Dishwasher Detergents

Last week I was so excited to finally get the 4 pack of Cascade pacs for just .9¢! And then I got a copy of the October 11, 2011 issue of Consumer Reports so I knew I had to blog about dishwasher soap!

I never take what a study from any group without analyzing the data myself. There was just a couple problems I had with this study...

• The article recommends using a rinse agent if you have to have spot free glasses but doesn't talk about the extra cost involved in that or the environmental impact of all those little plastic bottles that you buy - even though the article starts out talking about eco-friendly phosphate-free detergents.
• The study rating dishwasher detergents doesn't say anything about what kind of dishwasher they used to test the products with. I have found with my dishwasher and my water supply that the pacs work best, powder is ok but the liquid is a total no-go.

So my frugal friends, here is the top 9 rated dishwasher detergents according to Consumer Reports, but I am listing them from lowest to highest price. I didn't bother listing any other than the top 9 in their list because all the other ones rated only fair or poor on dishes.

1. Finish Gelpacs
2. Finish Powerball Tabs (rated #2 in overall score)
3. Cascade with Dawn ActionPacs
4. Method Smarty Dish
5. Biokleen
6. Cascade Complete All In 1 Action Pacs (rated #3 in overall score)
7. Finish Quantum (highest overall score as well)
8. Citra Dish
9. Finish Qunatumatic

Something else that caught my attention was that 365 - the Whole Foods brand - was actually the least expensive! Who would have thought that the LOWEST cost product could be found at Whole Paycheck, sorry I mean Whole Foods a-hem. It also received the worst rating from Consumer Reports though. When I look at the study it's obvious that there is a little bit of you get what you pay for ringing true here. For me I've found that the best brand is Finish but I wind up getting Cascade most of the time because I can get it for around .15¢ and I feel like that's a reasonable price of a a dishwasher detergent that performs well. I think that's what those pacs come to on some good Amazon subscribe and save deals so I keep my eyes peeled for those!

Let me know your thoughts or suggestions please and leave a comment.