...But FINISH Quantum will—and will do it without complicated scientific formulas! I heard about FINISH Quantum on another review blog and was anxious to try it since the reviewer said it was the only dishwashing detergent that got her glass dishes sparkling clean without that faint filmy residue. Ever since I bought Nathan a whole set of glass dishes from Crate & Barrel I’ve cursed the things under my breath every time I unload our dishwasher. Though they’re definitely clean, the definitely don’t look clean. Would FINISH Quantum save the day?

FINISH Quantum boasts it is the “#1 recommended brand by more dishwasher brands” and claims it will give you “amazing shine, clarity and brilliance” with its multi-chamber technology. The dark blue section, or POWERMAX, uses bleach to attack tough stains; the center red section is the JET-DRY gel for shine; the light blue section contains powerful enzymes to remove stuck-on food. I of course like that there’s no unwrapping required for these capsules like there is with my Cascade brand, and they won’t dry out as quickly as my other brand (can’t even recall that one as I chucked it a long time ago).

So how did FINISH Quantum do? Well, the jury’s still out on this one. While it did do a great job removing food, even from our often over-cluttered silverware basket, my glass dishes weren’t as sparkling clear as I thought they’d be. Perhaps I had set my expectations too high to begin with, kind of like when a friend talks up a movie and then you’re disappointed it wasn’t as nifty as you thought. FINISH Quantum was definitely an improvement on all the other brands I’ve used—and I’ve tried a lot of other brands. My glass dishes and my plastic spatulas were the cleanest they’d been in a long time, but I could still see some spots here and there (see picture below).

BUT here are a few important disclaimers. One, I didn’t use the accompanying JET-DRY Turbo Dry gel at the same time, and that’s supposed to also help with those pesky water spots. My rinse-aid dispenser was still full from the last time I filled it and I wasn’t about to suck it out just to put the new stuff in. So in all honesty I didn’t give the pair the full test drive, but trust me, with six people in our family (and company in town), we’ll be doing a few hundred laps with our FINISH Quantum! And two, my dishwasher is very, very, very old; by the way it sounds it’ll keep over any day!

Though not 100% sparkling and free of spots, I did see a substantial enough improvement to continue using FINISH Quantum..and I didn’t have to quietly curse the day I bought those dishes as I unloaded them from the dishwasher. One other benefit? I don’t have to go back and re-rinse the dishes on the nights my daughters are in charge of dinnertime cleanup—always a bonus!—Emily

*** Giveaway FINISH is giving away a sets of a FINISH Quantum/JET-DRY combo to three lucky Daily Dish winners! Please leave a comment with a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winners from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: June 9, 2009 (midnight). The winners will have 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Gina S., Bing Y., and Ashley T., the winners of the Quantum giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

I must admit I am somewhat of a soap snob.

I don’t buy soap bars because dirt collects on the bars and the thought of numerous people sharing the bar to wash their hands—ugh! (I just really don’t want to see the collection of germs on the bar) Enough said. Soap bars are not for me.

I like soap dispensers and not just any store bought dispenser. Well-scented soaps (obviously) and the not so obvious other must—-it has got to look good! The soap is part of the décor. It sits right there beside the sink and everything else in the bathroom coordinates, so if my soap doesn’t match—it is a no go. Lately I have been a sucker for Bath and Body Works foaming soaps because it smells and looks good. However, I just discovered something better…way better…FURTHER soap.

The simplistic neutral tone dispenser doesn’t take away or compete with my good lookin’ pink tile;) and the monochromatic natural tag keeps it plain—something that could work with any style of bathroom. The luxury hand soap is made with natural ingredients including: oil, olive and exotic grass to create a clean fresh scent. I lalalalove this soap! It smells fresh—because it legitimately is pure. Not doused in perfumes and dyed with color. It really is squeaky clean! The price is a bit more at $18.50 for the 8 ounce bottle…but a little goes along way and I like to think this is one small way I’m going green…by using an all natural product:) So, look no further…get FURTHER soaps for your households and start smelling and lookin good AND because it is made with natural ingredients…you could be oh so eco-friendly too!—Amber

Soap is available online at www.furthersoap.com.