Why Costco's Kirkland UltraShine Dishwashing Pacs Are An Underrated Bargain

Costco's in-house brand is known for its generally high-quality, affordable products that are similar to (if not better than) name-brand versions, such as the seemingly endless Kirkland Signature alcohol options and Costco's popular grass-fed butter. For another top-notch product that will clean the toughest food stains on your dishes, you might want to consider trying the Kirkland Platinum Performance UltraShine Dishwasher Detergent Pacs. 

Convenient, reasonably priced, and highly effective, Costco's dishwashing pacs are powerful enough to clean caked-on food, as well as coffee, wine, and tea stains, essentially eliminating the need to pre-rinse your dishes. Speaking from personal experience, as a busy family of five, we use a lot of dishes throughout the day and load as many as possible into every nook and cranny in the dishwasher (which is ran every night). I've found that, even with a likely overloaded dishwasher, the dishes come out clean when using the Kirkland Signature dishwasher pacs. 

With 115 pacs in each container priced at $13.99, the cost per pac comes out to just 12 cents (prices may vary per location). So, if you're like me and you run the dishwasher daily, you'll have to buy a new container just about every four months. The packaging claims the pacs can clean 48-hour stuck on food (which I have not put to the test because we don't let the dishes sit that long). Each contains a powder dish detergent and has a pleasant lemon citrus scent. 

The Kirkland Platinum Dishwasher Pacs contain the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Safer Choice designation, indicating that it is a safe option for your health and the environment. Indeed, the main cleaning agents used in the pacs are sodium carbonate, sodium percabonate, and subtilisin, which are biodegradable chemicals and are low risk to humans when used properly.

While pourable liquid or powder detergent can be just as effective, many people enjoy how easy pods or pacs are to pop in the dishwasher. They also eliminate over-pouring or the need to measure your detergent. Like other dishwasher and laundry pods, Kirkland's pacs contain a plastic coating that dissolves in water called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Some people (including researchers funded by Blueland, makers of plastic-free dishwasher pods) have questioned the safety of PVA. However, the FDA has declared PVA to be a GRAS or Generally Regarded As Safe product that is non-toxic to humans. It's also often used as a coating for pharmaceuticals. 

Don't just take my word for the effectiveness of Kirkland dishwasher pacs. According to tests conducted by Consumer Reports, the pacs received "excellent" ratings for food removal and film resistance. They were also rated a "Best Buy" due to their high performance for a low price. While popular name-brand products like Cascade and Finish perform well, they cost significantly more than Costco's. At Target, Cascade's Platinum Action Pacs cost $22.99 for 71 pacs, while Finish Power Dishwasher Tablets are $19.99 for 84 tablets.