Finish Powerball Tabs Dishwasher Detergent Review

by Marjorie
(Cleveland, OH)

Marjorie has provided her Finish Powerball Tabs dishwasher detergent review.

Marjorie says:

Finish Powerball tablets are the only thing I will use in my dishwasher.

I previously used another brand of powder dishwashing detergent, but got tired of the white film it left on my glassware and silverware.

Finish Dishwasher Detergent {Referral Links}

Finish has a pre-soaking power ball that cuts away the grime left on dirty dishes using powerful cleaners. It will also remove day old stuck on cooked food from my pots and pans.

Also included in each tablet is Jet-Dry rinse agent, so no more white film and I no longer have to buy a separate rinse agent which saves me money.

There is no real detectable scent which is great for those of us who suffer from allergies.

While using these tablets, I have noticed that the inside of my dishwasher, which was once stained by tomato sauce, has become cleaner and cleaner.

There have been no bad effects to any of my dishes. I would recommend this product to anyone who uses a dishwasher!

I prefer using tablets for my dishwasher detergent, as opposed to powder or gels. It is so easy to drop in and go...no measuring!

Taylor says:

Thanks Marjorie for your Finish Powerball Tabs review.

Has anyone else used Finish products in their dishwasher? If so, you can share your dishwasher detergents review here, or read other reviews already submitted, of this or other brands.

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Finish Powerball Tabs Are The Best!

by Jim Kantor

Jim provided this brief review of the product:

Jim says:

This is the best product my wife and I have ever used in our dishwasher.

We called our repairman twice complaining of dirt and film left on our dishes. He found no defect with our dishwasher.

My wife decided to try the Finish powerball tabs. The dishes are now coming out squeaky clean. No spots and no dirt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing your review Jim.

I would love to hear from even more people who have used the powerball tabs to say how they've worked for them!

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Powerball Detergent Is A Disappointing Product

by SR101 Reader

Most of the reviews I have received for Finish Powerball tabs have been quite positive. In fact, I tend to get more negative reviews for Finish gel pacs.

In this instance, I got this negative review of the powerball tabs saying she had similar problems as had previously been reported with the gel pacs, which was that some of those pacs did not dissolve when used in the dishwasher.

SR101 Reader says:

I also have the experience of the Finish Powerball not always dissolving in my brand new Kitchen Aid dishwasher.

I run the hot water before starting the dishwasher and do not put large dishes in front of the dispenser.

Sometimes the pack works, but more often they are found in the bottom of my dishwasher still in tact. Dishes frequently come out dirty and filmy.

In addition, the stainless interior of the dishwasher has also become filmy. I have an entire unopened box left over that I don't want to even use. What a disappointment this product turned out to be.

Taylor says:

I am so sorry to hear about your negative experience with this product, since so many others have really thought it did a good job for them.

I tried to research the correct method for adding this product to your dishwasher, and the FAQs on Finish website just said:

Unwrap one tablet from its protective wrapper.

Place the unwrapped tablet in the main dishwasher detergent dispenser and close. Use one fully dissolving tablet per wash load.

Run dishwasher. Optimal water temperature is 125° – 140° F.

It sounds like you are most likely following these instructions, so I honestly can't figure out what the problem could be.

Like I said before, I've heard of this problem of the pacs not dissolving before, as it relates to the gel pacs, but not the Finish powerball tabs before.

Has anyone else had this problem? I would love to hear more people's experiences. You can share your reviews here of this, or any other brand.

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Powerball All In One Los Nie Op Nie (It Didn't Dissolve For Me Either)

by Louna van Zyl

Louna says:

Ek het ook die probleem van die powerballs wat nie oplos nie en my met vuil skottelgoed los. Ek volg al die instruksies noukeurig. ASB HELP !! WAT IS DIE PROBLEEM? Het die produkte 'n verval datum? Ek het al gewonder of ek dalk 'n te ou produk gekoop het. Hierdie is werklik 'n probleem wat ernstig aandag gegee moet word asb.

