The best dishwaster detergent: Method pods

By Katie

Our kitchen (our whole house, really,) was outfitted by the previous owners in a style I like to call “looks high end, performs like crap.” This applies to our refrigerator, our (now-replaced) oven, our washer/dryer, and most especially our dishwasher. Yes, technically it “washed” dishes, but you could not leave any speck of food on them anywhere before loading them in or they’d come out with that speck of food caked on forever. The streaking on the glassware and silverware was actually kind of embarrassing. I hated the thing.

Then, on a whim, I picked up this:

Method Smarty Dish Plus. I bought it because it said on the package, it’s “suitable for hard water.” I know Chicago has a reputation for having hard water, but I’d never really thought about what that meant for dishwasher purposes. Apparently, it means I need to get on board with rinse aids.

This stuff has totally changed my tune about our dishwasher. Dishes now come out clean and non-spotted. No more cloudy glasses. No more embarrassing flatware. And unlike the Cascade that I had been using,
this stuff doesn’t have any nasty phosphates or other chemicals that can damage the water supply. Plus it comes in cute little non-messy pods.

It’s not perfect- I still have to rinse the dishes before I put them in, as caked-on food is still a challenge for our sad little machine. But it’s a HUGE improvement. I highly recommend it. It has, for now, taken the dishwasher off the “replace as soon as budgetarily possible” list. (Washing machine: I’m coming for you next.)

(Image from: drugstore.com)

Comments

[Elsha]

I should give these a try. Our dishwasher works fine, but we definitely have hard water here.

[PinkieBling]

I'm going to try these, too!

Also, I'll be in the market for appliances soon, if you wanted to pass along some "do not buy" tips! :)

[Rebecca (Bearca)]

From Twitter, you know I'm into good dishwashing products! I'll give these a try... have been using Cascade plus LemiShine, which I really like because we have terrible hard water.