The neighborhood tanked and became unsafe and it was time to say buh- bye as soon as our neighbors walked into their house while the robbers were still there.

Hi Scott. Welcome to our Laundry Room Family. We have blast here, keep each other in debt with all of our laundry and dishwasher recommendations, we enjoy each other and we respect each other!

I LOVE the Cascade Platinum Pods. LOVE Somat 10 tablets. LOVE Ecover tablets. LOVE Method Smarty dish tabs. Like Miele tabs. Like my 5 year (OMFG) supply of Cascade Fryer Boil out.

I will say though, the Cascade Boil out cleaned my Miele vent hood filters that I cleaned in my Miele dishwasher (La Perla II) better than anything I have ever used. Perhaps since Boil out it designed to deep clean deep fryers! It left the vent hood filters looking brand new!!

Scott - I've never owned or used a true vintage machine so my quest for good performance began about 5 years ago and finally ended last year when we bought a Miele Futura Crystal dishwasher. Even using mediocre detergents it has worked better than my previous machines using the best. I would love to see an old, jet-engine model in use though! My family in France still uses their Miele machines that are now almost 20 years old, and other than sounding old, they work beautifully.

I am familiar with your old neighborhood but we are closer to the Lake -- Foster/Clark area (Andersonville). As a result, we are also on lake water and deal with medium hardness it produces. The neighborhood is safe as long as you practice good urban living skills: lock your car, don't walk alone in the middle of the night on a dark street, etc. I have never felt unsafe even though random violence (mainly muggings) does occur from time to time.

I think you have a point that I need to look into. I will try it on my vent filters. It may attach grease better than it attacks foods. I would assume enzymes would work better on actual food deposits??????

Back in the day I used to have a GE 2800 electronic dishwasher that was a powerhouse. Hated the loading but never gave clean dishes a second thought, everything would come out fantastic. The water used to roar when it would hit the roof of the dishwasher, which was plastic on the inside.

As a side note, as the water restrictions increase for major appliances I don't know how any washing machine or dishwasher will ever work in the future. A dishwasher can only use a certain amount of water but with a flip of a switch I can turn on our sprinkler system and waste a ton of water (which I don't really use). Point being, in my dumb opinion, certain restrictions are over-emphasized and others are overlooked. For me personally I would rather have clean laundry and clean dishes rather than green grass.

Are these the one's you're talking about?

These are what I purchased last time, and I hate them! They clean well enough, but leave a strong scent in my plastic lunch containers. It is so strong, that I swear I can taste it in certain foods. I've switched to longer washes and extra rinses hoping to get rid of it, but haven't had any luck. I'm starting to think the scent is embedded in them.

Maybe it's the type of plastics I'm using? Most of my containers are Lock&Lock brand, or something similar. Maybe the gaskets are absorbing the scent? It seems so odd, because I've never noticed my lunch containers retaining other odors. I can nuke a piece of salmon in it one day, then make overnight oatmeal in it the next without issue. But now it all smells like Cascade :(

Errant, yes those are the ones we are talking about. That's even the flavor I am using and I have Lock&Lock and Sterilite with the gaskets and haven't noticed the smell or taste in them. Do you have a newer Dishwasher? Maybe it's not rinsing it as much as my older JetClean? Well ypu said you are using extra rinses. Crud! I guess not everything works for everyone! So sorry!!

That's a bummer. I don't use any plastic containers but I do use the GlassLock containers that have a rubberized seal, and I haven't noticed any carryover scent. I do notice a faint chemical smell when I open the dishwasher after a cycle but I'm slowly beginning to think that's actually the Jet Dry rinse-aid. When my big bottle of it is used up I may try the Somat or Miele brand to see if it has less of a scent.

Alex...For Rinse aids, I really like Miele and Lemi-Shine. I stopped Jet Dry ages ago!!!

Larsi, Lemi-Shine makes a rinse aid? Just curious why you stopped the Jet Dry?