Taylor says:

I wasn't sure what the comment from Louna said, just because I only speak English with a little French thrown in. Therefore, I put the comment into Google Translate and here how it translated it (granted that the translation is not perfect):

"I also have the problem of powerballs not solve my dirty dishes go. I follow all the instructions carefully. PLEASE HELP! WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? The products an expiration date? I've wondered if I might be too old product was purchased. This is really a serious problem that need to be please."

Taylor's response to Louna:

Until I recently got this complaint about Finish powerballs (see above) I had only heard good things about them, and not that they weren't dissolving. You're now the second person who has complained about it, but I don't have a good answer for you, yet.

I will try to look into this issue more and get back to everyone about it. Keep sharing your comments if you've got the same issue so I can get a better idea of how prevalent this problem is. Thanks!

***Update: I've now gotten yet another complaint about them not dissolving, this time from Sue. She says:

Why is the Finish Powerball tab not dissolving in my Kitchen Aid Dishwasher? Could it be that the water setting is not hot enough? We have found it several times in its original form in the bottom of the dishwasher. The dishes do not come out clean and the glasses are cloudy. Help!!!!

Therefore this appears to be a more prevalent problem then I'd originally thought. ***End Update

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SR101 Readers Gush About How Much They Love Powerball Detergent

I've gotten several short positive reviews of this product as well as some of these longer reviews. I've gathered them here so you can see how many people really seem to like this dishwasher detergent:

Lori Beth says:

I agree these are the best.

We have a super old dishwasher that you basically had to clean your dishes off before loading them in and even then they would sometimes not come out clean. So frustrating!

I do not even rinse out some of the dishes that I load up now but with these Powerball things they come out clean as a whistle!! I am all about spending a couple more dollars to make my housework easier :)

Laura says:

I use these also and really like them. I do not like the gel packs (from any brand) but these are definitely my fav!

SR101 Reader says:

I use them because they came with my new dishwasher, and my glasses sparkle, everything gleams, and I love it all.

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Finish Powerball Orange Scent Review - Includes Jet Dry For Rinse Agent

by Stacy
(Washington)

Stacy has shared her Finish Powerball tabs review, in the orange scent.

Stacy says:

I recently tried this detergent plus rinse aid, combined, as my dishwashing detergent and am amazed by how well they work.

I love how convenient they are. All you have to do is unwrap an individual tab and place it in the dishwater. No more messing around with liquid or powder detergent.

With the powerball even dishes with caked on food residue came out clean.

An added benefit to this product, besides the powerful detergent that gets dishes clean, is that it also combines Jet Dry Rinse Agent. This means that the glasses come out clean and sparkling without any streaks or spots.

All in all I highly recommend this product to anyone looking to try a new dishwashing detergent.

It is easy to use and works well. It is also very reasonably priced, and comes in 100 count packages which are an even better deal.

I've also noticed that there are often coupons available for this product, which is good too.

Taylor says:

Thanks Stacy for your review of Finish powerball tabs.

You are not the first person to sing the praises of this product on the site (see the above review too), and I know having the combination of both detergent and rinse agent together can be very convenient. That way you never forget to add more rinse aid to the machine and come out with spotty dishes.

It is interesting, I think, that so many people like this product and yet another Finish dishwasher detergent, the gel packs, people seem to really hate. You can read reviews of Finish dishwasher detergent gel packs here.

Finish Dishwasher Detergent {Referral Links}

You can share your own review here, for this or another brand, or read other reviews already submitted for a variety of brands.

In addition, you can share your dishwasher rinse agent review here, or read other reviews already submitted.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

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Comments for Finish Powerball Orange Scent Review - Includes Jet Dry For Rinse Agent

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Finish Powerball Stains
by: Doug

Have been using the Finish Powerball dishwasher detergent for 2 months and we are noticing a brown rust stain on our dishes and the inside surface of the dishwasher machine. We can not get rid of the stains. Tried wash cycles using CLR and vinegar. No luck removing the stains. Going back to Cascade powder detergent.

