Posted on 09/20/2010 3:22:37 AM PDT by paudio
Some longtime users were furious.
"My dishes were dirtier than before they were washed," one wrote last week in the review section of the website for the Cascade line of dishwasher detergents. "It was horrible, and I won't buy it again."
"This is the worst product ever made for use as a dishwashing detergent!" another consumer wrote.
Like every other major detergent for automatic dishwashers, Procter & Gamble's Cascade line recently underwent a makeover. Responding to laws that went into effect in 17 states in July, the nation's detergent makers reformulated their products to reduce what had been the crucial ingredient, phosphates, to just a trace.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Excuse me, I have to go set up a black market.... BRB
I’m currently using Cascade and notice no difference. Maybe Virginia isn’t one of the 17?
I wonder if it makes sense to use HE laundry soap instead?
Just wait for the mandated florescent bulbs that do not work with dimmer switches.
NAPA sold a detergent called Purple Power. It was great. They had to change the formula now it is merely good.
Decided to try Cascade again and my wife showed me the result- dirty glass and dishes. I had to double and even triple the amount to get anything clean.
Then I read the new Consumers Reports that told of the shift and all became clear. So to protect the environment, our government now makes us use more detergent than before and still have dirty dishes.
Just eat off of polystyrene plates. Problem solved.
I actually wrote to P&G about this. I noticed a difference almost immediately after they changed their formula (and no, I didn’t know about the change beforehand).
I got the following letter back:
Thanks for contacting Cascade.
I’m sorry that you’re having difficulties with the Cascade not cleaning your dishes and leaving a smell in your dishwasher. As for the phosphate beingn (sic) removed from Cascade, in the long run, it will benefit the environment by reducing algae in lakes, ponds and streams. The topic has been around for several years, and some states had been phosphate free before it became a national regulation.
I know you said you were going to buy a generic detergent for your dishwasher and get a phosphate additive, but I can’t recommend doing that and would definitely suggest that you check with the manufacturer of your dishwasher to
make sure it will not adversely affect it. I can, however, recommend trying the Cascade Complete, either in the gel format or in the Action Pacs. I have had many people recommending the Action Pacs and how well they clean. I would be happy to send you a coupon for you to try it if you would send me your complete address. Once I have your information, you should receive the coupon in the mail within 2-3 weeks.
I hope this information will help you.
Barb
Cascade Team
Phosphates were banned in laundry detergents many years ago.
Dishwashing detergents were exempt because the officials realized the lack of cleansing w/o the ingredient.
A dog can help with the initial cleaning. :)
I grew up without a dryer or a dishwasher...towels were softer when line dried, because the laundry detergent used to contain phosphates...now they are stiff as a board. Phosphates are naturally occurring here in Florida...we used to have a lot of phosphate mines before it was deemed "bad for the environment"...
Oh save your money on the 3-way flourescent bulbs. They burn out in a couple months. I bought them once and that was it...
Mine are happy to pitch in if you leave the dishwasher door open.
Also, when they took out phosphates from dishwasher detergent, they substituted BLEACH - that’s the lovely white film you see on your glasses and dishes now. And it’s near impossible to wash that stuff off by hand. Vinegar helps some.
Cascade’s first attempt at ‘green’ left me with ruined silverware. Black marks that couldn’t be removed no matter what I tried.
Now I just avoid that brand and have had some success with a brand called Sun Light. We have regular city water. The dishes are clean and shiny. I do not wash the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher.
I’ve been using Cascade Complete for a little over a year and have not noticed a difference since the change.
GE is about to close the last manufacturing plant of incandescent bulbs in the U.S.
Almost all (maybe all) CFLs are made offshore.
Unintended consequences will be that landfills will the depository of burned out CFLs.
Few folks will jump through the hoops to dispose of them legally.
That will create another ‘crisis’.
Our well water here in SE Pennsylvania is also very hard. Laundry is a frustration, because white clothing turns gray over time, and clothing and linens tend to become stiff and scratchy.
I tried the new "green" dishwashing detergent when it first came out, and swore I'd never touch it again. Everything came out with a film, and it got progressively worse with repeated washing. I tried using the Cascade Complete gel packs a couple of years ago, and was pleasantly surprised at their effectiveness. Not only were they an improvement over the "green" detergent - they were an improvement over conventional phosphate-containing detergent. Our water is so hard that we were adding CLR or Limeaway with every wash load, and with the gel packs I no longer needed to do that. I highly recommend them.
(I don't work for P&G).
Interesting. Do you happen to know what Cascade Complete has that their regular stuff does not?
I know that the Complete is more expensive than the regular, but is it worth the extra price?
Regards,
Guess we’re lucky - we have good water.
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