One more damn thing to buy-Lemi-Shine rinse aid! Didn't even know it existed. BTW it's also a very very good Dishwasher Detergent!! I haven't used it for about 2 years, but worked well then.

Jean, it's a relatively recent Jenn-Air.

Alex, the scent gets in the lids of my GlassLock containers, too. Maybe I'm just overly scentsitive ;)

Or maybe I should be using Jet Dry, since there's already a rinse agent in the pods?

@ beaglenc....I, like maybe Alex, thought the scent was too strong and seemed very "chemicaly". I have no idea of LemiShine Rinse aid or Miele Rinse aid has less chemicals, but they both smell better and seem to leave no scent in the machine or on dishes.

Jean...LemiShine Rinse aid is fantastic!!!! :)

I have never understood rinse aid..I mean I know what its designed to do, but after thinking about it being put on our dishes ect..than we eat those chemicals...I don't think I have a rinse aid dispenser unless its this strange thing I've never figured out what it is lol..I'll take a pic of this thing later.

Scott, Welcome to the Laundry Room. Learn, Teach and have fun. We also love pics if you ever want to share any...I'm also a member over on AW, all I can say to you is ...I understand.

Well now you've accumulated a nice detergent stash..but we can talk about that in whatever post come up in regards to brands ect...again Welcome!!!

Cheryl - you probably don't need rinse aid. You have soft water and a vintage machine with heated dry. I don't think I would use rinse aid in your situation, either. Those of us with either hard water, newer/Euro machine with condensing drying, or a combination of both, really need it if we want our dishes to be dry and spotless.

But I agree about the "ick" factor! I'm going to try Larsi's suggestion of using the Miele or Lemishine brand to see if there's less of an odor transfer.

SLightly off topic here but I spent the past almost 24 hours in the hospital under observation and had a few tests on the ticker...I'm fine and was released with the warning to eat at least some fats in my diet, I got the lecture about the liver needing some fats yada yada..seems I'm to old to diet the way I do LOL...but I'm all good and plan to stay this way...but OMG I returned home to a damn mess, toys, boots, board games, all over the place and worse thing of all is someone jumped on my bed...it had to either be the boys or the hubs..I'm blaming the hubs so I have my sheetsin the washer now LOL.

Alex, thanks that's what I thought about the rinse aid. I don't use my heater though, I found out a few months back it runs my electric bill up 60$ a month, that's huge. I just open the door as soon as its done, pull the racks out, colder room air meets steamy hot and everythings dried in minutes. Have I said lately I love my machine lol.

By the way anyone notice Mich is missing? Hope he's ok..I bet he's out of the country filming the new box office hit

mama-in the hospital?? OMG that's worrisome! Everything ok now?? Now a mess to clean up? Hope you are feeling better-please do what they tell you!! Wondered where you were!

Cheryl, sorry to hear you wound up in the hospital but glad you are okay. And YES! I know this is a laundry forum and I'm not a medical professional by any stretch, but most of the modern nutritional science has debunked the myth of the 80s and 90s that cutting fats out was the way to diet. Listen to your doctors :) Eat some healthy fats and cut elsewhere (sugars and carbs) if you want to pare back on the calorie count.

Feel better!! xoxoxo

Yikes, mama! I hope all the ticker stuff come back A-OK. And yes, you need fats, it has nothing to do with your age. We all do!!

SO happy our Mama is ok. EAT fat, just the "good" kind. REAL butter, olive and nut oils, avocado. EAT carbs too...just make sure the carbs are whole grains, fruit, beans, veggies!!

THank you Jean, Alex and Errant. I feel fine and the docs say I'm fine, my heart appears to be fine with no abnormalities at all. so I'm good. I'll listen to the doc, matter of fact first thing I did was eat a dried out danish when I got home, lots of fats in that LOL.. but ya I'll eat better, since they told me the peach fuzz growing on me is from no fats in my diet..lol..who woulda thought you grow peach fuzz if you don't get the proper amount of fats LOL. (((HUGS))) To you all.

