Finish Dishwasher Detergent Review - Gelpacs Break Easily

by Ellie
(Huntington, WV)

Ellie has provided her Finish dishwasher detergent Gelpacs review.

Ellie says:

I usually purchase powder or powder packs for my dishwasher, but I bought these packs full of gel detergent, from Finish, because they were on sale.


They don't store very well. The box I purchased had approximately 40 gel-packs.



The box is standard with a plastic bag inside that holds the gel packs. They worked sufficiently in the dishwasher, but were pretty messy to use.

Before I even got through half of the box, some of the gel packs burst open and stuck to others. This caused some loss of product and a lot of mess.

By the time I was down to the last few pack remaining, I was forced to use 2 packs at one time and even threw approximately 4 of then away because they were stuck to the bottom of the bag.

Even though they were on sale they ended up costing more by being wasteful and messy.

Now I only purchase powder or powder packs for use in my dishwasher. I also recommend to others to avoid the gel packs for the same reasons.

Taylor says:

Thanks Ellie for your Finish Gelpacs review.

If you like Finish dishwasher detergent, but want something powdered in a pack form, you may want to try Finish Powerball tabs.

I've actually heard about several other gel pack type products that have had similar issues with breakage and spilling. Has anyone else had experience with this issue?

You can share your own experiences with these dishwasher detergent pacs, or any other dishwashing detergent, by share your dishwasher detergents review here, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.

Finish Dishwasher Gel Packs Don't Clean Stains

by Frances Brown
(New Germany, NS., Canada)

Frances has shared her experience with Finish Dishwasher Gel Packs.

Frances says:

I have been using Finish Gel Packs for about two months. I bought them to try because I had a good coupon offer.

While I like the ease of just putting a gel pack in my dishwasher it does an abysmal job of cleaning stains. The water in my area stains badly, and Finish simply does not do the job.

I have never had any problems like this with the powdered detergents, so I will be going back to them.

Taylor says:

Thanks Frances for sharing your experiences with this product.

It is interesting to me that, at least with this product, I have not received any positive reviews. Generally I get some of both about various house cleaning supplies reviews. However, it is not all Finish products, but just these gel packs which have been so disappointing to people.

If others have used this product I would love to hear from them too, whether your experience has been positive or negative.

You can share your dishwasher detergents review here, for this or any other detergent, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.

Finish Orange Gelpacs Leave A Bad Smell And Don't Dissolve Well

by SR101 Reader

I received this Finish orange scented gelpacs review from an reader.

SR101 Reader says:

I've used Finish dishwashing packs before with great results and decided to try the gel packs - the extra packaging of the other version irritated me, so I hoped the gel packs would be the answer.

After the very first one, I noticed a horrible smell in my dishwasher. My 9yo daughter called it 'rotten soap' smell. It's the gel packs. They don't dissolve completely and the smell is very strong, a plastic-y soap smell.

The box says 'orange scent' but that's not what we've encountered.

Taylor says:

Thanks for your review of the orange scented version of this product.

I keep being surprised that I keep getting negative reviews of this product, but I guess by now I shouldn't be. It just amazes me that every thing I've heard about these gel pacs is negative (at least so far).

I would love to hear other people's reviews and opinions of this product, since it appears to be an issue with the gel pacs alone, and not all Finish dishwashing products.

You can share your dishwasher detergents review here, for this or any other brand, telling me what you like or dislike about it, and why. You can also read other reviews which have already been submitted.

Orange Scented Finish Gel Packs Have A Horrible Smell

by SR101 Reader

I received this comment from an SR101 reader, which happens to be pretty similar to another experience I had already published about the smell of the Orange scented Finish Gel Packs dishwasher detergent.

SR101 Reader says:

I accidentally bought the "orange" scented Finish gelpacks. They don't smell at all like orange unless orange smells like extremely cheap chemically perfume. Horrible.

