Dishwasher Detergent Nightmare

So, the dishwasher detergent manufacturers were told to take phosphates out of their dishwasher detergent (DD).  The phosphates are bad for the environment.  Yada-yada-yada.

I am all for doing what is best for the environment, but, when I have to wash every dish (and cup) prior to putting it into the dishwasher, then I get a little upset.  Am I the only one seeing the waste (of water, time, energy) here?  Okay, they took out an ingredient that helped clean the dishes, what about adding something (environmentally safe) to take it's place?  How is this helping the environment when I have to use more water?  And, once that dish (or cup or utensil) goes through the dishwasher cycle, it should come out sparkling clean, right?  Wrong.

I have tried a variety of brands of dishwasher detergents from name brand to generic and have come up with cloudy, dingy utensils, cups that are cloudy and dishes that still have food on them (GROSS!).

I even tried making my own DD.  Yea.  Go on Pinterest.  You will find dozens of recipes.  Just a little warning:  baking soda will clump at the bottom of your dishwasher (you will have to clean under the screen) and leave pieces on your dishes and cups.  I had to clean the bottom of my dishwasher out.

I mentioned my frustration to a couple of neighbors.  One neighbor told me that the liquid DD (the one we are told works best in dishwashers) should not be used.  She said, "It leaves everything cloudy." (yea, I found out the hard way)  My other neighbor said to try a brand called, "Finish."  It's a small packet that is hard and supposedly has a little gel in the middle.  She was so kind to give me several packets to try before I went out and bought a big box.  (I am not getting paid by the manufacturer of Finish, but, they can always send me more if they want)

I tried Finish in the dishwasher that night.  I was very excited.  Hoping that my dishwasher tragedy would be solved.

After the first washing, my glasses came out clear (I could see through them!) and no food on anything! (yes, we scrape and rinse the dishes before putting them into the dishwasher, but, you know, sometimes "some people" don't rinse them very well)  I thought I would really test it out and barely rinsed the dishes as they went into the dishwasher.  I was pleasantly surprised when opening the dishwasher to find everything clean.

For now, I'm going to stick with Finish for my dishwasher needs.  If anyone has a tried and true homemade dishwasher detergent (that works), let me know.   As long as baking soda is not involved.