# Dishwasher pods & less choice



## jlunfirst (1 mo ago)

Ok I know majority here will say they handwash dishes which saves money..re cost of dishwasher and buying dishwasher pods.
I admit I like using a dishwasher machine 2-3 times/wk.

And dishwasher pods are getting expensive. The newer ones don't dispense loose powder anymore. 

Curious what folks use/do to cut down cost yet still use dishwasher machine.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

We don't sweat the small stuff.


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## HappilyRetired (Nov 14, 2021)

I bought a dishwasher for our cabin. The manual says it uses 4 gallons per wash. That number was important because we have a septic tank. 4 gallons is less than a half sink of water. It uses less water than doing them by hand.

Pods are the expensive option, just buy generic dishwasher detergent. And use a less than they recommend.


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## Ponderling (Mar 1, 2013)

We buy gel dish wash liquid sold in a blue jug at CTC. 
Watch the flyer for sales. 

Or a few times a year a one day sale promotion comes along and for example buy $250 and get $50 in CTC money.
Then stock up on manual dish soap, paper towel, toilet paper, laundry detergent, klennex, yard waste bags etc to make it to the required amount

Best deal is when gel is on sale and I buy it with accrued CTC money.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I buy the cheapo dishwasher powder, the yellow No Name brand stuff.

On the box, I write the date that I start using it. I find these last a very long time and I suspect it's much cheaper than "pods" in terms of $ per wash.

The pods always seemed like a cash grab for a new, higher tier luxury dishwashing experience. Never appealed to me.

Why not just use the powder? Are you saying that new dishwashers don't even have a hatch where you can pour in the powder? I think wherever you put the pod, you can also put powder.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

I had a friend that worked in water utilities and did study on dishwasher use. If the dishwasher is energy efficient and its loaded fully, it can save water versus handwashing. Since I run a load a day, two when everyone is home, it's well worth the time savings and I don't have to eat off of dirty dishes the kids didn't wash properly.

For cost of the detergent, I just stock up when I see on sale at Costco. I don't activity shop for sales on this item because it just isn't worth it. Though, I was at a Shoppers a few years ago, they had some store special and their were coupons right there, each bag of tabs was under a $1 so I cleared them out and ended up with about 30 bags that lasted over a year. 

I don't worry too much about these smaller items, but I will always keep my eyes out for deals by going up and down every aisle when I shop for any of the items I buy even if not needed at the time.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jlunfirst said:


> Ok I know majority here will say they handwash dishes which saves money..re cost of dishwasher and buying dishwasher pods.
> I admit I like using a dishwasher machine 2-3 times/wk.
> 
> And dishwasher pods are getting expensive. The newer ones don't dispense loose powder anymore.
> ...


$0.12-0.15/pod. Like garbage bags it's not a cost worth worrying about. If it saves me 1 minute/day, it's worth it.


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## Zipper (Nov 18, 2015)

While we are on dishwashers a few observations.
We have always pre-rinsed. More about that in a minute.
Costco always has pods on sale. Just wait for your favourite in the big tubs.
Our latest Maytag is coming up 20 years. It gets run every other day. I've never cleaned a filter.
In fact I don't even know where it's located. 
#1 son throws everything in not rinsed including pots and pans and all sorts of plastics.
His dishwashers wear out about every 5 to 7 years.
I learned years ago that a big culprit is dried on rice on unrinsed plates and utensils.
We never put plastics of any type in the dishwasher for obvious reasons. And pots and pans are washed separately in the sink.
I don't care if I use extra water pre-rinsing. I save buying 3 or 4 dishwashers compared to my son.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

MrMatt said:


> $0.12-0.15/pod. Like garbage bags it's not a cost worth worrying about. If it saves me 1 minute/day, it's worth it.


Ditto. Only two of us. 

We buy the Kirkland brand pods at Costco because of price and because they are not individually wrapped. Cannot remember the price from one buy to the other nor do we care.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

jlunfirst said:


> Ok I know majority here will say they handwash dishes which saves money..re cost of dishwasher and buying dishwasher pods.
> I admit I like using a dishwasher machine 2-3 times/wk.
> 
> And dishwasher pods are getting expensive. The newer ones don't dispense loose powder anymore.
> ...


If you want to know all about dishwasher pods, here you go. A bit long, but pretty entertainingly presented.

tl;dr, you can use powder, and it is much cheaper. Not sure what you mean by new dishwasher doesn't dispense powder--do you just chuck the pod in the dishwasher?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Zipper said:


> While we are on dishwashers a few observations.
> We have always pre-rinsed. More about that in a minute.
> Costco always has pods on sale. Just wait for your favourite in the big tubs.
> Our latest Maytag is coming up 20 years. It gets run every other day. I've never cleaned a filter.
> ...


Pre-rinsing and using pods probably doesn't make sense. The pods are a fixed dose of detergent, and if you're putting mostly clean dishes in a dishwasher and using a full dose of detergent, you will likely end up with a fair amount of detergent residue on the dishes.

Frankly, I think pre-rinsing is a waste of time and water. I just scrape the dishes clean of food. Only dishes with egg or cheese melted on get a bit of a pre-rinse.


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## livewell (Dec 1, 2013)

Despite all the marketing trying to steer us to pods I still use cheapest powder I can find because it cleans better when the first rinse uses detergent. Dishwashers (with pods) run a rinse cycle initially and then open the dispenser on second 'fill' thus using pods the initial clean is done with no detergent. I deliberately fill half the dispenser and spill some powder outside dispenser so that initial rinse also has detergent. 
(Also all the colors in the pods are just gimmicks and do nothing to enhance the cleaning).


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## Faramir (11 mo ago)

jlunfirst said:


> Ok I know majority here will say they handwash dishes which saves money..re cost of dishwasher and buying dishwasher pods.
> I admit I like using a dishwasher machine 2-3 times/wk.
> 
> And dishwasher pods are getting expensive. The newer ones don't dispense loose powder anymore.
> ...


Well a repairman told me not to use the pods but use the liquid. But I have used both and honestly having seen any difference between pods and liquid.

My understanding about dishwashers and other cleaning machines is in an effort to save water these devices are less effective than they use to be. The push to using less and cooler water means a less satisfying result. Thanks eco freaks!!!!


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