Money-Saving Dishwasher Tip

Just a quick tip this morning. We got a water softener a year ago or so, and they said that we should be able to cut back on the amount of dish detergent we use.  But we use the Finish Tabs, so we can't really regulate the amount we use, so we've been using too much. I realized about 2 months ago that I could cut it in half and it would still work just as well on a light-to-regular load of dishes. 

 

This only works with the solid powder tab, not the liquid ones. You need a cutting board and a sharp serrated knife.  It takes a bit of practice to cut them in half properly without breaking them in pieces.  I store them all in an airtight container and can easily grab them when  I need them.  But if it's an especially full load or dirty load, I would use a whole tab.

This way you can still have some flexibility in the amount you use.   I've read in numerous places that you can use much less dish detergent and laundry detergent than is recommended, even if you don't have a water softener.  Just experiment with what works best for you!