other brands were as much as 24 cents per tablet.
There are solid dishwasher tablets (not gel) that are intended to be unwrapped before use. I use Finish gel packs, which are similar to the Cascade ones you use. The instructions do say to put it in the dispenser cup. They’re intended to be dispensed in the main washing cycle, which comes after the pre-rinse, although you could experiment to see if you get cleaner dishes by throwing them in the bottom. It couldn’t hurt anything. I couldn’t close my dispenser with the solid tablet detergent in it, so that’s what I usually ended up doing.
I use the Cascade ‘Action Pacs’; they are wrapped, but the wrapping is more like a thin gelatin encapsulation than a plastic wrapper; you don’t unwrap them. I put them right in the dispenser, and it closes just fine.
I’m sure that it is more expensive than the stuff in a box. To me, the convenience is worth it, not to mention that, if I’m busy with something else, I can ask my kid to put the detergent in, and not have to worry about her spilling the powder or using way too much or anything. They do a fine job of getting my dishes clean.
I buy them at Sam’s Club, which does get me a better price than, say, buying them at the grocery store.
I also use the Cascade Action Packs. I get them from BJs. I generally love them but I think the current batch is defective. In about half the packs I’ve used so far, the liquid seems to have absorbed into the powder. With those packs, the dishes generally come out dirty and when I check the detergent compartment, I find a mushy mess of undissolved crud. It has happened enough now that I don’t even bother using the ones that don’t feel cushy when I squeeze them. If it feels hard, it goes in the trash. I have never had this happen before and I think I started using these packs the first time I saw them advertised many eons ago. In spite of this current trouble, I still prefer them to powder or liquid detergent. I wish someone would make Action Packs for my laundry detergent. I am so sick of the detergent dribbles that show up no matter how often I clean the bottle.
Sorry back to the OP: I’m thrifty on most things but using the little Cascade Tablets with built-in-rinse aid pretty much makes me feel rich, so its a worthy splurge. I don’t think they are actually THAT much more expensive. As someone said, a few cents a wash.
Sweeeeeeet. I’ll have to look for those next time I run out of detergent. I look at boxed stuff unless I’m getting dryer sheets so I probably never would have seen them.
I just paid a little less than five bucks today at Walmart for a 16 pack of the Cascade Complete. I would have gotten a better deal with a giant pack of course, but I didn’t have the cash on me. I am the cheapest living person I know and it’s worth it to me to pay a few cents more per load. I just got my first dishwasher this year and it’s been like a dream come true.
