Though I love Mrs. Meyer's Geranium line of products, the floral scent is not for everyone. Seventh Generation makes an excellent Automatic Dishwashing Liquid, and in fact, I sometimes switch between this and Mrs. Meyer's for a change every once in awhile.

If you change one product in your house, I would suggest switching to an eco-friendly automatic dishwashing liquid (or powder). Soaps designed for dishwashers are much more toxic than regular dish soaps, because they have to clean without the benefit of scrubbing power.

That being said, Seventh Generation makes an extremely effective product here. Not only is the fragrance pleasant and refreshing, but I am always amazed at how well it cleans my dishes without all those toxins.

That being said, it is important to rinse your dishes quickly before putting them into the dishwasher. Stuck-on, dried food is hard to remove even with good scrubbing; without harsh chemicals, a natural liquid is fairly ineffective at removing large areas of dried food. In addition, removing most of the food from your dishes will help maintain a sanitary envioronment in your dishwasher.

Because many automatic dishwashing liquids contain chlorine bleach and other harsh chemicals, you may notice that after using Seventh Generation (or any other natural brand) for awhile, a layer of build-up starts to appear around the bottom and sides of your dishwasher. Some of this is due to mineral deposits (depending on the hardness of your water), and some of it may be a slimy build-up. When you remove bleach from automatic dishwashing liquids (a very good idea for both you and the environment), microbial growth is not inhibited as much as it otherwise would be in the moist environment of your dishwasher. Occasionally doing a quick cleaning of your dishwasher (with a natural cleaner like Mrs. Meyer's All-Purpose cleaner) will prevent this build-up from occurring. Think of what would happen to your sink if you never cleaned it.... the same holds true for your dishwasher.

As we always say with natural cleaning, a little hot water, natural soap, and good-old-fashioned scrubbing can safely achieve the same results as toxic and corrosive chemical cleaning.