Thread Number: 77542
/ Tag: Modern Dishwashers
Cascade Complete Actionpacs horrible!! |
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Post# 1015236   11/20/2018 at 23:25 (1,954 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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Ran out of finish Powerball and all Costco had in stock other than Kirkland was Cascade complete fresh scent. It's literally been over 3 years since I've had to buy dishwasher detergent so I figured the phosphate free must have improved enough so I went ahead and bought the Cascade actionpacs. They clean fine, the pod dissolved but when the dishwasher was done, everything inside smelled like someone spilled a bottle of perfume or whatever the fresh scent smell was. I couldn't believe how strong it was. Inside of glasses were covered in the smell of the actionpac. There was no residue on the dishes.....It was a winner as far as cleaning but the smell does not dissipate. It remains in the dishes days later even though they look clean. I went over the Amazon to see if any reviewers had the same problem and there were a lot that said it leaves dishes tasting like soap and it freaking does! I'm taking this back to Costco and hopefully they have Powerball.
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Post# 1015251 , Reply# 3   11/21/2018 at 01:42 (1,954 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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and I told myself if ever I'm disappointed by Finish Powerball, I'll switch to platinum - but I've never been disappointed with Powerball. I can't believe Cascade gives them such a strong scent. I used to LOVE Cascade back in the day. None of their products were bad. These actionpacs would have been perfect if ONLY it weren't for the lingering smell that makes you feel like you're eating part of the actionpac when you're using a dish.
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Post# 1015257 , Reply# 4   11/21/2018 at 03:46 (1,954 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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10 lbs. of Cascade Complete Powder at BJs for $11 bucks and change.
Use it in the Kenwhirl, Reverse Rack, and the KitchenAid. Always Clean Dishes... Always No Scent. Plus you can use it in your washer for White Laundry Too. Have wondered once the plastic dissolves... does it cling to the Glasses, Dishes and Flatware ? Where does it go ? Powder in, Dissolves, Powder Out and down the drain. Rinse Rinse and done. ; ) |
Post# 1015258 , Reply# 5   11/21/2018 at 03:50 (1,954 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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Lingering scent in a dishwasher detergent?? What were they thinking? Oh/ugh, channeling P&G marketing:
First thing, fill the shelves. Fill the whole aisle. Phil Spector had a Wall of Sound, P&G has a Wall of Soap. Next, the lingering-scent experiment worked so now let's make FLAVORS. Drat, missed Turkey and Pumpkin Pie; next year.
WHOA! I got it! For xmas, Manger Scene! Smells like hay and donkey. |
Post# 1015262 , Reply# 6   11/21/2018 at 06:26 (1,954 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)   |   | |
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Reply #5, Hi Eddie, Cascade powder works great if you have soft water, here in the DC area with water hardness in the 6-10 gain level it leaves a lot of mineral build-up on dishes and inside the machine and ends up damaging the DW.
The few people in our area with a water softener can use it with very good results.
This same problem with naturally soft water throws off CRs tests of washers, DWs and detergents for both because they test all of the above in fairly soft water in New York. It is one of the reasons that CRs thinks you can get clean laundry with 70F water.
Whenever anyone posts results about different detergents, DW performance etc it would be very helpful to everyone to mention your local water conditions, Thanks
John L. |
Post# 1015266 , Reply# 8   11/21/2018 at 07:15 (1,954 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)   |   | |
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I have used Fairy complete for some time and have yet to find anything that smelt of the detergent, I don't however use Fairy rinse aid I tend to buy it from Aldi or Lidl have used Finish rinse aid but no better than the others. The DW smells pleasant enough when its finished I have Finish powerball tabs as well for oven racks etc and everything comes out spot on !
Austin |
Post# 1015267 , Reply# 9   11/21/2018 at 07:17 (1,954 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)   |   | |
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Hi John.
We have fairly Hard Water here on the Cape yet the powder yields stellar results. I, like you do not use any drying agent. Then again, I have 140-150 degree water out of the tap so perhaps that might fall into the equation. I will look into exactly what the water hardness is to be more specific. Best wishes, Eddie |
Post# 1015269 , Reply# 11   11/21/2018 at 07:29 (1,954 days old) by eurekastar (Amarillo, Texas)   |   | |
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Post# 1015275 , Reply# 13   11/21/2018 at 08:03 (1,954 days old) by Yogitunes (New Jersey)   |   | |
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water conditions is probably more at the cause than the product itself...
dishwasher detergent, as well as laundry....many will complain of the scent left behind by these products....I wish I could get it to linger, as some claim, for weeks on end... on city water with 3-4 grains of hardness.....I can't get one scent to stay in my laundry....most times if I hang laundry out there may be the slightest amount, but if it goes through the dryer, nothing is left.... unfortunately some people have to find a product that works for their conditions... |
Post# 1015279 , Reply# 14   11/21/2018 at 08:58 (1,954 days old) by IowaBear (Cedar Rapids, IA)   |   | |
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I recently bought a small carton these 12X because there was a good deal on them at my local store. I usually buy the Platinum 15X or 16X.
