Dishes Not Getting Clean In Dishwasher? New Laws Blamed

This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in August 2009 Consumer Reports magazine. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/maga ... 09-toc.htm

Proposed federal legislation to ban dishwasher detergents containing all but trace amounts of phosphates is designed to help the environment. But many of the eco-friendly products in the latest batch we tested are not great at cleaning dishes.

Five other detergents were very good, including phosphate-free Method Smarty Dish tablets, proving that detergents don't have to contain phosphates to work well. Method's success might be due to the amount and type of its enzymes, which help break up food for easier removal.
Tips for dazzling dishes
Any detergent is apt to clean better if you scrape off heavy soil before loading dishes. (You'll save energy and water if you don't prerinse.) Then take these steps:

* Load large items at the sides and back so they don't block water and detergent.
* Face the dirtier side of dishes toward the center of the machine.
* Don't let dishes or utensils nest.
* Rest glasses upside down on prongs so that they don't fill with water.
* Hand-wash silver and fine glassware. Judging by tests that mimicked long-time machine-washing, some products could be harsh on silver (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Great Value, Sun & Earth, and Target) or could etch fine glassware (Cascade with Extra Bleach Action powder, Finish Quantum, Method, Seventh Generation, and Simplicity).

If you'd prefer a detergent without phosphates, choose Method or Simplicity.