walkermamaof4 Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I'd love to save some money on this without using coupons. What's the cheapest and can you share here how much you pay PER LOAD so we can see if anyone has a cheaper cost? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I haven't price-compared recently because I am satisfied with Amway's dishwasher detergent. It's economical and it does a great job. I've never had problems with dishes not getting clean, or spots on the glasses, or that nasty hard-water build-up stuff. Been a happy user since 1987, with different dishwashers and hard water and soft water--same excellent results. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted April 2, 2014 Author Share Posted April 2, 2014 Ellie-can you share the cost per load? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I one I find that works best is the Finish all in one powerball-- we get it at Costco (when it is one sale) I am sorry I don't keep track of the cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MistiDelaney Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I make my own, and it works out to very, very little per load but I have never priced it out. I use white vinegar in the rinse agent cup, which I find helps a lot, too. Borax - $4 per box or so, use one cup. Washing soda - $5 per box or so, use one cup citric acid - $15 for 5 pounds, use 1/2 cup salt - $2 per box, use 1/2 cup Plus a splash of white vinegar every few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 A few years ago there was a Consumer Reports or similar article that Finish with Powerball was the most economical with best performance. There are less expensive ones, but the performance started dropping dramatically with the price. I buy that or Cascade pods at Costco when they are on sale with a coupon. We have hard water and barely scrape our dishes. They always come clean and have no residue. When I run water into a clean glass, the water doesn't bubble, (which is a sign that the detergent isn't getting rinsed off all the way). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I used to use a very economical all natural brand, until it gummed up my dishwasher so badly I just narrowly missed having to get it serviced. Every interior water area was totally jammed up with a disgusting thick black slime. I spent uncountable hours getting it clean. Now I'll only use the manufactured recommended product (in the case of my Bosch, Finish Powerball). I used to think it was just a scam, but apparently they really are made to optimally use certain brands of detergents. It could have been a really costly mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I get the Cascade action packs from Sams. It works out to be 13 cents per load. Oh, and I use white vinegar as the rinse agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Make your own! It's super cheap. There are loads of ideas on Pinterest. If this link works, it's a whole page of various recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I used to get decent results with Target's house brand in liquid. But then it just stopped working. I don't know if it was the detergent or my dishwasher. I think the detergent is more likely. I tried Cascade, which works great but I can taste the detergent fragrance on the dishes. No one else in my family could taste it, just me. Also tried Finish--alternated with Cascade to compare. With the liquid pacs I could still taste the fragrance but not with the Powerball tablets. And they work great for getting the dishes clean. I don't normally pre-rinse the dishes, either. Publix occasionally has Finish on BOGO sale. Last time I bought it was the box of 60 for 11.99--so $6 per box or 10c per load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I found a receipt from Costco-- Finsh powerballs were 14.50 for 110 of them and we bought them on sale so another $3 off. I guess that means 14 cents per load normally, and 11 cents on sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Finish Powerballs at Sam's Club are roughly $13 for a box of 110 tablets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 Ellie-can you share the cost per load? Thanks! I recently bought Amway dishwasher detergent. I haven't used it in years. I am having issues with my dishwasher, and have recently heard not to use gell tabs. So I switched. It cost me 11.29 for a smallish box. While I am a 35 year Amway laundry detergent used, there has got to be something as good as Amway that doens't cost so much. And no, my dishes are not any cleaner. Sadly, I wish it were different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted April 2, 2014 Share Posted April 2, 2014 I get the cheapest store brand powder and add 3/4 cup TSP (trisodium phosphate -- you can get it in the painting aisle at Home Depot or Lowe's) for a large box. My dishes always come out sparkling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walkermamaof4 Posted April 3, 2014 Author Share Posted April 3, 2014 Muttichen - how do you mix it? I haven't heard of using TSP in the dishwasher and will try it. Do you pour both detergent and TSP into some other container and mix it up? And can you tell me what a "large" box of detergent is so I get this right? Thank you! I tried making my own and we hated it. I was so excited bc/ I made it in ice cube trays and it looked just like tabs, but it didn't do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muttichen Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I have a large plastic container that I mix it in. It's a gallon jar that pickle relish or something came in. I pour in a 75 oz box of powdered detergent and 3/4 cup TSP, put on the top and shake it well. A friend of mine just puts the detergent in the dishwasher and adds a teaspoon of TSP to each load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 Ellie-can you share the cost per load? Thanks! Cost per use is approximately 23 cents per use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I use cascade complete powder. I have tried nearly every brand out there that costs less and they either don't clean well enough or they ruin my dishes. I do nothing more then scrape plates free of large pieces and I do fill the wash cup 3/4 and the pre-wash cup 1/2. I use the pots/pans setting with the Hot Water wash and rinse. Cascade has always cleaned exceptionally well in this and previous machines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I use Finish and only add about 1 tsp. per load because that is what my appliance guy said to do. I don't know what that works out to per load, but one box lasts at least a year, so it's pretty cheap. I also throw in about 1/2 cup of white vinegar per load. He also said to only use powdered because the liquid gums things up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I buy the Finish Powerball things at Costco. We cut each tab in half w an already-dirty knife and just use a half tab per load. I've been doing this for years! I used to use a half-amount if powdered detergent. When I had a chance to get the Finish tabs for free (after coupon), I wondered if a half-amount of that would work similarly. It does :) This has worked for me with three dishwashers in two houses with two different water municipalities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I buy the Finish Powerball things at Costco. We cut each tab in half w an already-dirty knife and just use a half tab per load. I've been doing this for years! I used to use a half-amount if powdered detergent. When I had a chance to get the Finish tabs for free (after coupon), I wondered if a half-amount of that would work similarly. It does :) This has worked for me with three dishwashers in two houses with two different water municipalities. I am definitely going to try this. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indian summer Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I find that if I alternate a pricier one with a cheap one every few loads, they both work well. I can't use a cheap one all the time, because it eventually stops working so well. So I buy two different ones at a time. Might sound crazy and I don't know why it works that way, but it does. I really like the brand Attitude, especially in liquid form, but it isn't cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prairie~Phlox Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I make my own, and it works out to very, very little per load but I have never priced it out. I use white vinegar in the rinse agent cup, which I find helps a lot, too. Borax - $4 per box or so, use one cup. Washing soda - $5 per box or so, use one cup citric acid - $15 for 5 pounds, use 1/2 cup salt - $2 per box, use 1/2 cup Plus a splash of white vinegar every few days. Where do you buy your citric acid at? I want to try this one: http://www.budget101.com/myo-household-items/mom-s-super-dishwasher-detergent-4215.html I still have some finish gel tabs that i got super cheap with coupons, but they are almost gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted April 3, 2014 Share Posted April 3, 2014 I have a large plastic container that I mix it in. It's a gallon jar that pickle relish or something came in. I pour in a 75 oz box of powdered detergent and 3/4 cup TSP, put on the top and shake it well. A friend of mine just puts the detergent in the dishwasher and adds a teaspoon of TSP to each load. Tsp used to be in all detergent til a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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