gyrfalcon said:
I've run into you guys/gals with grungy beer and wine glasses who believe cleaning with soap is the killer to head retention and can add off flavor.
This would be a good time to admit that I'm a hypocrite of gigantic proportions. I wash all my glasses and beer bottles (mostly just to clean the outside of the bottles) in the dishwasher, and I don't even bother emptying the JetDry container first. I haven't had any issues, but if you're looking for recommendations, I say, "Do as I say, not as I do" in this case. As for the grungy glass people - all it takes is drying them with a clean, lint-free towel to prevent those ugly water spots.
I remain a HUGE skeptic of the utility of Palmolive's wonder soap as a sanitizer. Indeed, the biggest contributing factor in brewhouse sanitation is simply cleanliness. It's VERY possible to brew good, non-infected beer without the use of any chemicals at all so long as your equipment is kept clean (i.e., you could just rinse everything really well). However, most of us opt for some insurance in the form of anti-microbial chemicals of some sort. Star San is my insurance of choice - it's food grade, no rinse, and proven effective without harming flavor or head retention. Dish soap ranks pretty low on the list, and, IMHO, it's potentially worse than just using water - after all, you've got to rinse like crazy after using soap to avoid the problems associated with soap residue...and wouldn't that thorough rinsing negate some of the positive effects of using it as a sanitizer in the first place?
As for "Bleach Alternative" - when it comes to laundry detergent, bleach alternatives are simply brighteners, not disinfectants. I'd tend to think the same for a dish soap, but I'll withold final judgment on that for when you get an answer from Colgate.