Tablets not dissolving
by: Pam

I too am finding the intact Finish tablet lying on the floor of the dishwasher. I have tried three times with the one tablet, unsuccessful, then again twice with a new tablet, still unsuccessful. I have now cut open the gel surround and putting the powder and ball and gel in loose, but this is a messy and unsatisfactory solution. These tablets are $1 each and it is frustrating when they don't work.

utter rubbish
by: Chris

Not had a clean wash yet. Find undissolved tablet at bottom of washer. Utter rubbish.

Finish Powerball tablet does not dissolve
by: Linda

Powerball tablets not dissolving has been an issue for me too. I also have a Kitchen Aid dishwasher, something I share in common with the others. My water is hot enough and nothing is blocking the dispenser. However the tablets frequently are not dissolved at the end of the cycle.

I use Finish Jet-Dry and Finish Power Up to try and get rid of the white film. I still have white film on my glasses, sometimes more than others. I would love to find a solution to this problem that doesn't involve replacing the dishwasher.

not dissolving for me either
by: Anonymous

I have a Whirlpool dishwasher and am finding the same thing happening. The Finish power ball is in the bottom of the dishwasher after the dishwasher stops.

Undissolved tablets
by: John

Have just gotten a new Samsung dishwasher. At least 4 times the tablet is left intact in the bottom of the dishwasher. Last night I took it out and put it back in the dispenser and rewashed. Looked in this morning to find a lot of it had dissolved, but there is a blue blob in there with the red powerball still intact. Help!

Finish Dishwasher Tablets
by: Anonymous

These worked well at first and I found them to be convenient. Unfortunately, after using them for nearly two years, they have created a buildup of sludge in the spray arms, sprayer, behind the water inlet, front of dishwasher, rack wheels, and mostly the drain. It was thick and black and did not come off easily. Fortunately, it did not smell so I could rule out that it was food.It was necessary to take the whole dishwasher apart. Curious, we put a tablet in a glass of very hot water to see how it dissolved. It created a film over the top of the water as it began to break down. I put my finger in to test the water temperature after about 10 minutes and this foamy blue film stuck to my finger and was not easily washed off. The red ball never began to dissolve at all. Like others, I finally put two and two together and realized it was this change of dishwashing product that created the sludge, since I had never had this problem in the 14 years I used a liquid detergent. I would NOT recommend using these Finish tablets with the red ball.

Power ball not dissolving
by: Anonymous

I ran the dish washer twice with the same tablet and it still didn't completely dissolve and the dishes are still dirty. I have like 60 unused ones that are a complete waste of money now.

Residue/Film on Silverware!
by: Chandler

While I haven't had the problem of tablets not dissolving, I do have baked-on powdery residue on my silverware. Now I have over 100 of these tablets left and no desire to use them anymore. Even the cheap bobo brand gel-pacs rinsed clean compared to these gimmicky things. Major disappointment.

Bad lot?
by: Anonymous

I've used Finish Powerball for several years, always with good results. Recently, I started a new "mega pack" box that I bought at Costco, and about 1 out of 3 times, the tablets are not dissolving. I have actually taken them out of the dishwasher and dissolved the by hand in a bowl of hot water,and then run another cycle. I may just return this box. The number 6989810 is stamped on the bottom next to the bar code. Maybe a bad lot?

tabs not dissolving
by: Eugene

I have had regular incidences of the tablet not dissolving at all. Wrapping stays intact. Tried long eco wash cycles and short wash cycles with the same tab. Wash time was up to 9 hours. Not cost effective if I have to wash dishes 3 times to get them clean.

Finish has done great for me.
by: Barb

I have tried some of the gel pacs but went back to Finish Powerball Tabs. They work really great in my dishwasher. Won't be trying anything new again. Clean dishes every time!!

