We moved recently. Since the new place has a dishwasher, I picked up a box of Cascade powdered dishwasher detergent.

When we unpacked the dishes, the cups and glasses that had been at the back of the cupboard looked in need of a good washing, so I loaded up the dishwasher to give it a try.

I don't usually pay much attention when I unload the dishwasher. I notice if something is still dirty, but I generally hope that things will be clean. I don't expect to be impressed. This time I was. Our plain old cheap glassware looked so clean, IT GLEAMED. Even my husband (who never notices if things are clean or dirty) commented on how great the glasses looked. They sparkled. They didn't have any spots. They didn't seem to have any scratches either, which puzzled me. Our glasses normally have a lot of scratches because we wash a lot of them by hand, often using a green scrubber on them to be sure that we get them clean.

At first I assumed it was the dishwasher. It's a GE Profile Quiet Power II. I thought that maybe using the heated dry setting might have affected the glassware, but it also occurred to me that these were the glasses that we didn't use often, so maybe they just didn't have many scratches to begin with.

I then noticed that the Cascade detergent I had bought said "Introducing ShineShield" and "Helps Prevent Etching." The box explains that "etching is the permanent cloudiness on the surface of glassware" and that with regular use the ShineShield "neutralizes the harsh effects that can cause etching."

We have some glasses that are really scuffed up, so I decided to put those through the next washing. One of the glass tumblers is so scratched that my husband complains that it looks like it has a layer of milk on the inside. Cascade couldn't remove all the scratches, but it did make the glasses look better. The glasses came out much less scratched. The extremely scratched one had been white and cloudy before. After washing, although many parts of it were still cloudy, overall the cloudiness was much less than before. In some parts instead of being cloudy, the glass showed each individual scratch like a fine mesh. This meant that the general cloudiness caused by the light etching had disappeared and only the really deep scratches remained. The parts of the glass that didn't have scratches gleamed and sparkled. ShineShield couldn't restore this glass to its original condition, but I could see how regular use on new glasses could help them to continue to look great.

We baked several pies for Thanksgiving in Pyrex pie plates. One dish happened to get washed by hand, another went through the dishwasher a few days later. The handwashed plate looked like a normal clean dish. The one that went through the dishwasher looked brand new.

General Usage

I've used it for several months now, but haven't had any problems. I refuse to prewash dishes (because I think if you are going to go through all that trouble, you might as well just wash them all the way) and the dishes generally come out clean--especially the Pyrex and Corningware. I just love taking out these sparkling, shiny dishes. Sometimes there will still be some food on some dishes or utensils--but I think that is caused by the dishwasher or by the food being really baked on. Any food left on comes off very easily if I wipe it. I've put some very greasy plastic containers in the dishwasher and they've come out squeaky clean. I haven't tried any heavily soiled baking pans--but it's because I don't trust the dishwasher, so I tend to do them by hand.

Even though this is a powdered detergent, we haven't found any powdered residue on anything. I prefer powders because I think they last longer and are less wasteful (they don't dry out and you don't have to try to squeeze out those last few drops) and store easier.

We have regular water here. Not too hard, not too soft. As the Goldilocks says, "just right."

What's on the Label

Cascade is manufactured and distributed by Procter and Gamble. It does contain some phosphates, equivalent to 1 gram per tablespoon.

TO USE: Same as any other dishwasher detergent. Pour it in the wash cup, close the cup, close and activate the dishwasher.

As with most household cleaners: keep it away from children, don't get it in your eyes and don't swallow it.
For more information, call 1 800 765 5516 or go to www.homemadesimple.com

Recommended: Yes