Cascade and Finish are two award-winning dishwasher detergents that come in various forms and scents. Phosphates used to be the go-to water softener but are now banned due to the environmental damage they cause. So modern dishwasher detergents are phosphate free. Stain removal

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Salts react with the minerals to remove them from the water. In hard water areas, you may need a hard water dishwasher detergent like Finish Quantum Hard Water.Both brands are recognized for their excellent cleaning ability, but Cascade won Best Overall Detergent by Good Housekeeping and The Spruce. Bleach is the go-to stain remover. In modern detergents, this isn’t the harsh chlorine bleach you might see in a toilet cleaner. It’s usually sodium percarbonate, a chemical that forms hydrogen peroxide bleach. Removing sugars, starches and proteins Their products come in the following scents: fresh (original scent), lemon, and citrus breeze. In addition, Cascade offers a Free & Clear formulation that’s free of phosphates, bleach, and dyes (one version is also fragrance-free). Cascade ActionPacs

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Finally, Finish offers an additional product to improve the effectiveness of its detergent: Finish Detergent Booster. Manufacturers strongly recommend placing dishwasher tablets or pods into the detergent dispenser. There’s some confusion here as laundry pods can be placed directly into the washing machine drum.Use a separate rinse aid. While most detergents contain ingredients to help eliminate spots and film, they can get washed away during the cycle. A separate rinse aid, like GH Seal Star Cascade Power Dry, gets dispensed directly into the rinse cycle where it's most effective.

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Rinse aid is a surfactant that stops water droplets from forming on your dishes during drying. This limits mineral staining from hard water and helps your glassware shine. Bottom Line — Cascade and Finish are the top two dishwasher detergent brands. And, the truth is, you really can’t go wrong with either. Since every dishwasher is slightly different, my best advice is to test both to determine which works best in your kitchen.No matter how meticulously you load your dishwasher or how often you clean your dishwasher, you'll need a good detergent to get your dishes clean. It's your dishwasher detergent's job to cut through dried-on foods, prevent spots and film and ensure good drying results. These are the steps you can take to help whatever detergent you use to do that job better: If you search the Environmental Working Group (EWG) database and explore the safety of Cascade and Finish products, you’ll notice that both brands scored “C” or “D.” Tablets and pods often contain fresh scents and brightly colored dyes. These don’t improve cleaning performance but do add to the number of chemicals going down the drain. These products are designed to ensure clean rinse cycles or keep your dishwasher clean by eliminating limescale, grease, debris, and odors. Finish claims to be the overall market leader, and number one recommended global brand of dishwasher detergent.