Thank You Larsi...I'm starting now with a handfull of nuts...the doc says nuts are my friend in moderation.

Make sure they check your IRON mama!! And they tell you of it's ok!!

Aren't you a diabetic Pink? I was thinking you had post that at one time. That will be something to factor in.

Anyone know how the Cascade stacks up against the Finish Quantum -- the ones with the red power ball in the center?

Ex-Chicagoan (Lincoln Park) here Scott.. DDs are there. ~~~~~~~ waving ~~~~~~~

Sparky no I'm not diabetic, I have Lupus Anticoagulant hence the blood thinners and RA...I do check my sugar at home once in awhile, very unscientificly..using moms old finger pincher its always between 90&120 the higher # usually after a meal. LOL. Jean my irons fine but I need vit D..Lol

Rococo - had no idea you were former Chicago. Cool! Hope your DDs still enjoy living here despite all the negative press we've been getting lately :-/

I've tried the Finish Quantum and Finish Powerball. I find that the Cascade Platinum works better than both of those and also seems gentler on my glassware (I know that seems counterintuitive). I have quite a few of the Platinum Pacs and would be happy to send you some, along with some of the other goodies discussed lately. Let me know.

Cheers...

It was Lupus Pink. Sorry about that.

No problem Sparky.

Cheryl, just saw this. So thankful it's nothing serious. Now be a good little girl and eat your veggie with olive oil and real butter and then go out and play in the sunshine.LOL No seriously glad you are ok. FWIW, I've read that now they are saying that veg. oils are not so good for us anymore. that the saturated fats are better. The former causes inflammation which damages the heart. Go figure, but don't think you'll a doctor to advise that. LOL.

Thank You Bea...I'm gonna play it safe and put real butter on my veggies. I never did use margarin. Lol.

@beagle....YES! More and more research and studies are showing vegetable oils does cause inflammation. Olive and nut oils and REAL butter are what we should all be cooking with and eating!!

@ Alex - Yes, both DDs do like Chicago and so do all my friends. Kids go to school on the south side so it got a little tricky earlier this year when they had to shut down U of C. But Chicagoans love it all despite, right?

Before I trouble you to send me the Cascades, which I would like to try, let me see if they have a small pack at the store. You mention glassware. We have a house softener and I always need to watch out for glassware etching though I haven't had problems lately.

Have you tried the Method Smarty Grapefruit tabs? I have great results with them. I could send you some of those if you haven't and would like to. They have the best fragrance of any product I've tried but can be hard to find. Usually alternate betwen those and Finish Quantum but since FQ contains bleach I only use them on my toughest loads since bleach isn't good for my septic.

@ Roc - Yes, somehow we power through the politics and government inefficiencies here and love it all the same. There's nothing quite like hitting the lakefront trail April - October, or taking in one of the myriad cultural opportunities. It's not a bad place to spend some time.

On your endorsement in other threads, I have tried and very much like the Method Smarty Grapefruit tabs. If I don't have any particularly nasty cookware in the DW, they are my go-to detergent. In a DW with a softener, I agree that a half tab is almost always sufficient. They aren't easy to break in half, though, and I have strong hands. I keep meaning to blitz them in the Vitamix and make a nice powder, which I could then easily dose between pre- and main-wash dispensers. Maybe this weekend.

I am waiting for Larsi to keep using these and report back on his experience with glassware. We have all found Finish Quantum to cause etching if used often. So far I've experienced none of this with Cascade Platinum, but will keep monitoring closely.

FQ pods contain oxygen bleach not chlorine bleach. .should be fine Roc

Method Smarties are doing their thing in my dishwasher right now-they (it) smells so good! Will give an update when it's finished! I keep opening the door to smell the fragrance so this could be awhile!

Yes, Method Pink Grapefruit Smarty dish tabs work GREAT, and smell really good (clean & natural).

I found Finish tabs to really!!! etch my glasses. I am not a fan of Finish and I cannot recommend them!

So far, Cascade Platinum pods are working amazingly well. Unlike Alex, Somat 10 are also one of my FAVS. I would rate them a 9.9/10.

