Palmolive "Eco" Dishwasher Detergent Killed My Dishwasher

Since I try to be a "green" consumer I began using Palmolive "Eco" dishwasher detergent some months back -- I found it to be cheaper and more easily available than Seventh Generation. Unfortunately this turns out to be like saying water is cheaper and more available than gasoline when filling your tank -- while certainly true, this choice will destroy your engine in the process. And that's exactly what happened.

I'd always thought this product was a little substandard, since my dishes never had that "squeaky" feel to them. (My consistent experience is that many "green" cleaning products need an extra dose of elbow grease to be effective.) However, since I didn't see any actual food on the dishes after running them through a cycle, I learned to live with the less than stellar "feel" of them.

Over the last few months my dishwasher began having some performance issues: sometimes it didn't seem like the water was shooting up through the jets, causing me to have to run it twice. I figured the machine was just getting old, since it was in the house before we moved in 5 years ago. As the problem increased I examined it closer and noticed a gooey film clogging the pores of the filter. No amount of soaking or scrubbing could remove it completely.

Finally the pump stopped working completely, providing no pressure to move the sprayer arms. An appliance repairman recommended a new machine rather than replacing the pump, so I bought a new washer from Brandsmart (despite my prior post that I refused to shop there: oh well, so much for my principles.)

Now after only a week the new machine is starting to develop the same kind of goo on the filter and the dishes aren't as clean as I want them to be. I began to suspect the detergent, so I went online and typed "Palmolive Eco dishwasher detergent" and the very first result I got were the words "Palmolive Eco Detergent Ruined My Dishes With White Gunk!" I proceeded to read dozens of scathing reviews of this horrible product. I was astounded to discover that other people also had to replace their dishwashers as a result of the motor getting clogged beyond repair.

I called the Colgate Palmolive "Question and Comment" line and spoke at length with a very pleasant young woman who is exceedingly well-trained at soothing irate customers. It helped that I wasn't particularly angry about all this because, really, what's the point? A man can be measured by what angers him: petty issues reveal a petty person. I just wanted to speak my truth.

The Comment Lady asked me innumerable questions, such as where I stored the detergent, whether the repairman specifically said the detergent caused the problem, if the water was at least 130 degrees, whether I shook the container "like the directions say to do" and whether I remembered to chant the magic incantation "Dishes Cleaniosa!". All the while she made sure she communicated what an exceptionally intelligent, strong, handsome and kind man I was and that her deepest lifetime desire was to shower me with Colgate-Palmolive coupons. So although my dishes may have remained somewhat slimy my ego was polished to a sparkly sheen.

After I hung up an idea dawned on me: perhaps I fell victim to a a diabolical conspiracy between Colgate-Palmolive and Brandsmart! Whether or not this turns out to be the case, my only hope is that you learn from my sad and cautionary tale to NEVER use this awful product. If my words haven't fully convinced you, consider this chilling omen: two anagrams for the word "Palmolive" turn out to be "lo, evil map" and "la vile mop"!

You have been warned!