I think the 12X ones cleaned just as well and didn't notice any difference in scent. Our water is moderately hard here, 6 to 8 grains per gallon. I always use the "pots and pans" cycle which does two rinses. I don't use rinse aid of any kind.
I usually notice lingering scents and do not care for them. I suppose P&G research shows that if people notice a strong scent while the dishwasher is running or right after the door is opened it contributes to the perception that the detergent is "working" and the dishes are clean. |
Post# 1015299 , Reply# 17   11/21/2018 at 13:49 (1,953 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Have used Cascade Complete powder, mixed with 15-18% STPP in a plastic jug for many years. I recently bought a box of Costco KS packets and have been surprised at the results. I have mechanically softened water which gives them a huge head-start, but they perform great.
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Post# 1015333 , Reply# 18   11/21/2018 at 18:17 (1,953 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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took back the actionpacs - no problem. I now have a huge container of finish powerball! I'm happy
My water conditions are moderately hard and I don't have a water softener. I've always had great success with finish powerball and finish rinse aid. I always add a splash of liquid bleach to the door at the start of the wash, which is mostly washed away before the powerball pops out for main wash. Keeps the machine cleaner and smelling better. Again , I had zero problems with the cleaning of the actionpac. There was no white film or anything that resembled residue on anything...plastics, glasses, dishes, etc. But it was that overpowering smell left on everything. It would make sense if the pac did not dissolve all the way... but it was completely gone...no where to be found. If only they would get rid of that smell I could totally use the pacs. The Fresh scent isn't horrible smelling it's just not a smell you want on left on your clean dishes. |
Post# 1015358 , Reply# 21   11/21/2018 at 21:19 (1,953 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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My dishwasher will do two rinses if I use the longest cycle. I mean, you would think the soil sensor would pick up any soap residue in the water and automatically rinse until it's gone......but I guess soil sensors don't work on soap, only soil. I wonder if using sani-rinse would have helped...but I'm thinking those particular packs are just too strong....I don't pre-rinse anything. That Fairy looks identical to action pacs. It has to be made by P&G
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Post# 1015359 , Reply# 22   11/21/2018 at 21:23 (1,953 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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I received a sample a while ago for Finish Quantum.......The thing I did not like about the quantum was the amount of foam in the dishwasher while running made the dishwasher sound like it was struggling..and this is with hard water! This didn't happen with the actionpac or the regular Finish powerball. But the quantum, even with the excess foaming, rinsed clean and dishes were sparkling and no smells at the end....just clean.. but I felt like it was damaging the dishwasher using them.
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Post# 1015362 , Reply# 23   11/21/2018 at 23:01 (1,953 days old) by thomasortega (El Pueblo de Nuestra Seńora de Los Angeles de Porciúncula)   |   | |
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AS Stu Mundell would say.... Whooooooaaaaaaaa So that's not only me that used Finish my whole life and then tried the Finish Quantum and had suds issues. |
Post# 1015368 , Reply# 24   11/21/2018 at 23:42 (1,953 days old) by askolover (South of Nash Vegas, TN)   |   | |
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Post# 1015680 , Reply# 30   11/24/2018 at 18:47 (1,950 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Going back to when they were first introduced as "Electrasol Power Ball" always had an issue with froth.
Would split tablet in half using one part per main wash and nothing in pre-wash, yet still could hear the dw struggling for all the froth. Finally began taking out the red power ball and saving it for rinse cycles and turning off/down the built in rinse aid dispenser. Once completed that stash moved onto Cascade Complete and never looked back. That is until got a stash of Finish "powertabs" or whatever for free. They sit unused as have a good enough stash of Cascade Complete am working through. |
Post# 1015687 , Reply# 31   11/24/2018 at 20:10 (1,950 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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Just used Powerball and no overwhelming smell while the dishwasher was running and when opened, nothing but the smell of clean dishes......no perfume.
