If it's old German Persil it might contain phosphates. But phosphates have probably been removed from new German Persil. I expect phosphate free Persil is pretty much the same now between European and U.S. products.

Last I read a few years ago, major European brands were voluntarily removing phosphates. I don't know specifically what Persil did, or if Germany has now required removal.

Personally I think removing phosphates from laundry detergent has worked out O.K. But automatic dishwashers is a problem.

@ dzzmiller It is not really old, it was purchased in Germany less than a month ago. The ingredients say <5 Phosphonates. I'm not a Chemist, but I think Phosphonates are a mild Phosphate. All I know is Made in Germany Persil is SO much better than WalMart Persil. I have used German Persil for close to 20 years, and I was so utterly disappointed by what is being sold at WalMart!

Yes, Persil has been phosphate-free for some time... 29 years actually. All laundry detergents had to be phosphate-free for decades, while dishwasher detergents will have to follow by 2017.

The initial formula of the Caps was so bad that it redistributed soil all over the clothes - a total fail in our consumer magazine's test. It has been reformulated since, though. Henkel is beginning to sell a new version of the Caps in some countries: Persil Power Mix Caps

You can add a small amount of TSP to DW detergents (the new ones) to get most of the efficacy of the older detergents. It's available at Home Depot. I always keep a few boxes on hand so that when I run out of the older Electrolsol powder, I can add a little bit of TSP to the new, emasculated DW detergent.

TSP was never used in dishwasher detergent, AFAIK. The correct phosphate would be something like Sodium tripolyphospate (STPP), which can be found online. STPP would be the stuff to add for better rinsing with laundry too. There are some old threads here on STPP, if they made the transition to this new Houzz forum.

But neither is necessary. Cascade Fryer Boil Out is simply P&G's old commecial dishwasher detergent in a different box. The only downside is that it must be purchased by the case. I use it. Glass stays clean. I no longer use Jet-Dry.

Cloudy glass items will need to be treated with a mild acid in the dishwasher before switching back to a phosphate detergent. Use vinegar or citric acid. I actually bought a new dishwasher before I learned about phosphates. Oh well.