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http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...etail.html?***

 

But that didn't even get the dishes cleaner. So she called Proctor & Gamble -- the company that makes her dishwashing powder.

 

"I have been using Cascade powder for years, ever since I had a dishwasher," said Bohn.

 

She was shocked to get this response on the other end of the line: "We've been getting a high volume of calls of complaints because the powder is no longer working. You should stop using it."

[/quote]

 

Hmm I buy the really big containers of soap so I have a supply that will last awhile. SO wondering what to do when it runs out. Anyone else have issues

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http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/...etail.html?***

 

But that didn't even get the dishes cleaner. So she called Proctor & Gamble -- the company that makes her dishwashing powder.

 

"I have been using Cascade powder for years, ever since I had a dishwasher," said Bohn.

 

She was shocked to get this response on the other end of the line: "We've been getting a high volume of calls of complaints because the powder is no longer working. You should stop using it."

[/quote]

 

Hmm I buy the really big containers of soap so I have a supply that will last awhile. SO wondering what to do when it runs out. Anyone else have issues

YES!!! We even bought a new dishwasher. :tongue_smilie:

 

It's the soap.

 

We've switched to the shaklee dishwasher soap that's phosphate free and works great.

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Yep, I noticed that Cascade powder wasn't working well anymore. Coincidentally, the next issue of Consumer Reports that I received reviewed phosphate-free dishwasher detergents.

 

I've switched to Finish Powerball Tabs (the regular ones, not the quantum ones), and I'm very pleased. I buy them at a warehouse club or at Walmart. I like that they are single-serving, so I don't have to worry about whether I'm pouring in more powder or liquid than is necessary. But I'm sure there's a homemade sub that would be good too. Someday I'll get around to researching it.

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We finally found the solution to our problems after the repair man was already scheduled. We ended up having him come anyway since our warranty was near its end and we wanted to be sure our dishwasher was ok. . When he came he confirmed that all the detergents were changing and we were on the right track. We found Lemi Shine. You put it in WITH your detergent. Main ingredient is citric acid. I notice that Ecover has the same ingredient. It cleared everything up. The repair man said that it's sad but people are actually going out and buying new dishwashers only to find that the new ones have the same problem. It's the change in the detergents to eliminate phosphates that causing the issues.

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I got a hold of one of the phosphate free Cascades ones early this year and it was awful. My dishwasher was only a couple of months old and it had worked well prior to starting that box. Then I researched and realized it was the new formula. Our state had a ban that took effect on July 1 of this year that no one could sell the types with phosphates in it anymore.

 

I'm sure the environmentalists will hate me but at the end of June when the stores were clearancing their remaining inventory out before the ban took effect, I went around and bought every box I could find. I have about 30 boxes stashed away. I figure it will take me a few years to go through my stash and by then I hope the soap manufacturers have come up with something better.

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Same issues here with Cascade Gel with the grease fighting power of Dawn. P & G agrees it is a problem with this particular Gel product:

http://www.cascadeclean.com/en_US/aboutgel.do

 

Here's how to fix it:

http://www.cascadeclean.com/en_US/gelfaq.do

 

I'm going to call the customer service number on the bottle to try to get a refund. Their website says stores don't give refunds. Reading some commentary online, I'm rather mad at the company. Many people bought new dishwashers because it didn't dawn on them that Cascade was causing the problem. It didn't dawn on me either. Then I'm going to switch to another brand after a lifetime of using Cascade.

Edited by RoughCollie
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I bought "bootleg" Cascade from a janitorial supply company. :lol: Commercial businesses (restaurants, hospitals, etc.) DON'T have to use phosphate free detergent (because it doesn't clean things), so you can still get the good stuff...you just have to go to a restaurant supply company or janitorial supply place, and see if they'll sell it to the public.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

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I ran a load with vinegar and got rid of all the white residue on my dishes.

 

Sorry for my ignorance on how to do this, but do you run it with just vinegar, or add vinegar in the rinse aid along with your detergent? I have white junk all over my dishes that I can taste on my glasses when I drink just plain water. That can't be good for any of us!

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Sorry for my ignorance on how to do this, but do you run it with just vinegar, or add vinegar in the rinse aid along with your detergent? I have white junk all over my dishes that I can taste on my glasses when I drink just plain water. That can't be good for any of us!

 

I ran my dw with vinegar sloshed in the bottom in copious amounts, plus in the rinse-aid container.

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Sorry for my ignorance on how to do this, but do you run it with just vinegar, or add vinegar in the rinse aid along with your detergent? I have white junk all over my dishes that I can taste on my glasses when I drink just plain water. That can't be good for any of us!

