It happened slowly. Over time, the silverware went from a bright and shiny, almost mirror-like finish to looking like dull aluminum. It was flat and pewter-looking. It happened to the glasses the same way. Once shiny and sparkling, the haze came on slowly. Then, the dance with dishwasher detergents began.
Over the course of a couple of years, I must have tried every kind of dishwashing detergent there was – from powder to liquid to tabs – in the hopes of seeing sparkling dishes again. Nothing changed. I kept changing dishwashing detergents in hopes that one would finally give me the shiny, sparkling dishes that they all promised.
I believed in these products. And, yes, I saw the higher-priced “natural” formulations in my stores and I saw the ads for the high-priced, mail order varieties and the special environmentally friendly formulations, but come on…. were they really worth the extra money? I mean, these products might run twice the price of the grocery store brands.
The answer was a resounding yes.
A manufacturer sent me some of his products that were formulated to be organic, environmentally safe, and pH neutral. Well, my first thought was that a product like this could never do the job that my giant three pound box of dishwashing detergent powder could do with its phosphates, bleach, and chemicals. I mean, after all, chemicals like these can blast the dirt and food particles right off those dishes. I came to find out that those chemicals can also blast the finish right off your silverware, your dishes, and your glasses.
So, I committed to trying the new “sensitive” dishwasher detergent for two weeks.
And you know what? Slowly, the gleaming silver returned. My knives and forks were shiny again. The glasses were clean and were missing that haze. Eureka! A product that works and really, truly makes my dishes shiny. Best of all, because I have a water softener, I only use about two tablespoons of soap per load – just enough to cover the bottom of the soap receptacle in my dishwasher. One bottle of this dishwashing detergent lasted me well over two months – making the price about comparable with the grocery store brands.
The moral of the story? More chemicals aren’t always better. Sometimes, you don’t need an ax to cut a piece of chicken on your plate, a simple knife will do. Try the safer cleaning products; you might be surprised at how hard gentle can work.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Click here for more information.