Radiance Dish Washing Products
EDITOR’S NOTES: Updated March 27, 2018, with information about how the gel dishwasher detergent performs with prolonged use.
Click here to read about Aldi’s new dishwasher pacs introduced in 2019.
For years, Aldi has sold dishwasher detergent as well as liquid soap for washing dishes by hand under the name of Reeva. Within the last few months, the store has transitioned to the the Radiance brand for all dish washing products.
Many of the Radiance products appear to be the same or very similar. There’s still just one option for dishwasher powder pacs and one gel detergent option for dishwashers. One obvious difference I noticed is that Aldi now sells three varieties (and scents) of liquid detergent for hand washing dishes instead of two.
Let’s take a look at the new products.
Radiance Premium Dishwasher Powder Pacs
These are comparable to Cascade Platinum. They claim to leave dishes clean with no prewash required, and they claim to fight grease and stuck-on food. They are septic safe.
To use the powder pacs, place one in the main dispenser cup of your dishwasher and close the the dispenser. Use one powder pac per wash, and do not unwrap or puncture the pac. Pacs are designed to dissolve completely during the wash cycle. Handle the pacs with dry hands only. Reseal the bag after each use and store in a cool, dry place. The pacs should fit in most dishwasher dispenser cups.
I’ve seen several people complain that the new Radiance powder pacs leave their dishes cloudy or filmy-looking after washing. I have not noticed that, but I also have a newer dishwasher, which may or may not make a difference. The powder pacs seem to work fine for me, and they seem to work about the same as Aldi’s discontinued Reeva powder pacs.
The package warns not to get powder from the pacs in the eyes, on the skin, or on clothing. Naturally, don’t ingest them either. They contain sodium carbonate, sodium carbonate peroxide, and enzymes. The pacs contain no phosphates.
These are sold for $2.49 per package at my Aldi, or about 12 cents a load.
Radiance Automatic Dish Detergent Gel:
In the past, Aldi’s old Reeva gel detergent for dishwashers has been a bit of a dud. It usually left my dishes cloudy and filmy, so I was curious to see if the new Radiance Automatic Dish Detergent Gel was any better.
During the first week I used the new Radiance gel in my dishwasher, it seemed to be okay. As I continued to use it, though, I noticed that after wash cycles many of my plates had large greasy smudges, a few pieces of silverware had dirty brown spots, and some of my drinking glasses still had smears from my lip balm. Yuck. Clearly, the new gel detergent is not cutting it.
For those who are interested, this gel compares to Cascade Complete. It has a citrus scent and — unlike the old gel that was clear or white — an orange color. The bottle claims this gel is able to power away tough foods, with an advanced grease cutting formula that leaves dishes sparkling. Well …
To use the gel, the bottle instructs to “fill all cups according to machine directions.” It is septic safe. It does warn that silver and stainless steel should be washed in separate loads to avoid discoloration. Do not spill gel directly on silverware. The gel is an eye and skin irritant and contains chlorine bleach and sodium silicate. (It will kill any clothes it touches, leaving classic white bleach marks.) It is not for hand dish washing.
The gel comes in a 75-ounce bottle and sells for $2.89 at my Aldi. You clearly get quite a few more loads out of this bottle compared to the powder pacs mentioned above, so the gel is the winner in terms of cost savings. It just is not a winner in terms of actually getting your dishes clean.
Radiance Grease Cleaning Power Original Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid
This blue dish washing liquid is compared to Dawn Ultra Original Scent Dishwashing Liquid. It comes in a 24-ounce bottle and claims to be tough on grease, promising to leave dishes clean. It is not for use in dishwashers, contains surfactants, and is phosphate free.
Radiance Antibacterial Green Apple Scent Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid
This green dish washing liquid is comparable to Dawn Ultra Antibacterial Hand Soap Apple Blossom Scent. It comes in a 24-ounce bottle and claims to be tough on grease, promising to leave dishes clean. Its active ingredient is cholorxylenol, an antibacterial. It is not for use in dishwashers, contains surfactants, and is phosphate free.
Radiance Antibacterial Citrus Scent Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid
This orange dish washing liquid is comparable to Dawn Ultra Antibacterial Hand Soap Citrus Scent. This is the same as the green bottle of antibacterial hand soap mentioned above, except the scent is different. It comes in a 24-ounce bottle and claims to be tough on grease, promising to leave dishes clean. Its active ingredient is cholorxylenol, an antibacterial. It is not for use in dishwashers, contains surfactants, and is phosphate free.
The Verdict:
Aldi has discontinued its Reeva dish washing line of products and replaced it with the Radiance line. This includes many of the same standard products: a choice of powder pacs or gel for the dishwasher, and several varieties of liquid detergent/soap for hand washing your dishes.
I like the Radiance Premium Dishwasher Powder Pacs for the dishwasher. Some customers have complained the Radiance powder pacs leave their dishes cloudy, but I have not experienced that problem. However, I do have a newer dishwasher, and I’m not sure if that makes a difference.
