Finish GelPacs Review - Finally A Positive Review

by Beckey
(Birmingham, Alabama)

Beckey has shared her review of Finish Gelpacs with me. I actually have a whole other page of Finish dishwasher detergent reviews, specifically for these gel packs, which are generally pretty negative. However, Beckey has had a more positive experience.

Beckey says:

I love this product.


I was having problems with my new dishwasher leaving dishes dirty with a white residue. Our city water has a high lime content so I think that was causing problems.

My daughter suggested I buy the Finish Gel Pacs and I did, and have had no additional problems. All dishes and silverware are now clean.

I did have two gel packs stick together that I eventually tossed out, but that was a small price to pay for all the good they are doing with my dishwasher.

Finish Dishwasher Detergent {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

Thanks Beckey for your review of Finish gelpacs. I'm glad to hear someone has had a good experience with this product, since from the reviews I had received I was beginning to wonder why these things were still on the market.

I would love to hear even more reviews of this, or other Finish products. In addition, 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 that have already been submitted.

Finish Gelpacs Didn't Dissolve After Exposed To Air For A While

by SR101 Reader

An SR101 reader wrote in with her experience with these gelpacs from Finish, and what happened when she didn't keep the bag closed as instructed.

SR101 Reader says:

I'd used at least two boxes of Finish Gelpacs with no problems. However, I will not buy them again after this last box.

About halfway through the box they stopped dissolving in the dishwater. I gave up after my third cycle of dishes still dirty with the gelpac resembling a cracked egg on the bottom of the dishwasher.

There is an instruction on the box to keep the bag closed after opening, but it does not say why that is specified and what will happen if you don't. I did not close the bag and am not sure if that changed the effectiveness of the product.

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing your experience with this product. I cannot say for sure either, but I think your guess about what happened may be correct.

These dishwasher detergent packs are designed to dissolve easily in water, quite quickly, so that they can release the concentrated detergent within them.

One problem people often experience when they use these packs of detergent (for both dishwashers or laundry detergent) is that if the bag is not closed properly, and is left in a moist environment, they will begin to dissolve and leak. (For examples, you can see all these Cascade Action Pacs reviews where they have had some trouble with the pacs.)

My personal complaint with these products (in general, not this one in particular) is that it is often difficult to close the bag properly, and keep it sealed, which can be aggravating since this step is supposedly so important!

I would think you might have the opposite problem with keeping the bag opened if your bag stays open and is in a very dry environment -- it could dry out the packet and then not let it dissolve properly. This may be what happened to you.

Has this happened to anyone else? I know there have been many complaints about these Finish Gel Pacs not dissolving properly, more so it seems, than other types of detergent pacs.

You can share your own experience here, to tell me all about it.

Finish Gelpacs Make A "Rotten" Smell

by JS
(Iowa)

JS has shared this complaint about this dishwasher detergent.

JS says:

When using the Finish Gelpacs there was an awful smell emitted from the dishwasher that could best be described as "rotten".

When we stopped usage of them and returned to our former brand, the smell went away. When tried again, the same rotten smell returned.

As far as cleaning ability I would rate it as fair; the other brand appeared to do a better job of cleaning. I would not recommend this product.

Taylor says:

Thanks for sharing your experience.

You actually aren't the first person to complain to me saying that the product smelled bad. I'm curious, did you use the orange scent of these gel pacs, which is previously what people had said smelled bad? (Click the link to read the reviews and experiences about this.) Or did you use a different one?

Has anyone else used this product and noticed a bad smell? If so, what scent did you use. Please share your reviews with me here.

Finish Gelpacs Versus Powerball Tabs - No Contest, Powerball Wins

by Lelsey Bradin
(Huntington, Indiana)

Lelsey has used both the Finish gelpacs and the powerball tabs in her dishwasher, and shares her comparison of them.

Lelsey says:

I usually use the Finish Powerball dishwashing packs and love them!! I have never had any problem with the powerball product before.

I was running low on the detergent and was picking some up at the store and they were sold out, so I thought I would try the gelpacks. How different could they be since I love the Powerball and they are made from the same company?

I was so wrong!! The gelpacks don't dissolve completely and don't remove the food from the dishes as well as the powerballs do. Also they leave spots and film on the dishes.

I will never use the gelpacks again, they are a horrible product. I will stick with the powerballs. They seem to work the best!

I hope this might help out some others with their dishwashing issues.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Basically, I had gathered a general feeling like this from the reviews readers had sent in to me separately about either the Powerball tabs or the gelpacs, but it is great to hear from a reader who has actually tried both products and compare them to each other.

I'm always looking for more reviews of cleaning products. You can share your house cleaning supplies reviews here, sharing what you like, or don't, when it comes to cleaning your home.

Help! My Finish Gelpacs Are All Stuck Together!

by Janetta

Janetta wrote in to me asking for some cleaning help. Here's her question.

Janetta asks:

Taylor, I have a terrible problem with the Finish gelpacs. I have a box of 60 and at least three quarters of them are all stuck together and stuck to the box.

A friend who had recommended them to me suggested I run them under cold water and try to get them apart, but that didn't work.

I tore the box open and they are stuck together and to the side of the box. I don't know what to do now!!!

Are you in Canada? Is there a 1-800 number I can call to complain? Can I get a replacement box? Do you have any suggestions, please and thank you.