The smell has lingered in most of my plastics and seems like it won't come out of the washer itself.

I wrote the company with my complaint, and they chalked it up to "personal preference". I don't think anyone prefers for their dishes to smell overwhelmingly like chemical perfume.

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing your experience. I have to say, this is very similar to another reader who has a similar opinion of the orange scent (see above).

I would be interested to know what other people think of this scent, if you've used it. In addition, what would be a good alternative to using this detergent, in people's opinion, since this one seems to be pretty low on everyone's opinion list. You can share your own review and recommendation here, or read reviews of other brands and varieties of dishwasher detergent that have already been submitted.

Finish Gelpacs All Stuck Together: It's A Nightmare!

by Cass
(Matthews, NC)

Cass shared the problems with this dishwasher detergent with me, also sharing a photo.

Cass says:

I had originally used the Finish powder packs that were individually wrapped and I was anoyed with having to unwrap each pack and find some of them broken and messy, so I was excited that possibly I would get to save a messy step when I decided to use the gel pacs instead. NOT!

This was a neightmare. After the plastic inner bag was opened and my 20 gel packs were exposed to air and possible my damp hand as I removed and used the 1st one, they all fused together.

I have only been able to gently remove 4 more packs without them bursting. I have no idea what I am going to do with the remaining 15.

It really is sad because product wide, Finish does remarkable well up against it's more expensive competitors, but they missed the boat in packaging.

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing this picture with me Cass. Unfortunately, you're not the first person to share this problem with me for this product, and I really haven't figure out any good way to unfuse them from each other.

Even though they can be expensive, I'd say you'll have to call these a loss and get a new dishwasher detergent, hopefully this time one that doesn't get all stuck together. If you'd like to try another Finish product the Powerball tabs have gotten much better reviews, overall, than the gel pacs.

Even Though The Finish Gel Pacs Were Recommended I'm Not Using Them Anymore

by Tricia
(Gosport UK)

Tricia shared her experience with this type of Finish dishwasher detergent with me.

Tricia says:

I have a brand new Zanussi dishwasher & the powerball in the gel type cover that you don't unwrap was recommended.

However the tablets frequently don't dissolve.

They are not cheap & I am not prepared to pay the extra for a product that is so unreliable.

Taylor says:

Unfortunately Tricia, your complaint about this product is not uncommon.

They really need to work on this issue, in my opinion, or not have the product on the market since it is really turning people off to all Finish products as a result.

Finish Gelpacs Didn't Completely Dissolve And Clogged Up My Plumbing

by Sue Mannos

Sue has shared her experience with Finish gelpacs dishwasher detergent.

Sue says:

I have used the Finish pressed powder with the red ball detergent and liked them. However, I accidentally bought 20 Finish gelpacs and used them instead.

After a couple of weeks my sink started backing up. I tried everything to unclog it unsuccessfully. Then, I called a plumber.

It ends up a lot of chunks of undissolved gel packs were spewing out. I threw the rest out. It was pretty disappointing.

My friend then told me she found a lot of undissolved gel packs at the bottom of her dishwasher.

Taylor says:

Thanks Sue for sharing your problems with this type of Finish dishwasher detergent.

It is interesting that other people have complained about other brands of gel packs too, although not necessarily about them not dissolving properly. For instance, I've gotten several tips for using Cascade detergent in the action packs so it does not spill or break. It seems these individual packs are becoming very popular -- in general do you like them or dislike them, and why? I would love to hear readers' thoughts on this issue.

Has anyone else had this same issue with the Finish gel packs not dissolving, like Sue? If you have used this type of dishwasher detergent, and had either a good or bad experience with it, I would love for you to share your dishwasher detergents review here. (You can also share reviews of other brands, or read other reviews that have already been submitted.)

***Update - I have gotten so many reviews of this product, I needed to start another page. Actually the next review I received was positive! You can read even more Finish gelpacs reviews here.***

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