Cascade Pure Essentials Review - Gel Detergent

by Carmen
(Lawton, OK)

Several readers have shared their Cascade Pure Essentials reviews, of the gel dishwasher detergent. I will note that this variety has now been discontinued, as can be seen from below where most of the reviews are negative.

Carmen says:

Having tried the other Cascade line of dish detergents, I thought why not try out the Pure Essentials formula.


At first it seemed on par with the normal Cascade line up. Smelled good out of the bottle and was relatively cheap compared to other brand name dish detergents.

Now after using almost an entire bottle of Pure Essentials (75oz), let's just say it's not the best from Cascade.

Pure Essentials just didn’t seem to have the same kind of grease cutting power of the others.

This was one of the first times I've felt a little disappointed from a Cascade product.

Taylor says:

Thanks Carmen for your review of this gel dishwashing detergent.

I tried to do some research about this product after you sent this review to me, and I found surprisingly little information about it, even at Cascade's own website. It is available as both the gel (which you reviewed) and in Cascade's action pacs.

Apparently its big claim to fame is that it contains baking soda in it. In addition, unlike the name may suggest to some, it does not appear to be a particularly eco-friendly or green cleaning product.

Has anyone else used Cascade Pure Essentials detergent? If so, I would love it if you would share your review here, or any other brand of detergent you have used, to share your opinions and experiences with it.

You can also click the link above to read even more reviews of various brands and types of automatic dishwashing detergent.

Cascade Diswasher Pacs {Referral Links}

Cascade Pure Essentials Gel Is Awful!

by A. Gage
(Apex, NC)

A has sent in this experience with this product.

A. says:

I have used Cascade all of my adult life. I will never purchase this product again, and I may even be more inclined to use a totally different line of dishwashing detergent.

We have a new dishwasher with a smart dispense system and after putting Pure Essentials gel into the dispenser, it began to coagulate. It became a concrete mess of mush and would not dispense anything.

My glasses and dishes developed a terrible film and could not be cleaned.

A service repairman spent hours cleaning and flushing my dishwasher to remove this horrible agent.

My entire kitchen has been tainted by this product. I have washed my floors twice and still there is a sticky residue left from the cleaning of the dishwasher. It is AWFUL!!! Never use Cascade Pure Essentials gel!!!

Taylor says:

A., I am so sorry to hear about your negative experience with this product.

This is the kind of horror story with a cleaning product that I just hate to have happen to anyone.

Has anyone else experienced problems with gel detergents in these new dishwashers with the smart dispense system? I am just wondering if this problem is related specifically to this gel detergent, or if the problem is with gels in general? I don't know the answer, but just wondering to see if I need to do further investigation.

I would love for other people to share their experiences not only with this dishwasher detergent, but with any gel dishwasher detergents saying what you like, or don't, about them and why. You can share your dishwasher detergents review here, or read other reviews of other products which have already been submitted.

I Will Not Buy Pure Essentials Gel Dishwasher Detergent From Cascade Again

by Julie
(North Dakota)

Julie has also shared her review and experience with this detergent, and she agrees with the reviewer above, who thinks its awful!

Julie says:

I always use Cascade Complete with no problems, but decided to try this since I moved to a new state, very small town, extremely limited selection...

I will never buy this again! It left white residue on most everything. I ran the dishwasher again with another detergent and extra Lemishine in the cup.

I still had white powdery stuff on my glasses and plastics. I ended up having to soak and scrub everything by hand.

Taylor says:

Thanks Julie for sharing your experience with Cascade Pure Essentials gel.

I am starting to get the feeling that most people don't like this detergent, generally (although I did receive a positive review below).

I am curious though, all of my reviews have been for the gel. Has anyone used the action pacs? Are they any good or not? Just wondering if we should steer clear of both, or just the gel?

