Oct 11, '21....Update to the Update to the Update: I got a new dishwasher. It isn't a fancy-pants brand, but it does have an upper spray-arm, and it works great. I do a quick rinse on my dishes before loading, and I use the "normal" setting. I'm still using these Seventh Generation packs --- going on 5+ yrs now -- and they're still doing an amazing job! Plus, no fumes, and safe for the environment. Update to the update: It's been about 3.5 years since my original review, and I still rate this product with 5 stars! I'm still thrilled with the lack of fumes and with my sparkling clean dishes! And I still stand by my belief that if you have a crappy dishwasher, your dishes will never come out clean, no matter what. So, get a good dishwasher and use Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Packs for an eco-friendly clean and no fumes! Yay! Update: It's been about 1.5 - 2 yrs since my original review, and I'm still super-impressed with this dishwasher detergent. I'm tellin' ya' -- if you've got a piece-o'-junk dishwasher, you'll have terrible results, no matter what kind of dishwasher soap you use. So, go get yourself a good dishwasher (one with an upper spray arm is best), pop in a Seventh Generation dishwasher detergent pack, and enjoy beautifully clean dishes with zero fumes. Original review: The reviews vary on this product, so I wanted to try an entire tub of Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Packs (73 count) before reviewing it myself. First of all, I just want to say that if you have a crappy dishwasher, you will get crappy results no matter what kind of product you use. I know this to be a fact because I had a crappy run-of-the-mill apartment-issued dishwasher for 11 years, and I tried every detergent and nothing truly cleaned them to my high standards. In my opinion an excellent dishwasher (we had a Kenmore Elite when we were house-dwellers years ago, and it was the bomb!) should give great results with a good dishwasher detergent. Anyways, 2 months ago I got a new apartment dishwasher. It's one of those new-fangled ones that are energy efficient and very quiet. It's not super-fancy, but has a lower spray arm and an under-the-upper-rack spray arm. I scrape bigger bits of food off of the dishes before I put them in the dishwasher, and if there's dried-on sauce/gravy etc.. I'll give them a quick pre-rinse. I pop a Seventh Generation pack into the detergent dispenser, set the machine for "normal" wash, and let it go. I never use a rinse aid. But because I don't have a fancy-pants Bosch dishwasher, I like to manually set one final extra rinse for the dishes. And -- drum-roll, please -- I am SUPER-IMPRESSED with this product! It cleans my dishes -- even the dried-on sauces or tiny bits of dried-on food. My dinnerware comes out clean and shiny, my glasses come out sparkling, and the cutlery is fresh and sparkly. But best of all, it doesn't have the eye-irritating, throat-scratching chemical odor like Palmolive or Cascade (or worse yet, Cascade Complete). I'm sold! I love this product, love that it's phosphate-free and biodegradable, love that it doesn't kill my eyes or nose, and love that it cleans my dishes! And it comes in a convenient tub container.
