The 15-Cent Dollar Tree Find I Wish I'd Bought Sooner (It's Saving Me a Ton of Money)

After a service call on my dishwasher that cost significantly more than I expected, my trusted repair technician advised me to go back to the basics. After decades of appliance repairs, he's convinced that the multicolored pods are causing more damage to our machines, and suggested I "stop using the fancy stuff" and stick to the soap.

That's what he started doing on his own home machine, so why wouldn't I give it a try? His advice led me straight to the cleaning aisle at the Dollar Tree, where I found a 10-pack of Homebright Free & Clear Dish Detergent "pods" for just $1.50. And what I've learned since I started using them is pretty incredible.

Why I Love Dollar Tree's Free & Clear Dish Detergent Packs

My appliance technician, Jack, explained that because modern dishwashers use so little water, the "premium" pods are often too concentrated. They can create excessive suds that confuse the machine's sensors and/or leave a gummy film on the pump.

The Homebright pods, on the other hand, are just little packs of detergent. While I can't say for sure whether it's "better" for my machine, I can tell you that my dishes are still getting clean, and I haven't had any other issues with it since I started using it.

They're basic, but the powder dissolves completely, rinses away cleanly, and, as a bonus, doesn't leave any "blue sludge" in the dispenser cup. I do now manually add a rinse aid to my machine (something that was in the pods before), but otherwise nothing else has changed. 

I sat down and compared these packs with the pods I was using before, and the price difference blew my mind. If you're like me and run the dishwasher once a day, those "premium" 35 to 50-cent pods end up costing about $128 to $183 a year. By switching to these Dollar Tree packs, the cost drops to just $55 a year. That means I get to keep anywhere from $73 to $128 in my pocket each year, not counting the extra $10 to $15 for the rinse aid. Rarely is the cheaper option also better for your equipment, but this is one of those cases where it wins.

This switch is obvious with the holiday season upon us. Between Thanksgiving prep and Christmas dinner, cookie baking days, and the big meals themselves, my dishwasher runs a marathon in November and December. And when I'm running two loads a day, using a 50-cent pod every time adds up fast.

I've stocked up on the Dollar Tree brand so I can breeze through the holiday cleanup without worrying about my budget—or my dishwasher making that scary noise again. For $1.50, that sounds just like a holiday miracle!

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