Setting a pretty table starts with cleaning, dishes sparkling. The sight of land free of dishes and glassware is a beautiful to anyone who is proud a table of attractive and good food. The problem is that getting a table covered with shiny cutlery and crockery is not as easy as it sounds. Here is my story of my own struggle to get clean dishes and the frustration with dishwasher detergent that left me angry, blotchy, cutlery and glasses foggy.

It happened slowly. Over time, silver went from a bright and shiny, almost mirror-finished to look like brushed aluminum. It was flat and tin-like. This happened to the glass of the same way. Once bright and sparkling, the fog came slowly. Then the dance began with dishwashing detergent.

Over the course of a couple of years, I must have tried every kind of dishwasher detergent was – of powder to liquid to sheet music – all with the hope of seeing the needle plates again. Nothing changed. Segui detergents dishwasher to change the belief that you finally give me the bright, sparkling dishes they all promised.

I believed in these products. And, yes, I saw the more expensive "natural" formulations of my stores and I saw the ads for the high price, variety of mail order and special formulations environment, but we …. Was it really worth the extra money? I mean, some of these products cost twice the price of supermarket brands.

The answer was a resounding yes.

The co-founder of products Neuhomecare (healthyhomecleaners.com) and chemical formulation, Matt Pliszka generously sent me some of their products that were formulated to be organic, environmentally safe, and neutral pH, only for testing. Well, my first thought was that a product like this could never do the work my giant three-pound box of powdered laundry detergent could do with its phosphates, chlorine and chemicals. I mean, after all, chemicals, how are you can blast dirt and food particles from the right of the dishes, or so I thought. I came to discover that these chemicals can also blast the right end plates and cutlery.

Then, I agreed to try the new "sensitive" dishwasher detergent for two weeks. Let's see, I thought.

And guess what? Gradually, the money returned. My shining knives and forks again. The glasses were clean and there was the mist. I could not believe he had a product that works and really, really makes my brilliant dishes. Best of all, because I have a water softener, just use about two tablespoons of soap per load – just enough to cover the bottom of container of soap in my dishwasher. A bottle of liquid automatic dishwasher soft lasted more than two months – making the price competitive with brands supermarket.

In an attempt to verify that he could not imagine this clean, gave me a small bottle of liquid detergent my miracle someone whose dishes were worse than mine and whose glasses and silverware looked beyond saving – my mother. Yes, the dishwasher had devastated their dishes and I knew that if someone can see a difference, would be it. Well, after two weeks of use, the dishes seemed unbelievably better. They, in effect, shined. Another conversion was done.

The moral of the story? More chemicals are not always better. Sometimes, you do not need an ax to cut a piece of chicken, a simple knife to do. Try the products gentle cleansers, because you may be surprised by how hard you can work smoother. I know I will give these new formulations, a second look from now.

Kathryn Weber is a home and decorating columnist who welcomes your comments and questions. For more information, go to http://www.kathryn-weber.com/ or email questions to info@redlotusletter.com

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