In addition, I would love to hear from others who have used other Cascade products. For example, I notice I have lots of reviews of various types of action pacs, and other Cascade gel detergents, but none for the powder detergent, for example. If anyone uses these, please share your reviews with me! :)

You can share your dishwasher detergents review here for this, or any other brand, telling me what you like, or don't, about it and why. You can also read other reviews which have already been submitted for other brands and types if you are thinking of switching to something new.

Cascade Pure Essentials Gel Review - Great For Cleaning Glasses

by SR101 Reader

SR101 Reader says:

I've tried several different brands/types of dish washing liquids, gels, powders and pacs.

When I open the dishwasher, the first things I look at are the glasses. More times than not there is a film or residue on the bottom of my glasses. It's a shame when you have to buy new glasses periodically just for that reason.

This particular brand was the only one that impressed me with regard to glass cleaning.

My problem is, I can't find it anywhere now. Where did it go? Is it off the market or what?

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing your review.

I have found it for sale in a couple of places, such as through the links below.

However, you are right, it is more difficult to find in stores now than it used to be. In addition, I tried to do a little research on this issue for you on Cascade's website, and it does mention there is a gel available with baking soda, but there is no other mention of the Pure Essentials version.

Therefore, I'm frankly not sure if it is being phased out or not. In the mean time, if you really like it, you may consider buying it from the Internet since I've found it available from there, at least for the time being.

Short Comments From SR101 Readers About This Product

I've gotten several quick comments from SR101 Readers about this product, so I've collected them all here. Overall, they are of mixed opinion about Cascade Pure Essentials.

Amanda Kadar says:

It didn't clean well and left a terrible residue. I am very disappointed.

CM says:

I loved it - have fancy Swedish dishwashers in my home and treated community well water. Nothing gets the glases shiny and without a milky film until this. Can't find it anywhere? Anyone know where it can be purchased online?

SR101 Reader says:

I am furious. My dishes look horrible with the new Cascade formula and I have to rewash them. My glasses are all streaked and I am having to throw them away every 6 weeks or so and buy new. How economical is that!

Cascade Pure Essentials Was A Nightmare: Clogged Dishwasher Jets

by Jillians

As you can see most of the reviews of this type of Cascade dishwasher detergent have been pretty negative, with the exception of one above. This newest one from Jillian just continues the theme that we should steer clear of this detergent.

Jillians says:

I had been using Palmolive Eco+ for several years. I was very happy with it and never had any problems.

My boyfriend bought a 2-pack of Cascade Pure Essentials and the nightmare began. First I noticed some glassware had a slight haze to it, then the dishes started to come out dirty. He's pretty anal about rinsing everything before it goes in the dishwasher, so there's no excuse for that.

Now I've come to discover that the Cascade has built up all over the inside of the dishwasher. I'm trying to unclog the jets on my own, using white vinegar (a tip from Cascade's own website in response to complaints). I can only hope that it hasn't ruined a 2-year old dishwasher.

Learning that they knew there was a problem suggests that the remaining product was bundled in "bargain" 2-packs and unloaded on unsuspecting consumers.

Needless to say I would never use anything from Cascade again. Some lame excuse about changing the formula to remove phosphates & problems related to that... The Palmolive Eco+ has always been phosphate free and didn't destroy my dishwasher.

Taylor says:

Jillians, sorry to hear this product messed up your dishwasher. Overall, I've not gotten good reviews about this product, except like I mentioned, from one reader above.

Overall, I would definitely suggest choosing a different detergent than this one, just based on the feedback I've received. Of course, as you mention, it is much harder to find the Pure Essentials version in stores any more, presumably because it's not so great and either the stores are not carrying it, or Cascade is not making it anymore.

***Update: As stated now at the beginning of the page as well, this product has been discontinued. ***End Update

If you'd like to find a dishwasher detergent that people do recommend, check out the other dishwasher detergents reviews here, or submit your own review or recommendation.

Cascade Powder Dishwasher Detergent {Referral Links}

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