Today I'm going to be doing a review on the Seventh Generation Ultra Power Plus dishwasher tablets for you all.
As I mentioned in my recent Ladies Post, I'm part of the Seventh Generation online community called Generation Good. Being part of this means you get to offer your opinions and discuss topics in forums, take part in surveys and other tasks to gain points. This will eventually lead to you receiving coupons, as well as being able to trial products and share your experiences like I'm doing right now*.
If you're passionate about living well and using more eco-conscious products then you may enjoy being part of this community as well. For those living in the states click here to find out more information about how you can join up too! For those reading this from outside the states and you're interested in trying a more environmentally friendly dishwasher product, then I would highly recommend Ecover dishwasher tablets.
Stick with me wherever you're reading this from, because you'll hopefully find it an interesting read and learn something new!
Let's Look at the Product Itself
One thing I should highlight before continuing any further is that Seventh Generation is a Certified B Corporation, which means that they are a company that is better for the workers, communities and the environment. So whenever you see the Certified B Corporation symbol (see top of the second picture below), you know that you're buying a product with high ethical standards.
To make this easier for me to write and you to read. I'm going to lay out some bullet points on some of the key features of this product:
- It contains 18 individual dishwasher packs. For convenience purposes it's great. You can just pop one into the dishwasher! It is also available in 43 and 70 count pouches.
- No synthetic fragrances. Each dishwasher pack contains natural plant derived fragrances meaning it has a fresh, and in this case citrus, scent. Although to me the scent is barely noticeable.
- No chlorine bleach. The use of chlorine bleach is highly disputed as some say there is no environmental impact, but others argue there is. I think the main concern is that chlorine reacts with other minerals already existing in water and creates a variety toxins, which stay in water or organic material like soil for years. By all means do your own research as well and let me know if you find out any other interesting facts!
- Dual action formula. The individual packs contain enzymes to break down stuck on food up to 48 hours old, and oxygen bleach to fight stubborn stains.
- It's made in the USA. Yay!
- Not tested on animals. That's always a guarantee when you see the leaping bunny symbol.
- USDA certified biobased product. This means that the ingredients are plant based or derived from other renewable natural resources. However it does not necessarily mean that it is biodegradable.
- Phosphate free. Phosphates enhance algae growth in bodies of water, which in turn reduce vital oxygen for aquatic life. So make sure you check the label before purchasing your household products.
- Full ingredient list. They list EVERY ingredient that goes into the product so you know exactly what you are using (see the second picture down). How often do you see that?!
- Recyclable plastic packaging. The plastic pouch that the dishwasher packs come in can be recycled at a store drop off point that participates in plastic bag recycling.
The Results
This bit is going to be short and sweet as the results do not need any embellishing. I was hoping (and expecting) all the dishes to be clean after the load had finished, because the wording on the packaging sounds like the results are powerful. I tried the tablets for 4 loads just so I could see if the results were consistent.
It turns out my hopes and expectations were not in vain as the dishes were completely clean each time! Dried on food and greasy utensils (see the before pictures) were completely gone with no residue or evidence they were ever dirty. That's what you expect from an effective dishwasher tablet and that's what you get with this product.
If you've just eaten then you may not want to view our dirty dishes right now! Scroll on if that's the case.
Before
After
My Thoughts
So in addition to the tidbits of information I've given so far I'm going to give you some additional thoughts on my experience, broken down into aspects that I like and dislike.
What I like
- The packs are not individually wrapped. This I love because it reduces the amount of waste going into the rubbish bin. If there's one thing that bugs me about packaging it's when things are unnecessarily wrapped individually. There are some things that just don't need it.
- Removes dirt very well. This is the best dishwasher tablet I've used for removing food and grease, which includes the Finish brand which Ben bought before I came along. It even works better than my beloved Ecover dishwasher tablets! Don't get me wrong, the ones from Ecover still work really well. But on occasions there has still been a bit of grease on a glass or dish.
- Safe for septic tanks. We don't have a septic tank, but that fact should give peace of mind for those of you who do.
- Pouch is recyclable at store drop off points. This is great for all recycling enthusiasts like me! Follow this link to find your nearest store drop off point: http://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/s01/s01dropoff.html It would be best to check with that particular shops policy as well though to see what types of plastic bags they accept.
What I dislike (which really isn't much)
- The formula isn't listed as biodegradable. I mentioned this earlier but what I didn't say was that in my opinion, if I'm going to buy a product that's by a certified B corporation, it needs to be biodegradable. Perhaps it is but they've just not listed it. The dishwasher gel in the same ultra power plus line states that it is biodegradable so I'm not sure what conclusion to come to really.
Now...
Would I buy this product?
Based on my experiences with this product I would happily buy Seventh Generation dishwasher products in the future. But I will probably purchase one that states it is biodegradable over this just for my own peace of mine.
Well that's it folks! I hope you've learned something by reading this. I definitely have through writing it! I hope it's inspired you to see what environmentally friendly dishwasher products are near you. Be sure to let me know of your experiences or if there's any eco-conscious products that you love yourself.
Until my next post, take care all.
Kathryn.
*Note: I received this product for free from Seventh Generation for the purpose of my review. I'm only ever going to review products and services that I believe in so opinions in this post are 100% my own.