I fill a glass with vinegar and set it on the top rack, leaving the dishwasher otherwise empty.

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Yesterday we finished my stash of Powerball tabs (not the Quantum type). I had gotten 20 boxes free after coupons 18 months or so ago---we use 1/2 tab per load. After briefly panicing, I googled "natural dishwasher detergent" and mixed up 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 borax powder and used 2T in the dishwasher with vinegar in that little rinse thingie.

 

Holy cow, it worked! The dishes were squeeky clean :) A second load was run this morning with the same results, including squeeky clean plastic containers that had spent some quality time in a backpack :rolleyes:

 

I was going to buy Cascade but reading all your experiences, I'll stick with the hm stuff.

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I use washing soda mixed with Borax and then stir in some liquid dawn. Super cheap and the Dawn has beefed up the cleaning power. Note that hard water areas may not have the same luck.

 

ETA: If you really want to degunk the interior run a load with powdered Tang in it. Sparkles!!! Just imagine what it does to your colon!

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This is so helpful--I had forgotten about the phosphate removal and was just thinking about getting a new dishwasher. Guess I'll have to find a different reason to get a new dw!

 

When our state started discussing taking phosphates out of the detergents a few years ago, the newspaper said there would be a "housewife revolt" at the Capitol, as though "housewives" are the only people doing dishes and laundry. I'm proud to be a stay at home mom and housewife, but didn't appreciate the insinuation that detergent quality would be my number one political concern. However, I was--and still am--a little bitter about the phosphate removal!

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I googled "natural dishwasher detergent" and mixed up 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 borax powder and used 2T in the dishwasher with vinegar in that little rinse thingie.

 

Holy cow, it worked! The dishes were squeeky clean :) A second load was run this morning with the same results, including squeeky clean plastic containers that had spent some quality time in a backpack :rolleyes:

 

I was going to buy Cascade but reading all your experiences, I'll stick with the hm stuff.

 

Thank you for this tip! My experiment with the above recipe is underway as I write this. FWIW, the Cascade has not been working well for weeks - I wonder if it's a phosphate-free version.

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interesting I may have to look into that then.

 

I bought "bootleg" Cascade from a janitorial supply company. :lol: Commercial businesses (restaurants, hospitals, etc.) DON'T have to use phosphate free detergent (because it doesn't clean things), so you can still get the good stuff...you just have to go to a restaurant supply company or janitorial supply place, and see if they'll sell it to the public.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

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The Tang works for the same reason the "LemiClean" does - it's the citric acid (which is naturally occurring in orange juice and the like).

 

You can probably get citric acid much more cheaply from a soap supply store or a chemical supply place. It's often used in bath bombs :)

 

I had a friend who made cold process soap for a while and had CA in buckets. She used it for all kinds of things, cleaning the dishwasher out being one of them.

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I bought "bootleg" Cascade from a janitorial supply company. :lol: Commercial businesses (restaurants, hospitals, etc.) DON'T have to use phosphate free detergent (because it doesn't clean things), so you can still get the good stuff...you just have to go to a restaurant supply company or janitorial supply place, and see if they'll sell it to the public.

 

Diane W.

married for 22 years

homeschooling 3 kiddos for 16 years

 

But I read somewhere that they're going to be changing too. It's just not happening as soon.

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I've switched to Finish Powerball Tabs (the regular ones, not the quantum ones), and I'm very pleased. I buy them at a warehouse club or at Walmart. I like that they are single-serving, so I don't have to worry about whether I'm pouring in more powder or liquid than is necessary.

 

THANKS! I was having trouble with my dishwasher not cleaning and bought these yesterday at YOUR recommendation. They work very well. :001_smile: We still need a new DW, ours is old, but now we can take our time and find one on sale. THanks again!

 

Mary

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I just tried the natrual mix suggested above.

 

1 TBS borax, 1 TBS Baking soda, vinegar in the rinse tray.

 

dishes look cleaner than they have in a long time.

No build up or detergent left in or on the glasses

 

 

go figure.

 

I think I'm tossing the rest of the detergent. It wasnt getting the silverware clean anymore.

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Well for crying out loud. We've been using the Cascade "Complete" dish packs and hadn't noticed too much of a difference, but I'm going to be on the lookout now. DH did say that the "regular" dish packs weren't working well, but the "complete" version seems to do ok. We used Finish powertabs overseas and loved them, don't know why I haven't bought them here. Silly me!

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OMGs!!!! I'm cracking up over this because we've been battling the stupid residue for months now! I hand washed all of our glasses with vingear several weeks ago and they are once again all cloudy and disgusting.