I guess it is different water conditions for people. I should specify the type of Powerball I'm using is Powerball Max in 1. Each tablet is wrapped and on the packaging, it says "no need to unwrap" How weird quantum doesn't foam for you and Powerball does - and for me it's the opposite.
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Post# 1015715 , Reply# 34   11/25/2018 at 07:53 (1,950 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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Post# 1015762 , Reply# 35   11/25/2018 at 19:03 (1,949 days old) by jamiel (Detroit, Michigan and Palm Springs, CA)   |   | |
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Post# 1015825 , Reply# 37   11/26/2018 at 01:11 (1,949 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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"I wonder if an institutional/commercial grade detergent would improve the wash performance of a load that was never scraped or rinsed."
Well it wouldn't would it? I mean commercial/institutional dishwashers largely see dishware that is already well scrapped and or rinsed before going into machine. Dishwashers basically act to sanitize while getting rid of trace foods, greases and so forth. Some of the newer flight dishwashers have a pre-rinse section that does away with doing all that scrapping and rinsing by hand. Unlike automatic dishwasher detergents for residential use enzymes are largely absent from institutional/commercial versions. What you do find there are high amounts of chlorine bleach and strong base substances (washing soda, sodium metasilicate, maybe phosphates (TSP or STPP), and surfactants among other chemicals. Idea is to emulsify fat/oils via saponification and destroy protein substances. Commercial dishwashing is much like commercial laundries; cycles are short so there isn't much time for mucking about with enzymes. Instead both largely rely upon what they always have; chemical action, pH and high to very temperatures. |
Post# 1015836 , Reply# 38   11/26/2018 at 08:17 (1,949 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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I understand scraping...That I do. But rinsing all dishes before putting them in? No way. It needs food particles for the enzyme detergent to work and actually makes the dishwasher work better. The ONLY thing I rinse off is EGG.... There's just something about egg that the dishwasher or detergent (no matter how hot or long of a wash), there's just this weird smell left EVERYWHERE with anything EGG. That's why I rinse egg off.
I've used the institutional Cascade and I really liked it. You can still get it I believe but it's called Fryer boil out. It's just like the dishwasher detergent of the 80s and 90s with phosphates (unless something's changed). I haven't looked it up in a while. |
Post# 1015844 , Reply# 40   11/26/2018 at 11:26 (1,949 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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I scrape to a reasonable extent but *never* rinse before loading ... and I have one of those F&P Dishdrawers that are often disparaged as a "toy" dishwasher. I use the Cascade Fryer Boil Out powder. This is the condition of a typical oatmeal bowl going into the machine, and it may sit for 2 to 3 days until the load is run. Always comes out pristine.
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Post# 1017540 , Reply# 42   12/9/2018 at 21:56 (1,935 days old) by mark_wpduet (Lexington KY)   |   | |
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Post# 1017541 , Reply# 43   12/9/2018 at 22:30 (1,935 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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I use the Platinum pacs in the main dispenser. I use Cascade Complete powder in the prewash dispenser. I had been using Complete get in the prewash, but I figured out the gel was putting a film in my dishwasher and the pump system and inhibiting the cleaning as time went on in between me running Lemi Shine dishwasher cleaner through it as a "cleaning" cycle.
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Post# 1017558 , Reply# 45   12/10/2018 at 08:46 (1,935 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)   |   | |
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I used to have F&P dish drawers loved them really superb machines and when you understand how they operate they are easy to repair too.
Like you I found the dosage of tabs and pacs too strong and found it more and more difficult to find powder so I had to sell my set and go to a standard DW I got a Miele and its a super machine but I do miss the drawer set as it was so easy to set one going with pots in and wait till the crocks one was full. I now have a Quartz work surface so would not have been able to screw the F&P set to it to stop them tipping over so maybe its as well I said goodbye? Austin |
Post# 1017564 , Reply# 46   12/10/2018 at 10:12 (1,935 days old) by DADoES (TX, U.S. of A.)   |   | |
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Austin, U.S. models (at least the older DD603) have anchor tabs at the sides of the cabinet at the lower drawer (two toward the front, two toward the back), not just at the top edge. Is that not the case for UK-offered units? I have a granite countertop so can't anchor to the top but the side tabs anchor nicely into the side cabinetry. |
Post# 1017700 , Reply# 47   12/11/2018 at 15:48 (1,933 days old) by gregingotham (New York)   |   | |
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my favorite is still old fashioned cascade in the big box. Does a good job, cheaper than the pods and no annoying scent! |
Post# 1017802 , Reply# 48   12/12/2018 at 17:42 (1,932 days old) by ozzie908 (Lincoln UK)   |   | |
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