What is in a 'drying agent' like Jet Dry and should I worry about using it in the final rinse on my dishes? Are there any known health issues with this product?
No reported health problems yet with these drying agents. 7th Generation makes a 'green' version. Thanks to everyone who responded and HAPPY DRYING.
I don't know what's in Jet Dry but 7th Generation (and a few other eco-friendly brands) makes one w/o scents or dyes and says "plant-containing cleaning agents" and "corn-derived water softener" as the main ingredients.
I've never heard of health risks. In fact, our dishwashing machine repair man suggested it due to our hard well water. He also said to use 1/2 the amount of dishwasher detergent the "cup" allows. He said that detergents now are so advanced you don't need as much as the cup can hold. The size of cup in the dishwashers' door hasn't been changed in 20 years! But the detergents have gotten much better. He said too much detergent can't be rinsed off properly. Also he suggested regular Cascade. Do not use those "gel packs". He said they don't properly dissolve and rinse away.
Good luck!
I've not heard of any issues with jet dry either. We have hard water in Antioch and using it makes a huge difference on how clean and spotless they come out.
I tried to google it to find out what the active ingredient is - I have never heard of any issues related to its safety, and in fact, for those of us who live in hard water states, I know it's recommended to use them.
Even Wikipedia had little information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_dry#Rinse_aid
There is a "Contact Us" link on the bottom of the Jet Dry homepage - it might be worth giving them a call to see that they say.
We just had our dishwasher fixed and the "fix-it-guy" said to forget all of these new dish washing capsules and drying agents, etc. and he said they all have too much in them and they all leave a film on dishes. He said the best, most effective means of cleaning dishes in a dish washer was to use the old fashioned powder soap and thats it. And to be sure to use the amount directed, many people are adding too much detergent to their dishes.
Honestly, I am not sure of the ingredients but I started using white vinegar in my final rinse and it works well.
I have sometimes used vinegar in place of Jet Dry. It helps with the hard water as well.
