Grab Green Automatic Dishwashing Detergent Pods, Tangerine with Lemongrass, 24 Loads, 432 gm

Dishwasher detergents, among many other things, are under-going a revolution in the United States. As the use of phosphates is reduced or eliminated, cleaning performance will decline unless a solution or alternative can be found. I've been a loyal Cascade user for many years but recently found the performance had declined with the non-phosphate formula. This led me on a quest to find something that works as well as Cascade and Electrosol used to work. I've never been a fan of "eco" products since they never seem to work as well as regular brands. If you have to use 2 or 3 times as much to get the same results, that is not environmentally friendly. I expect a lot from my dishwashing detergent. I refuse to pre-wash or rinse, that's why I have a top of the line dishwasher. The most I'll do is scrape off hard scraps or excess before putting a plate, pot, or pan, in the dishwasher. To make it tougher, since I'm single, I do not run the dishwasher until it's full, often 5 days. I've tried name-brands and "eco" brands (that could be found on a store shelf), and was never really fully satisfied. Enter Grabgreen which I found by accident on Amazon. To tell the truth, I didn't expect much since it was "eco" but thought the scent combinations sounded intriguing. My first experience using Grabgreen was on a very full load of dishes that had residue from one of my favorite cold-weather comfort foods, ham and beans. There was also mashed potato residue and some greasy stuff, etc. Some of the bowls and the cooking vessel, had been in the dishwasher for 4 days so the residual was very dried on and there were even a few beans here or there. The last time I used Cascade with this type of load, I filled both detergent cups and ran it on pots and pans cycle with heated wash and rinse options on. There was still some gritty residue on about a fourth of the load. Since I did not expect the Grabgreen to work I didn't bother with the heated options but did use the pots and pans cycle. I also put one packet in the silverware basket as well as in the detergent cup to provide the equivalent of filling both cups. While the dishwasher was running, I was able to detect some pleasant aroma but not as much as some other reviewers claimed. I smoked for 30 years and just recently quit so perhaps I just don't smell as well as they do. Now for the results. I opened the dishwasher fully expecting to have to rewash at least half of everything. As I pulled more and more CLEAN items out I actually started smiling which is something I never do when unloading a dishwasher. The flatware was clean, the pots were clean, plates, bowls, glassware, etc., were clean. Ok, not 100% were totally clean. I found 2 drinking glasses that had a little grit on the outside of them. SInce I hadn't expected the Grabgreen to work I'd loaded an item over the top of them which partially blocked the spray. Does Gragbreen get everything 100% clean 100% of the time? No, but not even the old Electrosol or Cascade formulations did either. The Grabgreen is now my dishwasher detergent of choice although at some point I need to finish using up six or eight other brands that I didn't care for. Unlike another reviewer, all of my packets arrived intact so I have no issues purchasing Grabgreen from Amazon on a regular basis.

This works great, I haven't noticed any dried food or film on my dishes. I used to use electrosal tabs and this works just as well. There 2 reasons for the 4 star instead of 5, one is that when I receive it from amazon, sometimes the bags at the bottom are broken, but I just pour the powder out and use it like that, so no biggie (by itself that would not cause a lower rating). Second is that it doesn't always dissolve as well as it should, no film on my dishes but there is definitely white soap on the bottom of cups and if one should flip over in the dishwasher, there is a pool of soapy water in it. But, overall, I think it works great and its green, which is the best thing about it!

Let's face it, those of us who strive for sustainability are used to accepting some trade-offs with green products (as opposed to their full strength, industrial, toxic counterparts). This product is no exception. The enzymatic action and tangerine oil do work fairly effectively and our dishes come out pretty clean, especially compared to other green dishwashing products that we have tried. However, we also find that the tangerine smell diffuses into any plastic-based dishes you might have. If your kids use plastic cups, get ready for "this smells funny." This extends to the dishwasher itself, which, after several washings, might just start to smell a little funky. We have now settled on a compromise - we wash perhaps 4 loads with Grab Green, but then do one with standard Cascade or something like that. This sequence seems to help clean out the machine a bit and should still be one tick closer to a greener lifestyle. Not perfect, but better. Hopefully, Grab Green will keep working on their product and bring a couple of improvements in the future.

I used to use another "green" dishwasher detergent (S&E) but I actually like Grab Green better. The capsules are softer and dissolve better in my dishwasher than the other brand. It also doesn't leave any residue grains like the other brand. All my dishes come out very clean and glasses clear. The only thing I don't like is the scent. For me, the scent stays with the dishes and when I drink out of my glass I get a whiff of the tangergine/lemongrass but I just don't like that. I am going to order the unscented one and hopefully it works just as well as this one.

After finding the liquid 7th Generation dishwashing detergent to be utterly useless, I decided to try out the Grabgreen Tangerine detergent in hopes of discovering a green detergent that actually works. I can say that this detergent does work quite well, however your dishes come out smelling of tangerines (not so bad) and tasting like bitter tangerine detergent! I've never used a dishwashing product that has left a smell on my dishes before (let alone a taste), and the flavor/smell will stick with your dishes until they are rinsed in water. I first discovered the taste issue when I had washed/sterilized my baby's teething toys and noticed they smelled, so I put one in my mouth to see if it had a taste, and boy was it nasty - not something I want my kid to ingest, I don't care if it's green or not. To make matters worse, I had to take all my cups and silverware and hand wash them so I could use them without the obnoxious smell and taste. Amazon kindly refunded my order, and I am hopeful that the Grabgreen UNSCENTED dishwashing detergent will meet my expectations. Honestly, I am not sure how the other reviewers didn't have this problem, the odor is quite pungent! **UPDATE** (12/29/11) The unscented detergent is wonderful, no smells and it works perfectly. I'm here to reorder!