Having a dishwasher sure makes dishwashing a less troublesome job. However, without an effective dish detergent that can clean up all the stuck-on food, you might actually have to rewash everything by hand. Whether in the form of liquid, tablet, or powder, a dish detergent should be formulated with strong cleaning agents and leave your dishes spot-free.
To help you with your selection process, we've created a list of 10 highly-recommended dishwasher detergents for you! Cascade's Platinum Plus is our favorite since it contains sodium carbonate, nonionic surfactants, and enzymes which are all great to cut through grease. Curious about other products? Read on! And check out our buying guide to learn about ingredients and other factors to consider before choosing one.
Quick List - Top Dishwasher Detergent
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day
Biodegradable Dish Soap Formulated With Essential Oils
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Now that you've seen our top picks, it's time to find out which one is the best product for you. In this buying guide, we will talk about some important points that you might want to take into consideration when choosing a dish soap.
Dishwasher detergents often come in liquid, powder, or single-dose tablets. Each type has its own pros and cons, so take them into consideration before you make your selection.
Liquid detergent is usually an inexpensive option. It also dissolves nicely in all water temperatures and can easily cut through grease and remove stains. It is less abrasive than the other types. So if you are cleaning delicate dishes or glasses, go for liquid detergent.
However, keep in mind that regular liquid soap cannot be used in the dishwasher since it might generate an abundance of soapsuds and end up causing your dishwasher to overflow. The soap buildup might damage your dishwasher as well.
So if you want to use liquid detergent for your dishwasher, make sure you're choosing a kind that is designed specifically for dishwashers.
When it comes to convenience, nothing can beat single-dose detergents. They can come in the form of pods, packets, or tablets and contain a pre-measured amount of detergent.
They're often formulated with additives like degreasers and bleach, so they might clean better than the liquid type. Some products are even formulated in a way to help polish your glassware and dishes and give them a sparkling shine.
Powder detergent is the most economical option among the three kinds. It's a bit messy to work with, however, and might leave behind white residue. Nonetheless, it's highly concentrated and works well in degreasing and cleaning stains.
Dish detergents derive their cleaning power from various kinds of cleaning agents. Usually, they contain surfactants which form chemical bonds with oil and help remove all the grease and stuck-on food.
Some common surfactants include alkyl polyglucoside, sodium carbonate, sodium percarbonate, sodium metasilicate, and sodium sulfate. Those surfactants are all derived from natural sources and biodegradable.
You might want to make sure that your detergent contains some kinds of enzymes as well. Enzymes such as amylase and protease can remove stains effectively by breaking down starch and protein into small pieces.
Many products are formulated with plant-based ingredients that have powerful cleansing properties too, such as tea tree oil, lemon oil, citrus essences, peppermint oil, and lavender oil. Those essential oils will also impart a fresh scent to your dishwasher.
Soap bark extract and coconut-based surfactants like sodium coco-sulfate are some other great cleaners that can power through oil and stuck-on food to leave your dishes shiny and clean.
A dish detergent with a pH level of more than seven (nine to 10 is the best) can effectively cut through grease. Those with a lower pH are usually milder and for hand dishwashing.
This is another reason why liquid soap for washing dishes by hand can't be used in the dishwasher, and the opposite is true too. Never try to wash dishes by hand using soap meant for a dishwasher! The high pH, strong surfactants and chemicals like bleach can severely irritate your skin.
Phosphates are powerful cleaning agents that many brands use. However, the use of phosphates in detergent has been banned in many states as it damages the ecosystems of lakes and waterways.
Dish detergents without phosphates, despite being better for the environment, might leave white streaks and spots on your dishes. In order to prevent this, you should check if there are ingredients that can prevent spotting such as polyquaternium, polyaspartic acid, and sodium hypochlorite.
Hard water contains minerals and can lead to limescale deposits, which eventually form white streaks on your glassware and make it look cloudy.
Therefore, you might want to go for products that are formulated with water softeners that can help break down minerals and prevent buildup on glassware. Some effective water softeners include sodium citrate and carboxymethyl inulin.
Nowadays, many brands are making their products much more eco-friendly for consumers. In fact, many dish soaps are formulated with ingredients that are biodegradable and can dissolve easily without leaving behind any residue. The packaging of many products is even made from recycled plastic to help reduce waste.
If you intend to choose a biodegradable and eco-friendly product, make sure that it bears an official seal such as USDA Certified Bio-Based Product or EcoLogo. Those seals are proof that the products meet the stringent regulations set by accredited certifying agencies and truly commit to protecting the environment.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cascade Platinum Plus | ![]() | Dishwasher Packs With Powerful Cleansing Power | |
2 | Finish Quantum | ![]() | 3-Part Formula to Break Down Stubborn Grease | |
3 | Palmolive Eco+ Gel|3 pack | ![]() | Concentrated Dish Soap to Remove Stuck-On Foods | |
4 | Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Automatic Dish Packs|3 pack | ![]() | Biodegradable Dish Soap Formulated With Essential Oils | |
5 | Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent Gel|6 pack | ![]() | Fragrance-Free Detergent Formulated With Plant-Based Ingredients | |
6 | Solimo Dishwasher Detergent | ![]() | Detergent Packs to Drive Away Grease | |
7 | Cascade Free & Clear|2 pack | ![]() | Contains 45 Percent Biobased Ingredients | |
8 | Finish Advanced Gel | ![]() | Advanced Formula to Clean Dishes Squeaky Clean | |
9 | Lemi Shine Dishwashing Detergent | ![]() | Citric Acid and Sodium Carbonate to Clean Stains and Grease | |
10 | Ecover Zero Dishwasher Powder|8 pack | ![]() | Environmentally-Friendly Dish Detergent |
These dishwasher pods from Cascade can fight grime and grease and eliminate burnt-on grime. Simply pop one pod into your dishwasher's dispenser door and let it do the cleaning. You don't need to do any prewashing at all!
