Why I’m Switching Dishwasher Tablets
Some of you might be surprised to see Cascade dishwasher pods in our house. 😳
But this is a great example of what mindful living looks like for me in my very real life. I have a product I bought. I found another option I’d prefer to use. And I’m finishing what I have before making the switch.
The next product waiting in the wings? Blueland’s fragrance-free dishwasher tablets.
We already use them at our condo in Carpinteria, and they work great. So this isn’t an unfamiliar product I’m buying because the packaging sounds good. It’s one I’ve used and been happy with, and now I’m bringing it into rotation at our Minnesota home, too.
Both the Cascade and Blueland came from Costco. So yes, this swap fits PERFECTLY into your “stock up” shopping trip. 💃
Why I’m using up the Cascade first
Learning about another option doesn’t undo the purchase I already made. Throwing away the remaining pods would mean wasting detergent I can still use, along with the money and resources that went into it. Not cool. ❌
I don’t want sharing a swap to create the impression that everything in my home has already been replaced with my current favorite option. My preferences evolve. Sometimes there’s a Costco-size supply involved in that timeline.
This is one purchase I’m choosing differently moving forward.
I prefer a tablet without an individual film
Cascade pods use a water-soluble film made from polyvinyl alcohol, also called PVA or PVOH AKA plastic film. It dissolves in the wash to release the detergent. It’s different from an ordinary plastic wrapper that you peel off and throw away, but it’s still plastic.
Blueland’s tablets come without that individual film, which is one of the reasons I prefer them. 👏
I’m choosing fragrance-free
For dishwasher detergent, fragrance is something I’m happy to skip. I want clean dishes, but I don’t need a lemony scent on them.
That’s a personal preference, rather than a claim that all fragrance is harmful. Fragrance ingredients can be natural or synthetic, and some can cause allergies or sensitivities in certain people. The word “fragrance” alone doesn’t tell us that a product is dangerous, but I’m in the camp of ‘less is more’ when it comes to making our home as low-tox as possible.
Blueland now offers more than one scent option, so I’m specifically talking about their fragrance-free dishwasher tablets.
The certifications help me evaluate the product
I appreciate being able to look beyond the words a brand chooses for its packaging.
Blueland’s dishwasher tablets have earned EPA Safer Choice certification. That program reviews ingredients against criteria for human health and the environment, and also considers performance and packaging.
Blueland also lists Leaping Bunny certification, which addresses animal testing—another consideration that matters BIG time to me. 🐰
Those certifications answer different questions. Neither is a promise that detergent is harmless in every situation, but they give me more useful information than an unexplained “clean” claim.
Ingredient information matters, too. To be fair, Cascade publishes ingredient disclosures as well. My decision comes down to the features I’m looking for in my next purchase: no individual PVA film, no added fragrance, and a formula evaluated through Safer Choice.
What does the switch cost?
This is worth comparing, especially when we’re talking about Costco. A larger package price doesn’t tell us much until we divide it by the number of loads.
When I checked Costco’s website, Blueland actually came in at a lower price per tablet than either Cascade option I compared (!!)
Blueland | $0.23
Basic Cascade | $0.24
Cascade Platinum | $0.35
The difference from basic Cascade is small: a penny per load. Compared with Platinum, it’s 12 cents per load. That adds up for a product you’ll continue to use for the forseeable future!
I LOVE that this choice doesn’t require spending more (a common misconception in the sustainability space). I can get the product I prefer, in bulk, from somewhere I already shop—and pay a little less per load. WIN. WIN. WIN.
A familiar product and one gradual change
I already know Blueland works well for us at the condo. That experience, the fragrance-free formula, the lack of individual film, and the certifications all give me reasons to choose it again.
For now, I’m finishing the Cascade before opening the Blueland at home. It’s one ordinary household purchase, made a little more thoughtfully—with a small saving along the way.
If you want to learn about these kinds of shifts, join Professor Ali Ling & I on Friday, November 13 at 12pm CST as we chat through what “non-toxic” actually means!
With less waste and lots of love,
Ali