Samsung Dishwasher -- Powerballs Are Great
by: Fred E South Bend

I believe that some of the problems that people are having with undissolved Powerball Tablets are due to too-hard water.

Although South Bend is an EXTREMELY hard water area served by communal wells (we do NOT get our water from Lake Michigan), I have a salt based water softener and my Powerballs dissolve completely and get my dishes super clean, even without adding rinse agents.

I tried an experiment.... I turned off my water softener for a day, drained the softened water out of my house's water system and then tried washing a couple of loads with South Bend's naturally hard water. I found that the Powerball tablets did NOT completely dissolve, mostly manifest in the red center ball ending up on the bottom of the dishwasher with fragments of the surround-tablet also on the bottom of the dishwasher. Needless to say, the dishes came out filthy.

I then turned the water softener back on and purged my house's water pipes. Washed another load of pots and dishes. This time, everything was back to "normal" and the new Powerball tablet as well as the fragments left over from the "hard water load" were completely dissolved and the dishes were spotless.

I believe that no dishwasher will perform correctly with hard water. The experiment that I did with hard water explains people's problems with the Powerball Tablets not dissolving. Like some others with the problem, I have a Samsung Dishwasher, so I don't think it's the dishwasher's fault...

pods do not dissolve
by: Virginia

New purchase. Pods do not dissolve. If I cut the powder before I run they work.

my favorite dishwasher detergent
by: Maryellen

This is by far my favorite dishwasher detergent. I use both the regular Powerball and the quantum. The quantum is more expensive and I use that most nights but I keep the regular powerball which is less expensive for nights when my dishwasher is not full and I want to run it anyway. Both kinds work well and I'm not sure the quantum is really any better than the regular but I like it for my daily needs. This detergent takes off virtually anything on your dishes. There are no unusual smells. It is head and shoulders over any other product I have used in the past.

Bad batch? Didn't dissolve
by: Bruce

We were happy with the product but I opened a new bucket and they do not dissolve. Bad batch?

not dissolving, and don't know how to fix
by: Allen

We have been using Finish Powerballs for quite some time and have been pleased. Until today. We, too, have experienced a pod not dissolving. We thought it might just be a fluke. We cleaned the pod holding area of the dishwasher and tried again with a fresh pod. Same result. I'm baffled. So I came to the computer searching for answers and found these comments. I don't know if it's a problem with the dishwasher or problem with the Finish Powerballs. Even worse - I have no clue how to fix this problem.

I like the wrapper version, hope it never becomes gel version
by: Dawn

These are the ONLY tabs I will use. They are individually wrapped in a foil wrapper so no worries about the gelatin coating not dissolving. They do a great job getting my dishes clean. They also came as a sample with my Bosch dishwasher as the recommended one to use. They are getting harder and harder to find and seem to be the only tab/pre-measured detergent available anywhere with a wrapper. Another reason to like the wrapped ones is that they don't stick together! The gel pacs cannot handle even the little bit of moisture or humidity without sticking to each other or to your hands. Wrapped tabs are sooooo much better. I love the convenience of just dropping in a tablet. Powders have often clogged up the door mechanism and liquids are hard to find.

The Lemon Scent All-in-One says it is now a gel pac and I pray they never convert the Fresh Scent to a gel pac.

I can usually find these at Target, but have also found them on Amazon and in some Krogers. Try them, and keep buying them if you like them as much as I do. Maybe that will tell the manufacturers that we want them with a wrapper!

Pods wrecked plates edges
by: Haleema

Just recently purchased the dishwasher tabs, used approximately half the box and have noticed my everyday use plates edges are all brittle, rough edges, destroyed. Buyers beware, this will ruin your dinnerware. We are a large family and use quite an amount of dishes daily. At least 2 dinner sets of 12 settings has been destroyed by these tabs.

New power tabs leak
by: Anonymous

Have used finish power tabs for years. The new ones that have 3 parts together leak. I get blue all over my hands and counter, when I set them on the counter. Like the old ones better!?

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