Taylor's answer:

Janetta, thanks for contacting me about this problem, and as you can see from the picture above this is not uncommon with these pacs. (This is actually a picture I received from another reader who had a similar issue, not a picture from Janetta - just wanted to make that clear so people aren't confused.)

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out a way to get these pacs apart when they get like this. It is liked they are glued together with super glue or something, and if you rip them to try to get them apart they burst and get concentrated dishwasher detergent gel all over the place wasting it, anyway. That's a Catch 22!

I'm personally not in Canada, but since Finish sells their products there I would assume they've got a way to assist Canadian customers.

I did a little search on Finish's website, and they provide this toll free number you can call: 1-800-228-4722.

I would definitely call them to complain. It is expensive to buy 60 of these pacs, and for most of them to now be completely unusable is not fair to you, since it is in my opinion a defect in the way the product is designed or manufactured. They may try to say you did something wrong in the way you handled them, which caused this problem, but frankly lots of other people have all done the same thing so they should expect that problem.

Now, I'm not affiliated with the company in any way, so I can't say whether they will actually give you a refund or a coupon for a free product, but I would definitely ask! If you have time please tell me how it goes, and also if they company gives any suggestions for how to avoid this problem with these pacs in the future.

***Update: Janetta did write back to tell me what happened. Here's what she said:

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I took your advice and called that 1-800 number and I spoke to Michael who was very polite. He did ask how I was storing the gelpacs. They are under the sink where probably everyone keeps their dishwasher detergent.

He made a note of my problem, took the bar code number as well as another number stamped on the box, and he is sending me a coupon to replace the box of 60 gelpacs.

I am, once again, a happy customer.
Thank you Taylor.

Janetta

***End of update.***

I've answered this question as part of my cleaning help and questions section. Come check it out, ask me your own questions, or share your thoughts about a question I've already answered.

These Pacs Are Awful, Awful, Awful

by Evelyn Alvir
(New York)

Evelyn says:

I just shot a shout-out to the Finsh website. Awful, awful, awful, awful product.

I made the mistake of switching from my favorite Cascade and bought the biggest container of Finish Gelpacs from Costco. OMG - does not dissolve and it leaves residues all over my kitchenware in the dishwasher!! What's more a pasty lump stays in the small compartment after the washing cycles.

It is not cheap, so I dissolved the whole sh** (expletive removed) and even had to open and pry each one out of their stupid plastics in a pail and pour the stuff on my driveway. I was hoping it would just kill whatever pathogens there are.

Taylor says:

Sorry to hear these gel pacs didn't do well for you, but unfortunately you are in large company, since I've gotten lots of similar problems reported.

I would, in the future, not suggest pouring such a cleaner on your driveway though, just because it may have harmed your grass from the run off in large quantities!

I Had Wonderful Results With Them

by Judy Holland
(Moama NSW 2731)

I brought these from The Reject Store at a really good price to see what they were like, and to my delight they had wonderful results, everything was sparkling clean and great clean smell was left in the dishwasher.

I had no trouble with them not dissolving.

However, I have not been able to get them since, but I'm on the look out.

Can anyone inform me as to where I can buy this product please, as I'm very keen to purchase it.

These Are Worse Than Even Store Brands

by SR101 Reader

I had used the Finish powerball tabs with good results.

I then purchased the gel packs. They are not nearly as good as the powerball tabs.

My dishes have food particles on them, causing me to run them through twice.

I have also opened up my dish washer door to find food on the door.

I have never experienced that even with store brand detergents.

I need to use two gel packs to get the same results as a powerball tab or regular liquid detergent.

I am extremely disappointed with their performance and the fact that I need to use twice the amount for clean dishes. (I also rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher!)

Finish Gel Packs - I LOVE This Stuff!

by SR101 Reader

An SR101 reader wrote in to share her review of Finish Gel Packs. Interestingly, I guess she thought I was in some way associated with this company's products, but I am not.

SR101 reader says:

I have been having trouble getting my dishes clean without a thick film. I have used almost every detergent out there, use Jet Dry and also add vinegar.

I saw your commercial saying you were better than Cascade so I thought if you actually say this it might be worth a try....

I can't tell you how great your product works!!!!! No more heavy load cycles and my dishes are sparkling clean!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!! I LOVE this stuff!!!!

Taylor says:

Thanks SR101 reader for sharing your review of Finish gel packs.

As I said before, though, I am not affiliated with the company in any way, and the commercial's she is referring to are, I think, the "Finish challenge" where they compare their detergents to Cascade.

It is interesting, because before this review, and another I recently received right before it (see above) I had only gotten negative reviews of the Finish gelpacs, although I've gotten positive reviews of other Finish dishwashing products.

Therefore, I would love to keep hearing from others about this or any other Finish product, sharing how you like (or dislike it), and why.

You can share your dishwasher detergents review here, for this or any other product, or read other reviews already submitted.

Finish Dishwasher Detergent {Referral Links}

Related Links At Stain Removal 101

{A-H} House Cleaning Supplies Reviews

Finish Dishwasher Cleaner Review

Finish Powerball Tabs Dishwashing Detergent Reviews

Go From Finish Gelpacs Reviews To Stain Removal 101 Home Page

There are affiliate links on this page, and if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission. Purchasing through my links costs you nothing extra, but helps support the free information provided on this site and my family. To learn more please see my product review disclosure statement.