The Dish on Detergents

By Karen Hamilton, Appliance Specialist

If you’re like me, you are probably still using the same trusty store bought detergent that you've always used in your dishwasher. That is, I used to, until my dishwasher began under performing. Even though it was in good working condition, the dishes just weren’t getting clean. I figured all detergents were created equal, but it turns out, I was wrong. New regulations have required formula changes, leaving your trusted box or bottle of detergent lacking. There are, however, other options available that do consistently perform. Take, for example Miele dish tabs, which are made with a powerful enzyme formula and specially designed three-layer construction, described on Miele's website this way:

• The top layer is fast acting and contains a powerful protien and starch remover. It attacks stubbon/ dried food residue, even in cold water.
• The middle White layer uses active oxygen to produce a perfectly clean surface.
• The bottom Blue layer consists of a special lime scale stopper to protect glass, crockery and cutlery from stains.

The tabs come in individual water-soluble, biodegradable wrappers, so you don't have to worry about measuring, scooping or pouring too much or too little. Although, these tabs work so well that they can be cut in half for a normal load and still provide excellent wash results. Miele also makes a rinse aid, and the combination of the two can maximize any machine's performance - plus, it eliminates the awful streaking on both your dishes and the interior door of your machine that other detergents can eventually leave behind. So not only will your dishes be cleaner, the inside of your dishwasher will be cleaner, too.

Now on another note, when it comes to washing clothes and various laundry chores, nothing is more useful than laundry detergent. I also prefer using an enzyme based laundry detergent, like Excelsior. It can fight and remove the most annoying stains, dirt and grime in one wash load. Some deter­gent man­u­fac­tur­ers use fillers, excess water and even animal fat in their Laundry soap. All this does is make you use more detergent than needed and leaves behind clothes that are not as clean as you would like. Not to mention that the more deter­gent you have to use per load, the more often you will have to buy detergent.

With Excelsior you use just 1 tablespoon per load. It's environmentally friendly, biodegradable, phosphate free, and doesn't contain any dyes or fillers. Less fillers also mean less build up, so - like the enzyme based dishwasher detergent - it will leave your machine clean, which means cleaner laundry load after load!