“You can achieve the same results by using a sponge with dishwashing soap to get the grease off your dishes BEFORE putting them in the dishwasher.”
Actually, if you look at the bottle of phosphate free detergent, it actually recommends that you leave the food on the dishes. I think there is some hope that the fat in the food will soften the water (make it more wet), which is what phosphates do.
Trust me, I tried pre-washing, and it didn’t work. If you have water with alot of minerals in it, the removal of phosphates causes a problem - a white layer of soap/mineral scum is welded to the dishes. I got to the point where I was prewashing and post washing the dishes...and about gave up on the dishwasher.
A sprinkle of the magic ingredient (which has been in dish soap for decades), and presto - no more problem.
If you have water with alot of minerals in it, the removal of phosphates causes a problem - a white layer of soap/mineral scum is welded to the dishes.
. . .
That’s exactly what we ran into. My flatware and glasses were covered in a haze.
Adding a bit of TSP with each load has fixed it.