battling hard water + baked on brownies {Cascade Platinum} + giveaway
This Cascade Platinum review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Cascade. I was provided the featured product free of charge and compensation to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.
My relationship with my dishwasher is a rocky one. We just had a new one installed due to massive hard water build-up on the last, but I’m still not happy. My dishes never come clean. *sobs* I think it is the curse of living in the desert where water is hard and full of mineral deposits… toughest spot to wash dishes in the country I’m sure. Luckily, Cascade decided I needed to host a party where I baked and cleaned, but not after sending me some really great tips for dishwasher success. 
We love to entertain and host small gatherings on a regular basis within our circles of friends. This past Labor Day weekend I invited some of my colleagues over… colleagues from my day job in the corporate entertainment world. None of them were even aware I write a blog called In The Know Mom, but they are now! = ) My friends came for the free food and free Cascade products only, I’m guessing. = ) Each guest received a nice Cascade Platinum Pac and Rinse Aid combo, with a cute gift tag — of course. 
The night before the party I prepared the fare, including brownies. I baked and baked and left all the dishes dirty… no pre-wash or soak at all for a good 24 hours. *gasp, I know!* You are all cringing right now. I showed my friends when they arrived the next day and none had any positive comments to say. They were certain my dishes would not be coming out sparkling clean, and I agreed. 
I gave it a whirl anyway and started up the dishwasher with a Cascade Platinum pac and Cascade Platinum Rinse Aid. 
In the meantime, we enjoyed the brownies and a good amount of wine. Cheers! Maybe let’s focus on this delicious fudgey brownie for a moment… ahhh a rare treat in this home! So what if the clean-up is a huge pain… or is it? = ) 
Food with prizes… my friends must love me. 
When it came time to open the dishwasher, I held my breath. I wanted clean dishes but without any pre-soak? Not likely. I pulled the glass dishes from the dishwasher, held them to the window with sun shining through, and wow — sparkly clean! No residue that I am used to.
What is the secret? Well Cascade Platinum product of course, but also some key tips provided by the pros at Cascade. First off, forget the pre-wash. Seriously, just scrape large food scraps into the trash or sink but do not rinse! The detergent actually needs that residue to grab hold and clean to the max. Don’t worry, there is a garbage disposal built into your dishwasher for your little food bits. The second major tip is that clean dishes are achieved by a cleverly loaded dishwasher:
- Be sure that bulky items DO NOT block the sprayer.
- Place tall dishes and pans in the back of the bottom rack so they DO NOT block the detergent chamber.
- Place glasses and other fragile items in the top rack. This helps keep them from the powerful sprayer under the bottom rack.
- Set glasses between tines on the rack NOT over them as wet contact points can cause spots.
- Thread any long utensils through coffee mug handles to help keep them secure in the wash.
- Check to ensure that there aren’t any stray utensils that will block the nozzle or sprayer.
- And a special call out for any big dishes: load them on the bottom rack, face down so the water is sure to reach all the nooks and crannies
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Giveaway
Let’s win a great Cascade Prize Package! Kit includes:
- Cascade Platinum
- Cascade Platinum Rinse Aid
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Cheese grater
- Oven mitts
The Author
33 Comments
Cheesy, delicious, Tex Mex goodness, King Ranch Chicken (home made,no cans) is one of our favorite dishes. But the stuck on cheese can be tough to clean.
Mary Beth Elderton
that would be lasagna
Anything with baked on cheese is my nightmare to clean!
My egg pan is the hardest to clean! Thanks for the opportunity!
Seasidesmitten@aol.com
I hate cleaning casserole dishes with baked on pasta and sauce.
when scrambled eggs burn and get stuck to the pan
French onion soup — all that dried cheese!!
Anything that was burned into a baking dish or casserole dish! Something with cheese!
Id have to agree with lasagna pan as well.
any casserole dish is usually a nightmare to clean.
I had a lasagna dish that sat for a day and our dishwasher was no match for the dried on sauce. I had to soak it for a whole day and hand wash it to finally get everything off. It was ridiculous!
I hate cleaning the dish I use to bake chicken enchiladas. It takes me forever to get all that grimy cheese off the glass.
Casserole seems to be the worst.
Anything cooked in our stove
My baked spaghetti dish – all that dried cheese is a pain to remove!!
Anything in the crock pot. It has a ring of baked on food every time we use it.
eggs always !!
Scalloped potatoes. The worst to clean up!
Pasta bake casserole pans (and I do this all of the time) that have been left sitting to dry out – ice!
Lasagna is my top dog on this
I hate cleaning oatmeal
I don’t like cleaning lasagna, or baked ziti.
I hate cleaning pans it never fails there is always something stuck to it, especiallly oiils, and casseroles!
Enchilada leftovers are the worst to clean up
I hate cleaning the crock pot
Awesome posts! Also, you have great picture quality! I really hate cleaning the chicken and dumplings huge pot! Also, the crock pot is usually a pain!
my nightmare dish to clean is baked ziti
lasagna is my nightmare dish right now
caked on lasagna is never fun
cheesy casseroles! :(
My stainless steel frying pan is a pain to clean!
I hate cleaning my baking dish when my husband makes his famous Mexican Chicken, it just does not want to come clean at all!
oh gosh I always have the hardest time with lasagna