I got a dishwasher today!!!!! and I have a question.

[pammysue]

Dh's Dad and stepmom got us a dishwasher for Christmas. I am SSSOOOOO happy!!!! I hate doing dishes.


I have a question though. I got some 7th Gen. dishwasher soap. I want to go all natural w/it.

It has a rinse aid dispenser and I am wondering if I could use vinegar in it. It seems that it would work well to keep away spots.

I know I don't have to use anything. It just seems nice to have sparkly clean dishes.

TIA

[rainsmom]

I have the book, CLEAN HOUSE, CLEAN PLANET.....and there wasnt any natural dishwashing soap that she could recommend that was better than Cascade or other name brands. I dont think I would put vinegar in the rinsing aid either. Vinegar can react with soap and make a real mess...alot of foaming.

She did recommend experimenting with using 1/2 the recommended amount of dishwashing soap, instead of just filling up the receptacles full. I do this, and it does get my dishes just as clean. But Ive yet to find a natural soap product that works as well as regular commercial dishwashing liquid.

[camprunner]

When dh and I were so poor we could barely afford our food, I used to use baking soda and vinegar in the dishwasher. It got the dishes clean but we were renting so I have no idea ( and nor did I care at the time) if it had a negative effect on the dishwasher.

[pammysue]

Originally Posted by rainsmom

I have the book, CLEAN HOUSE, CLEAN PLANET.....and there wasnt any natural dishwashing soap that she could recommend that was better than Cascade or other name brands.

Do you mean that there was no natural dishwashing soap that worked as well as commercial? Or that the commercial types are not harmful and there is no reason (in NFL terms) to use natural?

It was my understanding (from reading here) that the commercial types give off lots of chemical as they are washing and pollute the air. This is the reason I am using 7th gen. Also, I worry about the chemicals staying on the things that are being washed and us ingesting them.

Vinegar can react with soap and make a real mess...alot of foaming.

Thanks for the info. I did not know that.

PS-Is it weird for me to stand in the kitchen and listen to my dishwasher run, thinking about how happy I am to have it and how much time it is saving me? (Although DH says it is not saving me much time if I stand and watch it.)

[maman de Corinne]

Originally Posted by pammysue

PS-Is it weird for me to stand in the kitchen and listen to my dishwasher run, thinking about how happy I am to have it and how much time it is saving me? (Although DH says it is not saving me much time if I stand and watch it.)

I did the same thing when I got my dishwasher... I think it's normal

[rainsmom]

Do you mean that there was no natural dishwashing soap that worked as well as commercial? Or that the commercial types are not harmful and there is no reason (in NFL terms) to use natural?

Karen Logan:

"I tried, but I couldnt find a homemade alternative that really worked. I still buy a commercial automatic dishwasher detergent."

As I said...she does recommend only filling the open dispenser cup with 2Ts......and the closed dispenser cup with 1T. She also recommends if you leave dirty dishes in the sink for any amount of time, to sprinkle with baking soda....and that if you do this, it can be left on for hours/days before loading in the dishwasher, and you can skip filling the open dispenser, thus saving $ and the amount of phosphates used. Personally, as soon as I eat, I rinse (if needed) and put directly in the dishwasher. But thats just me.

I think, considering what is in dishwasher detergents (esp dry detergents as opposed to gel versions), its best to keep them out of reach of children. But as far as using them in a dishwasher, with hot steamy water, they are safe to eat off of. If I buy a "natural alternative" and it isnt as efficient, then Im wasting money and more water trying to get them as clean. Personally, I havent found a natural commerical soap that works as well......JMHO.

[runes]

Congrats on your new dishwasher!!

I tried lots of different types of detergents, and although I did like the 7th Gen one, the Ecover tablets have worked the best for us. We use a rinse aid made by Earth Friendly Products. Sparkly dishes and glasses every load.

It may take some experimentation with different brands, though...doesn't the water quality make a big difference in how detergents work?

Also, we had been running the 'normal' cycle initially, and I experimented with using the 'quick wash' cycle-works just as well, the cycle is 1/3 of the time of the normal wash, and it saves TONS of energy.

HTH, and enjoy the gentle hum

[beanma]

7th gen and ecover work well for us. have never tried vinegar. i'd rather buy the natural stuff and support those companies. i'm pretty sensitive to chemical scents, too, so try to stay away from potentially smelly stuff..

[rainsmom]

doesn't the water quality make a big difference in how detergents work?

DEFINETLY! And people will have different results with different detergents. Im in a hard water area........

[srain]

we've used vinegar as a rinse aid and it didn't work for us, but it didn't cause problems either so you could give it a try. natural brands don't work at all her- we use 2 tbsp of cascade complete in the main compartment (nothing in the open one) and it works.

experiment with whether you need to rinse- we never rinse, and the dishes all get clean! well, maybe once a week something won't, but re-washing that definitely spends less time and water than rinsing everything. only do what you have to!

[pammysue]

Thanks for the info all! I have been using the 7th Gen and I am noticing that although my dishes get clean, there is residue powder on some of the glasses. Is this becuase of the detergent or the water? And how can I tell if I have hard water?

I am very tempted to use the sample of cascade that came with the dishwasher. I got a glass of water today and after a few sips noticed that there was residue in the glass. I am not too worried about it since it is all natural, but still not what I wanted to be drinking.

I was thinking of googling all natural dishasher liquid and see what I can find. It seems that a liquid would not leave any residue.

kidspiration-where do you get those tablets? I looked around at Whole Foods and only found two types of powder. But maybe I missed them?