I did another Bobload last night, and I used Cascade Fryer Boil Out. It is a strange product. My dishes, bowls, glasses, casseroles, utensils, cooking utensils all come out flawlessly shiny, clean, smooth and soft (no scent anywhere). Stainless steel pots, pans, baking sheets.....almost all are a little murky, not all food is removed and there are some spots. Inside of stainless Miele DW could not shine anymore though. As I mentioned several times, the Fryer Boil out cleaned my Miele vent hood filters so well, they look literally brand new!!!!

I think Fryer boil out is great for grease (as it is sold to do), but not amazing for food removal.

Boil-out is the strangest product I've used. I'm almost beginning to think the formulation is not the same as the original Cascade powder after all.

My good friends from DC are coming in this weekend for a "cook-in" we do once a year. They fly in, we buy excellent food/wine, and cook all our meals at home rather than going out. Long story short, I've been getting the kitchen clean this week so I did a load last night with my gas-range burner grates and a SS roasting pan using the Boil-out. The burner grates look excellent! Almost brand new. The SS roasting pan looked like it had been dipped in lukewarm water and allowed to air dry. I had a half load of other things to wash so I put it back in with a Cascade pod and it came out pristine -- using the same cycle and everything. Beyond bizarre.

Ok Method results: I think they work ok but I'm not thrilled. It was a mixed load with nothing greasy or cooked on. Just everyday usual load. A few glasses were,well, like they hadn't even gone through a wash cycle! Strangely, though I really like these. They aren't 'harsh' I think it would be perfect for the pottery, stoneware and cups and glasses from my hutches that I have yet to do. Completely off-topic-but is anyone else dragging and low-energy lately? Maybe it's the time of the year but I feel like I'm 100!

Jean - I can't say I'm surprised you had less than stellar results with the Method tabs :-/ Those really do seem to be formulated for newer, lower-water machines with extended cycle times. Agreed that they do not seem harsh and will probably work well for the uses you mention, though! I have used a half tab when running a load of stemware and it works quite well for that purpose.

Good to hear Alex! Now I'm going to put the gas grates and filters in!

With the Boiler Fry Out

Soon we will all be disassembling our range hoods and shoving them in the dishwashers LOL

I am looking at the grates on my stove and thinking a nice long cycle on pots and pans is needed... I also have a cycle called "grates and filters" sounds a little hokey but I am going to have to try it. Debating whether to use the cascade boil out or platinum pods. Based on what I have read I am thinking the boil out would be better.

Agreed. Save the pods for some really nasty SS cookware. Mirror finish!

Funny I don't have these CP pods..so I picked up a small bag. I may as well join the crowd and try them. I have a few stainless steel ovenware that I picked up on the cheap from a restaurant going out of business that appear clean but dingy. I'll dig them out one day and run them threw with the CP pods. I also want to see if I can fit my oven racks in the d/w. Lol. But I'm thinking the boil out will do a better job on the oven racks.

Did my first load with the Cascade Platinum...in the prewash I added just a T. Of Korex powder which is a cheap doesn't work worth crap detergent, but I like something in the prewash...in the main dispenser I used 2 CP pacs..my machine uses too much water to use just one. I did NOT use STPP because I wanted to see how these would preform for me without help. It was by no stretch a bob load but still full enough. There were plates with dried on cheese from mac and cheese, a few plates with some rice grains, and a glass pot that I boiled chicken in for the dog...my stainless range top covers and one 9×13 stainless cake pan with the oil and flour residue from baking a cake. .everything else was just normal soil levels, drinking glasses, coffee mugs, stainless flatware ect...I will say the few pieces of stainless was clean shiney and polished, very nice, everything else was clean, but I did find some kibbles on top of a coffee mug, and one spoon with something stuck to it. I had one plastic container that housed sloppy joe that was remarkably so spotless it looked new. All in all I'd say the CP worked well, but I didn't have perfection. Next load I will use one pod and add phosphates and see how that does.