 

Lo and behold here is a 4 page thread on the topic!!!

 

I'm going to start experimenting with some other detergents now, even perhaps the homemade brew (though our rinse despenser is the stupidest design EVER and I'll go crazy trying to put vinegar in it....)

 

Thank you hive mind!!

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All my glasses have a white residue (almost chalky) on them. Is this the same residue others are talking about?

 

I don't notice it on my plates (Corelle), plastic bowls, etc. ...JUST the glasses.

 

I'm currently using a generic brand powder and Jet Dry.

 

I have been researching home-made recipes...such as the one mentioned above. (although I've heard bad things about Borax??)

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All my glasses have a white residue (almost chalky) on them. Is this the same residue others are talking about?

 

I don't notice it on my plates (Corelle), plastic bowls, etc. ...JUST the glasses.

 

I'm currently using a generic brand powder and Jet Dry.

 

I have been researching home-made recipes...such as the one mentioned above. (although I've heard bad things about Borax??)

 

Weird. The white residue here mainly sticks to plastics, but never to glass. Tang didn't help the stained-up interior of my dishwasher, Iron-Out cleaned it perfectly a few years ago when my mom ran it through, but that stuff is FOUL smelling! You're supposed to only use it in well-ventilated areas, and a house that is shut up tight to keep heat in and cold out isn't very well ventilated.

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All my glasses have a white residue (almost chalky) on them. Is this the same residue others are talking about?

 

I don't notice it on my plates (Corelle), plastic bowls, etc. ...JUST the glasses.

 

I'm currently using a generic brand powder and Jet Dry.

 

I have been researching home-made recipes...such as the one mentioned above. (although I've heard bad things about Borax??)

 

This is what I had. I went to Home Depot to ask about a water softener to get my dishes clean. The helpful employee told me that she just puts a custard cup in the top rack of her dishwasher, filled with vinegar. I have been doing it now for months and it works perfectly. Give it a try.

 

BTW, before I started doing this I ran an empty load, but poured a bunch of vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher. When the load was done, I had big white crystallized plates in the bottom of the dishwasher. I guess it was from the years of mineral buildup - it was very shocking and dramatic!

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Is anyone having the problem of a clogged hose? We cleaned ours out because it wasn't draining (about a month ago) and today it didn't drain again. I switched from a liquid to a powder, Walmart's generic.

 

I have never been able to get my plastic cups free of the white residue, even with vinegar.

 

I'm getting very frustrated with the thing.

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Is anyone having the problem of a clogged hose? We cleaned ours out because it wasn't draining (about a month ago) and today it didn't drain again. I switched from a liquid to a powder, Walmart's generic.

 

I have never been able to get my plastic cups free of the white residue, even with vinegar.

 

I'm getting very frustrated with the thing.

Maybe throw some Tang in there! Cleans the dishwasher so why not?

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Yep, I noticed that Cascade powder wasn't working well anymore. Coincidentally, the next issue of Consumer Reports that I received reviewed phosphate-free dishwasher detergents.

 

I've switched to Finish Powerball Tabs (the regular ones, not the quantum ones), and I'm very pleased. I buy them at a warehouse club or at Walmart. I like that they are single-serving, so I don't have to worry about whether I'm pouring in more powder or liquid than is necessary. But I'm sure there's a homemade sub that would be good too. Someday I'll get around to researching it.

 

Thank you for this. I bought some of these yesterday based on your review of them here and I think they might be helping.

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Do you think that you could run tang through an He washing machine?? The afresh that we get for that to prevent the clothes and towels from smelling like mildew is crazy expensive...I wonder if Tang would work just as well. Or where would you get other citric acid "rinses" to clear things out??

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Do you think that you could run tang through an He washing machine?? The afresh that we get for that to prevent the clothes and towels from smelling like mildew is crazy expensive...I wonder if Tang would work just as well. Or where would you get other citric acid "rinses" to clear things out??

 

I just buy a bag of citric acid from dudadiesel.com to use in my dishwasher along with the borax and washing powder (I also use a little kosher salt). It works great.

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The Tang works for the same reason the "LemiClean" does - it's the citric acid (which is naturally occurring in orange juice and the like).

 

You can probably get citric acid much more cheaply from a soap supply store or a chemical supply place. It's often used in bath bombs :)

 

I had a friend who made cold process soap for a while and had CA in buckets. She used it for all kinds of things, cleaning the dishwasher out being one of them.

 

:iagree::iagree:

 

When I make my own dish cleaner I always add citric acid. And vinegar in the rinse aide dispenser.

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