November 21, 2009
- Pasco, Washington
Dazzling Dishwasher Detergents
By Heather Reese
When it comes to cleaning your dishes, there are more phosphate-free dish washing detergents being sold these days. These are a greener choice because phosphates encourage algae growth in fresh water. But Consumer Reports' latest tests show many can't deliver a mean clean.
Consumer Reports really challenges dishwasher detergents way beyond what they face in your kitchen! Testers use a blend of peanut butter, pudding, macaroni and cheese, and 14 other sticky, starchy foods that is smeared on plates and pots. Then the goo is baked on. Eight of the plates are loaded into each dishwasher—the exact way each time—along with two pots. They're then washed using the recommended amount of detergent. Afterward, testers inspect the results. Five of the seven detergents that lacked phosphates didn't do well at all in Consumer Reports' cleaning tests. In fact, they left large amounts food and goop all over the plates. But other detergents were tough enough to make even the heavily soiled test dishes sparkle. The clear winner: Cascade Complete All in 1 packets. It did an excellent job cleaning. But it does have phosphates. Two phosphate-free detergents did do pretty well in Consumer Reports tests: Method Smarty Dish tablets and Simplicity 2 in 1 packets. While neither did a great job on pots, both did quite well getting plates and glasses sparkling clean. In addition to the detergent, Consumer Reports says how you load your dishwasher makes a big difference in how clean your dishes get. Put the dirtier side of the dish toward the center and load large items at the sides and back so that they don't block water and detergent from other dishes. |
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