Dishwasher detergents that are harsh or have higher pH values usually have bad effects on glassware.

But I have learned over the years that detergent cannot always be the sole reason for the etching of your precious glasses.

Still using phosphate-free plant-based dishwashing detergent rather than going for only chemicals can prevent etching a lot. 

FYI: There is no such thing on the market that can be named as the best detergent to prevent etching your glassware. So, I will only share with you my experience of how a soft chemical-free detergent helped me save my beautiful glasses from etching. 

I came to know about Lemi Shine Natural Dishwasher Detergent Pod (Amazon Link) by luck and since then I am able to use my precious glasses on thanksgiving year after year.

For me, it worked way better than any premium dishwashing detergent pods. It is cheaper too if you are buying online. Also, it is always out of stock in Target, so buying online has always been a great choice for me.  

I always had used the premium brands of dishwasher detergents in the market that claimed to be glassware safe, still, the results were frustrating.

The wine glass set which my great grandmother gifted me has now white streaks on them (even speaking about it makes me cry 🙁 ).

That’s why lemi shine is so close to my heart as it truly helped me a lot with my glassware. I am using it for more than a year now.

While shopping in Walmart a year back or so, I got some free samples of Lemi Shine pods.

The Walmart guy was emphasizing a lot about its natural content and how it could improve my family’s health and all.

So mostly I started using the samples for health reasons. I mean why not! Going natural is way better than lathering your dishes with harsh chemicals when you have kids in the house. 

Back then, I knew that I could not fix the glasses that were etched but sure could prevent more etching or save my new glasses from etching.

In the first wash, I could not see much of a difference.

From the second wash, I started noticing some significant cleaning, like my cloudy glasses were much cleaner and the silverware that had white film earlier was now clean and by clean, I mean crystal clear. It was crazy!

The plates and glasses were actually shining. Since these were all-in-one tablets I was using, I thought probably they had rinsing agent too in the content. But I was wrong. 

I don’t know how but the dishes are coming out crazy shiny. In the label, it is mentioned that Lemi Shine dishwasher pods are dual-chamber, powder and gel combo.

And the ingredients are biodegradable surfactants, citrus oils, sodium percarbonate/ carbonate/ sulfate/ & silicate, chelating agents, enzymes, & real fruit acids.  

You can also use the Lemi Shine Booster Natural Lemon Dishwasher Detergent Additive with your present dishwasher detergent.

It works terrific in removing hard water stains and giving the dishes a beautiful shine.

I have used this with Method dishwashing detergent and it still gave me scratch-free glassware.

My glasses do not have a single scratch on them. No streaks, no etching. Also, FYI, I have never used a rinse agent while using lemi shine, because I never felt the need.

If you want to you can. But not using a rinse agent saves me some bucks too. BTW, rinse agents are toxic.

Check out this article to know more.  

In the end, I would say that different people have different issues with their dishwashers.

Sometimes the water is too hot in your dishwasher, maybe the detergent is too harsh, or the water is very hard, or maybe the soft water is the reason behind the etching of your glasses.

The whole etching thing is complex.  So, if anyone is telling you that this is the best dishwasher detergent to prevent etching your glasses, that is obviously not right. 

But you can start finding the solution by using a harsh chemical-free dishwasher detergent. I think Lemi shine Natural Dishwasher Detergent Pods definitely worths a try.

If it works for you then, what more joy can you find right? Also, it does not have toxic chemicals, so no harm in giving it a shot. Hope this article helps.