Product review (5 stars): The best way to wash with non-phosphate detergents
Washing your dishes used to be a non-issue. Even with my "builders" model (read: under $250) dishwasher, pretty much everything got clean. Unfortunately this is no longer the case.
By regulatory action in most states, dish-washing detergents may no longer contain phosphates. With my original dishwasher, the side effects of this change included white, pasty residue over dishware, as well as a coating of ground-up grit evenly distributed and baked-on over everything. These are well-documented problems with phosphate-free detergent.
I'd already tried different premium detergents, and cranked my hot water up to 185F- neither of these issues helped at all. I put in a separate little water heater under the sink so the dishwasher would get its hot water right away- still no change.
The KitchenAid KUDE70 solves these issues very well. Its internal filtering gets rid of all- and I do mean ALL- crud, and I do NOT pre-rinse anything. No more white gunk, either. I turned my hot water temp down to normal, with NO reduction in cleaning quality.
There's a lot more capacity inside, with three spray arms, and an upper flatware tray. There is a "power scrub" mode with special sprayers for cleaning pots. I tested this by burning an egg and leaving the pot set for a day. After washing once- All Clean!
Ah, it's really nice to have clean dishes once again! This unit is definitely worth the cash.
Conditions for this review:
- Length of ownership- about 1 month
- Price Paid: $1239
- Incoming water temp 135F with water tank located near dishwasher
- Detergent used: Cascade powder with Dawn "Shine Shield"
- Rinse Aid: Jet Dry