Is Your Dishwasher Making You Sick? Try this instead.

Last updated on September 27th, 2023 at 03:01 pm

Did you know that dishwasher powder (or tablets) is likely one of the most toxic items in your house?
In America, in a two year period, 14,000 children were admitted to emergency after eating dishwasher tablets. They are incredibly caustic and burn mouth and throat as they go down.

In Australia, over 2000 kids each year are admitted to hospital for poisoning, most of them from household chemicals.

If those stats concern you, think about this:

While eating dishwasher powder is not something most of us make a habit of, some of those chemicals are left on your dishes each time you take them from the dishwasher and put them in the cupboard.

You know that freshly clean smell you get when you open the dishwasher and the steam streams out? That steam is also settling on your dishes, and if you use a standard dishwasher powder or tablets, that smell is chlorine bleach and other chemicals you don’t want to be eating.

So what can you do instead? Do you have to wash dishes by hand??

No.

I found all this out recently, when researching the Norwex UltraZyme dishwasher powder.
I’ve been using it since March, and I am still going with the same tub. And we use the dishwasher at least once a day.

UltraZyme is enzyme based. It is fragrance, phosphate, ammonia, and chlorine free. It is safe for aquatic organisms and septic systems, is biodegradable, and not tested on animals.

And unlike tablets, which clog up your dishwasher with the glue that holds them together, it will keep your dishwasher as clean as your dishes.

It’s also incredibly cost effective.

I just measured out a full tub, and got 102 tsp.*
How much do you need for a full, dirty load?

Water type	Amount	Cost per load at full price ($16.50)	Cost per load on sale ($14.00)
Hard water	up to 3 tsp (15ml)	48.5c	43c
Canberra water (moderate)	1-2 tsp	23.5c (on average)	21c (on average)
With magnet ball (OR 1 draw) (we use ~1/2 tsp)	½ – 1.5 tsp	16c (on average)	14c (on average)

Compare that to the dishwasher tablets you buy in the store.  A quick perusal of the Woolies online shopping site shows tablets they range from 36c each for the largest packs, to 90s each for the most expensive. 90c per load!!

Keep in mind, in hard water the detergent binds with the minerals in the water – that’s why you need more washing powders of all kinds in hard water areas.

How much exactly you need depends on a combination of your water type, how much water your dishwasher uses, and how dirty your dishes are. Of course, tablets don’t allow us to make those adjustments.

What’s the magnet ball? It is a water conditioner, in the form of a rubber ball with heavy duty magnets, that effectively softens the water as it passes through the middle of it. It actually keeps the minerals rotating in the water, rather than binding to the detergent as they usually would.

You can also use the magnet ball in a top loading washing machine (not in front loaders as not enough water passes through it to be effective, and besides, it might crack your glass!). So although it retails at $48, you can make that money back in detergent savings in a matter of months. The ball has a 5 year warranty, but looked after, should be something you can pass down to your kids!

But does it work?

It sure does!

Will you love UltraZyme? I believe you will.

The older Norwex dishwasher powder, Superjet, seemed very variable – it worked beautfully in some dishwashers and not in others. I have no clue why. But UltraZyme seems universally popular with everyone I know who has tried it.

But if you are used to a tablet which contains rinse aid, you might find your dishes don’t dry as well without the rinse aid.

What is rinse aid, and what can you use instead? Is there a DIY version?

Have you ever wondered what rinse aid does?

It actually helps with the drying not the rinsing, by coating your dishes with a substance that breaks the water down into smaller droplets so that it drips off more quickly. This in turn means that you don’t get minerals from the water leaving your glasses cloudy or spotty.

If you would prefer not to have a chemical coating your dishes, you can try using white vinegar – but don’t put it in the rinse aid dispenser, as apparently this can cause the rubber lining to break down. Instead, try putting it in an upturned cup on the top level. Because it is upturned, not all the vinegar will rinse out on the first wash. (Norwex now has a safe rinse aid, which you can use if you prefer – I do, because I’m lazy and usually forget to add the vinegar!)

Am I saying that without vinegar or rinse aid your glasses will be spotty?

Not at all. It depends as much on your dishwasher as anything.

Mine has a very high energy efficiency rating. Which actually just means it doesn’t dry the dishes at all! It’s better though if I remember to open the door just after it finishes, so the steam can escape.

I know people with different dishwashers who use no rinse aid or vinegar (and do use the UltraZyme), whose glasses come out sparkling.

Money back guarantee
Just remember, with all Norwex products there is a 60 day, no questions asked, money back satisfaction guarantee. So you can try it, and if you hate it give me a call and I will give you your money back (and Norwex will give me my money back too, so no worries on that score!).

But I suspect you will love it. And like me, you will be happier knowing you and your family are not ingesting nasty chemicals along with your glass of water or bowl of cereal.

Over to you: What do you use in your Dishwasher? Or do you do it the old fashioned way and wash by hand (as we had done for the past three years while saving for our overseas trip)? Have you tried vinegar for rinse aid before? What did you think?

*There is some margin of error here, one of my colleagues got 105 tsp when she measured her tub, but I think it’s safe to say, there is quite a lot there!
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If you buy the Norwex UltraZyme or the Magnet ball through the links on this post, I will make a commission. This will help me continue to work in a field that I love – helping people get the toxic chemicals out of their homes – and help keep this website going. But I would NEVER recommend them if I didn’t love them. Thank you. And enjoy living less toxically. 🙂