Totally agree with you. I used to use Palmolive as it seemed "sudsier" than Dawn. But lately it is horrible and like you I have to keep add more soap and more water to get the dishes even relatively clean. For the commenter that said to "use your dishwasher" as it uses less water--many plastic, fragile and even some cookware items CANNOT be washed in the dishwasher. So you still need a hand dishwashing alternative for those items. I believe the changes are due to environmental regulations that we don't even have any idea were passed that the companies have to abide by. Or they are doing it themselves to improve their ESG scores. If that is the case I think the fact we are all using MORE soap and MORE water to get dishes clean defeats the purpose of changing formulations. I'm going to be asking several of the manufacturers exactly this. If I hear back I will share what they have to say here.

I started using a "foaming" spray bottle to put some diluted dish soap into for a quick cleanup of just a few things and it worked very well. I got one of the Direct Foam as part of a gift package and I like it. I've heard of people refilling it with ordinary soap but perhaps the secret is to dilute it? Been a long time convert to Joy and Dawn. I can't tell the difference between them. They both work equally well for me. I've also switched mostly to the bleach alternative version too. I like that. Dawn & Joy are great stuff! There's coupons in the paper for Direct Foam (and of course other Dawn & Joy) often. P&G has their monthly insert in the Sunday paper that includes Dawn & Joy. I used the $1 coupon at Rainbow on their double coupon day and took $2 off the bottle. So I picked up an extra. It lasts a long time. I use the Direct Foam a lot for a hand soap dispenser at the sink so I don't need another one, and it replaced my foaming spray bottle idea. And when I just have a coffee cup or a couple utensils, it's great for a quick cleanup. Also use it for a carpet cleaner. Little squirt onto a paper towel and then a wet paper towel to rinse for a spill. Another great item is the Dawn Power Dissolver. That takes the crud off my bakeware from when I used Pam. That stuff is hard to get off. I quit using Pam since I figured what's it doing to my insides when it becomes such a rock on the cookware?! The tip on the ants reminded me that I found an article by Mary Hunt in her Cheapskate column. Can't find the link to it on the web and so people don't have to sign up here's some of the hints she had. I imagine some things might apply to any dish soap, but this is the article: "Original blue Dawn takes care of chores beyond dishwashing Pioneer Press Article Last Updated: 05/14/2007 03:40:28 PM CDT Take a look under the sink where you keep your cleaning products. See a bottle of original blue Dawn dishwashing liquid? Say hello to a versatile and surprisingly multipurpose household product. Ice pack: Partially fill a strong zipper-type sandwich bag with Dawn liquid, close and freeze. Just to be safe, double bag it. The liquid soap stays cold much longer, and it can be refrozen many times. It will conform to whatever shape you need an ice pack to be. Bubble party: Combine 10 parts distilled water and 1 part Dawn to make your own bubble solution. And add ¼ part white corn syrup (like Karo) if you want to make sturdier bubbles. Gather up objects like clean soup cans that have both ends cut off or hula hoops with makeshift handles attached. If you want to, you can pour the solution into a plastic kiddy pool and make huge bubbles. Turn it into a scientific experiment and go on a hunt for bubble-making items in your kitchen. This is a super-cheap idea that's lots of fun. Hand degreaser: Forget those pricey automotive hand cleaners. Full-strength blue Dawn cuts through grease and gets hands and nails clean with no harsh chemicals. Clean automotive tools: Soak them in a solution of Dawn before you put them away to remove all the oil and grime. As a bonus, Dawn will help prevent rust from forming on the tools. Manicure secret: Soak fingers in full-strength blue Dawn. It makes the cuticles soft and easy to work with. And it removes the natural oil from the fingernails, which allows the polish to adhere well. Repel ants: Spray countertops, cupboards and any other area where you see ants with a solution of Dawn and water. Wipe dry. The slight residue of Dawn that remains will not be a problem for kids or pets, but ants hate it. Should you see ants, go ahead and hit them with the Dawn spray. You'll see. It will kill them. Bathroom cleaner: Original blue Dawn has some kind of miraculous quality about it that makes it "melt" through stubborn soap scum and hideous buildup on showers and tubs, no matter whether porcelain, acrylic or fiberglass. Use it straight up, and you'll bless the day you read this column. Hair product buildup: Once a month, use original Dawn as you would shampoo. It will remove excess oil from your hair and scalp and strip away any buildup of styling products - without damage. Perform this once a month, and you won't have to buy expensive salon products that do the same thing. Stain spotter: Original blue Dawn used full-strength gets just about any kind of spot out of washables. Keep a small squeeze bottle in the laundry room so it's always handy. Bonus: Dawn dishwashing liquid is biodegradable, while other chemical solvents may not be. I've even started carrying a tiny spray bottle of diluted Dawn with me when I travel in case I have to clean utensils or something. I've never tried it as a shampoo substitute but might be one less thing to carry when I travel if it works well, and why shouldn't it? I use it for hand soap in the bathroom and kitchen for that matter. It's one of few products to which I'm brand-loyal. But I don't like all the new scents. I don't want smell, I want it to work.

Pecan: Thanks for the update. I'm disappointed as well. I thought we could have lunch at Sample House, which is close-ish to the Moss Farm fields, if that's where you might have had your tournament. It's a sweet little shop that sells gift items and kitchen things, Crocs, baby gifts, candles, gift wrap, cute pet stuff and lots of other unusual things. It's a fun place to wander around. They have a little restaurant called the Soup Shop in the store that's open from 11-2 every day (except Sundays). Lake Highlands High School seems like another soccer tournament location, but I know that there are fields everywhere (I've been to most of them). Keep me posted if your plans change. Thank you. Fly: Someone told me that Hormel is making nitrate-free lunch meat. This friend also told me that Monsanto "invented" sodium nitrate, which is a preservative, and that Monsanto knows this substance causes cancer, but Monsanto makes so much money off of sodium nitrate that it does everything possible to make certain that it stays on the market. How sad.

LetsGo-I have driven past this store a half dozen or more times in the last several months and it never dawned on me to go in and look-especially since the only reason I was even in that neighborhood was to get the Ariel from Mexico! DUH!! Just look for old neighborhood stores or ask around. KC and surrounding areas has to have a few of these! Good Luck!!