A few reviewers commented that the lemony fragrance might linger on dishes. On the other hand, many buyers vouched for the product's effectiveness and said that their dishes came out shiny and clean. Those living in hard water areas were also pleased, mentioning that it cleaned their dishes without leaving behind any chalky film.
These dishwashing detergent tabs feature three different chambers that dissolve quickly and provide three different cleansing actions. The powder chamber helps eliminate stuck-on food, the gel can cut through grease, and the small liquid ball keeps your dishes, particularly glassware, shiny.
A few buyers mentioned that the product had a strong chemical scent, while some others were disappointed that all the pods stuck to each other.
Nonetheless, reviewers said these detergent tabs effectively drove away grease and stains and left dishes without any water spots. Many also noted that the tabs fully dissolved and didn't leave behind any residue.
This product from Palmolive is highly concentrated and formulated with effective ingredients which can cut through grease, remove stuck-on food residue, prevent water spots and fight odor. It's also phosphate-free.
A few reviewers didn't like how the detergent left a white film behind. On the other hand, buyers highly recommended this soap for its strong cleaning ability. They said it made their dishes shine and didn't stain the dishwasher. Some even used this to clean the kitchen sink or toilet and found it truly effective.
This biodegradable dish detergent is made from naturally-derived ingredients with powerful cleansing properties such as basil, parsley, and black pepper seed oil, as well as amylase enzyme to power away grease.
Some reviewers complained that the scent was overpowering and remained in plastics. Others were discontented that it left a film on dishes.
Meanwhile, many reviewers were impressed at how spectacularly this dish detergent worked without containing harsh chemicals such as chlorine. The packs also dissolved perfectly. Others loved that the product was environmentally-friendly.
This dish soap is a USDA Certified Biobased product with 65 percent naturally-derived ingredients. Furthermore, the formula contains no fragrances, chlorine, phosphates or dyes.
Most reviewers agreed that the detergent did its job well and had just the right consistency. However, some said that the detergent worked better for light cleaning and was not as helpful for tough stains. If you want to remove things like stuck-on foods, you might want to go for those with stronger cleaning power.
Nevertheless, various buyers appreciated the natural formula and especially loved the fact that this product didn't have any scent.
This dish detergent can help you fight stubborn grease, rinse your dishes squeaky clean, and effectively chase away stuck-on food. There are a total of 85 single-use packs, so you won't have to worry about running out soon.
For the majority of reviewers, this product a satisfying result, as their dishes looked clean and shiny after each time they used it. However, some were disappointed that the product left behind white streaks, didn't dissolve completely, or left an odor.
Still, reviewers highly recommended this product for the convenience it offered. Many feel it's as good as big-name brands and they love the large size for families.
If you're in search of a product that doesn't contain chlorine bleach, try out this dish detergent from Cascade! It features a gentle formula that contains 45 percent plant-based cleansing ingredients such as amylase enzyme, sodium bicarbonate, and sodium silicate.
A few buyers were not happy that the formula contains fragrances. On the other hand, many reviewers were pleased with the product as it washed the dishes clean with just a small amount. There were also no stains left behind.
This dish detergent from Finish comes in a gel form that can dissolve quickly and deliver fast cleaning action. It has an orange scent and can remove tough dirt like coffee and tea stains.
Some reviewers said it left white film or spots behind, and note that it doesn't have a rinse agent. Others say their dishes looked squeaky clean, and they like that it's milder than powder and doesn't leave undissolved bits like pods sometimes do.
This dish detergent is made with naturally-derived ingredients such as sodium carbonate and sodium percarbonate that are effective in chasing away stains and grease. It also contains citric extracts and enzymes that remove stuck-on food but is free from phosphates and chlorine.
Some reviewers were a bit disappointed that this product didn't fully dissolve. Still, the majority of buyers verified that this product fulfilled its duty in cleaning up grease and stains and worked well with their hard water. In fact, their dishes and glasses no longer looked chalky.
This detergent has a biodegradable formula made up of plant-based and mineral ingredients such as sodium carbonate and sodium carbonate peroxide. It's fragrance-free and the packaging is also very green! It's crafted from recycled cardboard, thus helping to reduce waste.
Some reviewers say it didn't dissolve completely. Others caution that the cardboard boxes need to be kept dry, so it might not be good to store them under your sink.
Nevertheless, they like that it sudsed up wonderfully and removed grease effectively. Most people also didn't have any problems with film or spots on the dishes.
Choosing products that can help you take care of your kitchen and keep it sparkling is not an easy task. If you need some suggestions, we're here to help you find other great cleaning supplies!
No. 1: Cascade|Platinum Plus
No. 2: Finish|Quantum
No. 3: Palmolive|Eco+ Gel|3 pack
No. 4: Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day |Automatic Dish Packs|3 pack
No. 5: Seventh Generation|Dishwasher Detergent Gel|6 pack
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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