Years ago, I suspected the new dishwasher detergent tablets and pods being heavily pushed were a ripoff. I put a tablet in a Ziploc bag and crushed it with a hammer, then measured the resultant powder: about 2 tablespoons (30 mL). That struck me as grossly excessive, in line with the "always fill all detergent cups to maximum for best results" instrux on detergent powder boxes (and then liquid/gel bottles).

So I bought a box of regular ol' normal ol' boring ol' dishwasher powder and started experimenting. 1 tablespoon (15 mL): dishes completely clean. 2 teaspoons (10 mL): dishes completely clean. Mind, I scrape off loose leavings, but almost no dishes get rinsed before they go in the dishwasher.

The math quickly showed that yup, the pods and powders are a complete scam. So for years now, we've had this what you see here under the sink, with a teaspoon measure in.

The dishes consistently get perfectly clean, but I've never liked that dishwasher-detergent smell they have after. It occurred to me the other night I'd stopped the experiment without inceeding 2 teaspoons, so I tried 1 teaspoon (5 mL — probably more like 6ish; I don't level off the teaspoon, just scoop-shake-dispense).

Result: dishes perfectly clean. They couldn't possibly be any cleaner, so all the marketing babble about the pods unlocking whole new levels of Ultra Platinum Extreme Clean are bulk wrap. And the dishes now come out smelling of…nothing.

I'm not gonna retire on the savings, but every bit helps. There's a whole lot less waste this way, in money and detergent and packaging and production. The powder comes in a recyclable-for-real paperboard box rather than a recyclable-nudge-wink-lol plastic tub.

As I've done this much schtick, I might's well make a complete job of it: Consumer Reports' latest test of dishwasher detergent doesn't include powders, they say, because most people buy pods and tablets. That's antithetical to CR's nominal mission; decades ago they'd've done my same math and experiments and recommended avoiding the scam and buying the powders they found to work well.

I'll need to edit that yellow label.

#HomeEconomy
#capitalism