Cascade Crystal Clear Citrus Rinse Aid for Spotless Dishes!
I admit that I have used a few rinse agents in my dishwasher. I have used Jet Dry in liquid form, and I have also used the kind that comes in a small basket that you hang on the top rack of the dishwasher. Both of these did not do a satisfactory job, so when I had a chance to try Cascade Crystal Clear Citrus, I took advantage of it.
Description
Cascade Crystal Clear comes in a 8.5 ounce bottle, measuring 6″ tall. The Citrus Scent version is as clear as water, and the front of the bottle has a green label that claims the product will have outstanding spot and film protection. The cap flips up to reveal a small hole, and you simply squeeze the contents into the rinse agent dispenser in the dishwasher door.
Does It Work?
In a word, yes! My rinse aid dispenser was empty, as I haven’t used a rinse agent in at least a year now. I filled it to the brim, which used just more than half of my bottle of Cascade Crystal Clear. The directions say to be sure and wipe up any spilled product, but the design of the bottle was very easy to direct where I wanted it to go and I didn’t spill a drop.
I have had a few problems with my four year old dishwasher, mainly it was leaving a white film on the inside of my coffee mugs, and occasionally my flatware was coming out of the dishwasher with spots. After using the Cascade Crystal Clear, I immediately noticed an improvement. I was shocked actually, as I have never had a rinse agent work this well before!
The bottle does say that the contents has a citrus scent, but in my honest opinion, I don’t smell any citrus at all. Rather, this smells like the product that I pour into my coffee maker to remove hard water deposits. It doesn’t exactly smell good, but a bit strong – similar to the smell of white vinegar. However, the dishes do not smell like this when I remove them from the dishwasher, so the scent really doesn’t bother me.
Not only does the Cascade Crystal Clear leave my glassware and flatware crystal clean, but I’ve noticed that this product also seems to keep the stainless steel interior of my dishwasher cleaner as well. That’s a HUGE plus! Gone are the spots on my silverware and glassware, but gone are those ugly white streaks on the inside of my coffee mugs and travel mugs. My stainless steel cookware comes out sparkling clean. This product WORKS. In my experience, it’s the best of it’s kind on the market.
The back of the bottle says that the product contains Shine Shield Plus, and that it prevents etching to keep dishes looking like new. If you have hard water, you have probably experienced etching on your clear glassware. I used to think it was hard water deposits, as the clear glass becomes cloudy over time, but it’s not water deposits that will come off, it is permanent etching on the glass that cannot be removed. Based on it’s performance so far, I am confident that Cascade Crystal Clear will indeed help stop this etching. Cascade Crystal Clear has outstanding drying power, so this saves time and energy, because it cuts down on the time your dishes spend in the heat dry cycle of your dishwasher.
The directions say to fill your dishwasher rinse agent dispenser once a month, and that you can plan to get 80 loads of dishes out of the 8.45 ounce bottle. Since it’s just the two of us now, I actually get several months out of this one bottle, and that is a good return for the retail price of $5.45. I highly recommend this to anyone with hard water, or spotting problems with your dishes.
There are some warnings on the back label that you should heed. This should be kept out of the reach of children, so please don’t put it below the sink where kids can easily get into it. It looks like water, so children may be easily fooled into thinking it’s harmless. Second, be sure not to get into the eyes or on the skin.
Ingredients on the bottle only disclose that it includes a nonionic wetting agent.
Cascade Crystal Clear was not sold at my local Fred Meyer store, but I did find it at Safeway and WalMart. If you can’t find it in one store, keep looking, or buy it online.