Aldi also sells Radiance Automatic Dish Detergent Gel for dishwashers, which, like its Reeva-brand predecessor, leaves cloudy marks all over my glasses and plates and spots on my silverware. I will not be purchasing the gel for dishwashers again.
The various Radiance Ultra Concentrated Dish Washing Liquids for washing dishes by hand all are perfectly functional and come in several scents, with some offering antibacterial properties as well.
We swear by Radiance/Reeva dish soap! Its def comparable to DAWN ! It works great!
I loved the Reeva products. The Radiance products leave my dishes covered with a white film. Very disappointed.
I loved the Reeva packs and LOATHE the Radiance. I haven’t noticed film, but I definitely notice a residual smell/taste on my plastics and silicone items. Reeva NEVER left that and always got the dishes clean. Has Aldi really discontinued the brand?! Why?!!!
Off to leave a comment on the Aldi website. Hopefully others will do the same…
Radiance products suck! Reeva is a far superior product especially dishwasher gel!
not enough chlorine bleach in the radiance brand. It won’t even clean the stain from a coffee cup unless i add about a half oz. or so of bleach to the load. Reeva used to work great
It says on the bottle not to mix with bleach.
I have to say I totally agree with the other people commenting here. Reeva powder packs were far superior in grease cutting, general cleaning and removal of stains then the replacement Radiance powder packs – (and I too have a newer dishwasher -it’s only one year old). I am hoping that they will bring back Reeva or at least, improve a GREAT deal on the Radiance packs…… I also hope that ALDI reeds these reviews!!
I’ve been using Radiance gel in my 4-5 year old Whirlpool dishwasher for awhile now. I was noticing a lot of gumminess on my plastic storage containers, silverware not coming clean, and the filter getting dunked up very quickly. At first I thought it was my old water softener dying, but my plumber said it’s working perfectly. I’m now convinced it’s the Radiance gel. I’m going to switch back to Finish or Cascade for awhile and see if the issue clears up.
It does sound like the problem could be the Aldi dishwasher gel. Please let us know if the problem goes away after you switch detergents.
I just started using Reeva jel. It comes out clear like water. Is this normal or should I return it?
Not all my dishes came out clean ☹️
We ran our first load of dirty dishes using a Radiance Premium dishwasher pac. From the table and stove to the dishwasher, all of the items came out 100% clean and we did not notice any white film. We do not put any type of plastic or silicone in the dishwasher, so we can’t comment about those results. It’s a small sample size, but the Radiance pacs seemingly do a great job of cleaning and they are priced at less than half that of Cascade Platinum. We’ll be using some more of the Radiance.
I have to agree with you!, I love it!
I don’t use plastic containers, I do wash with hot water but only in the dishwasher. I am new to this Aldi product.
That Radiance dishwasher gel is aweful! I was actually thinking that there was something wrong with the dishwasher, as I had forgotten about the change. As soon as I went with a name brand gel, back to clean dishes!
Radiance is terrible – my plastic are coated with a residue, my glasses – I can’t remove the white stain that has been left on them. My whited dishes do not come clean and I rinse them off before I put them in the dish washing. Reeva was a much better product. I will not buy Radiance again.
I love radiance dish washing liquid, it makes good suds and smells good, and it removed a spot on my bed comforter, you cannot tell where the spot was so you can use it for other things other than dishes
Radiance Powder Pacs are awesome ! Leave dishes spotless with no residue . Great product at a fraction of Cascade . Another quality product !
Where can you get the Radiance cleaners – never on the shelves at any Aldi’s Can you buy on line.
They’re regular buys on shelves all the time at my Aldi stores. Aldi does not sell online except for some items via Instacart.
My Aldi in Lake Worth was out of Radiance DW pacs for 2 weeks of shopping. Very annoying during the holidays…I have used this product with no problems.
I have been using the Radiance Dishwasher Powder Pacs for several years and I am totally satisfied with the product.
Cloudy film left on dishes and glasses,….totally unacceptable…. taking unused portion back to Aldi today😕
Which Radiance products are septic safe?
For use with a septic system, you want products that are free of phosphates. Most — if not all — Aldi dishwashing products appear to be phosphate free, but check the labels on packages/bottles currently in store to be sure. The Aldi Radiance dishwasher pacs and liquid dish soap currently in my cabinet are both phosphate free. https://www.septicsafe.com/blog/the-importance-of-septic-safe-dishwasher-detergents-if-you-have-a-septic-system/
https://www.aldireviewer.com/radiance-ultra-dishwasher-triple-chamber-pacs/
The Radiance liquid dish soap is inferior to Dawn and other major brands. Watered down and I must use two or three times as much. Reeva was much better. The best is Axion made by Colgate Palmolive but only sold in Mexico. Some importers in California sell it. Too bad Aldi has begun to cheapen a lot of its good products in the last few years.