We’re all trying to trim our grocery bills, but buying cleaning products like dishwashing liquid is one of the least fun ways to spend your money.

To save you time at the sink and leave more money in your pockets, our expert testers slogged through piles of dirty dishes to find the best performing dishwashing detergents, and tell you which ones to leave off your shopping list.

“We tested more than 30 popular dishwashing liquids using plates that are covered with different foods, including bolognaise sauce and egg yolk,” explains ����Vlog household expert Chris Barnes.

“We soak them in each detergent, scrub them a set number of times and then look at how clean the plates are.

“We also look at how well they wash compared to plain water.”

Clean winners: The best dishwashing liquids in our test

The results were crystal clear: Morning Fresh wiped the floor with its competitors, with two products from the brand taking out first and equal-second spots.

Morning Fresh’s Ultimate Pro Brilliance Original Ultra Concentrate topped the table with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 90%, and its Antibac Active Lemon Ultra Concentrate came in equal-second place, scoring 85%.

Palmolive was also a strong contender, snagging four out of the seven top spots.

If you want the best bubbles, you might need to pay extra for them: the two Morning Fresh liquids cost $6 for a 350mL bottle. (That’s $1.71 per 100mL.)

Palmolive Ultra Gentle Care Mild Fragrance, in equal-second place, is a fair bit cheaper, priced at $1 per 100mL.

But if you want bubbles on a budget, there are two high-scoring options that are wallet-friendly.

Aldi’s Tandil Ultra Quick Dry Raspberry And Apple liquid will set you back just 40 cents per 100mL – less than a quarter of the price of the Morning Fresh – and Palmolive Lemon Lime with Citrus Extracts Regular is 46 cents per 100mL.

“If you shop smart, you can find an affordable dishwashing liquid that’ll give you good value for money and good performance – a win for your dishes and your pocket,” says Chris.

Here are the top-scoring dishwashing liquids from our tests. They’re all recommended by ����Vlog experts.

Top performers from our test

• Morning Fresh Ultimate Pro Brilliance Original Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Liquid: ����Vlog Expert Rating: 90%; $1.71 per 100mL
• Aldi Tandil Ultra Quick Dry Raspberry And Apple: 85%; $0.40 per 100mL
• Morning Fresh Antibac Active Lemon Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Liquid: 85%; $1.71 per 100mL
• Palmolive Ultra Gentle Care Mild Fragrance Dishwashing Liquid: 85%; $1.00 per 100mL
• Palmolive Lemon Lime with Citrus Extracts Regular Dishwashing Liquid: 80%; $0.46 per 100mL
• Palmolive Ultra Mango Magic Concentrated Dishwashing Liquid: 80%; $1.10 per 100mL
• Palmolive Ultra Strength Original Dishwashing Liquid: 80%; $1.00 per 100mL

While some Aldi products impressed our experts, it’s worth noting that some of the supermarket’s dishwashing liquids didn’t fare so well in our lab tests, sitting towards the bottom of the heap.��

It was the same story for other well-known brands, with products towards both the top and bottom of the leaderboard.

It goes to show that buying based on brand alone won’t guarantee good performance.

And with so many products from the same brand having similar names, you need to be paying attention when you pick up a bottle from the supermarket shelf. 

“Our tests uncovered some wild variation, so never assume that if one product cleans well, similar ones from the same brand will deliver the same results,” warns Chris.

“It’s worth keeping in mind when you’re shopping – otherwise you could grab an inferior product accidentally.

“Likewise, don’t assume an expensive product will outperform a cheap one – our tests found price is no measure of performance.”

The same goes for expecting that the washing up liquid you’ve always used will keep giving you good results.

“The reason we test every year is because manufacturers often change the formula to improve performance or reduce costs, so check back with us each year to see which products are the best,” says Chris.

Ultra flops: The expensive detergents that are a waste of your money

If you’re looking for a fresh new way to tip your money down the sink, look no further than Saba Organic Dishwashing Liquid and Fairy Platinum Plus Lemon Dishwashing Liquid.

The Saba product didn’t perform too badly, receiving a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 75%. But it costs a huge $2.40 per 100mL – that’s six times as much as Aldi’s top scorer!

And with a score of 65%, Fairy Platinum Plus Lemon Dishwashing Liquid was less effective than plain water, but costs $1.62 per 100mL.

These detergents will likely leave you with sore arms from all the extra scrubbing needed to get your dishes clean, and a hole in your pocket from the steep prices.

Dishwashing liquids to avoid

We pitted 31 dishwashing liquids against good old-fashioned water to see which ones delivered the ultimate clean. 

While some delivered sparkling results, some are so bad that you might as well not even bother using them. 

Plain water received a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 65%, but our experts found that seven dishwashing liquids actually leave the washing up less clean than not using anything at all.

That brings a whole new meaning to the term “elbow grease”!

The most washed-up dishwashing liquid was Ecostore’s Lemon Dish Liquid, which received a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 55% – a full 10 percentage points lower than plain water.

To spare you the frustration of buying a dishwashing liquid that’ll make washing up harder than it needs to be, here are the detergents that you should avoid.

• Ecostore Lemon Dish Liquid: ����Vlog Expert Rating: 55%; $1.00 per 100mL
• Ecostore Ultrasensitive Dish Liquid Fragrance Free: 60%; $1.00 per 100mL
• Coles Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Liquid Lemon Burst: 60%; $0.42 per 100mL
• Aldi Tandil Ultra Antibacterial Lemon: 60%; $0.40 per 100mL
• Aldi Tandil Dishwashing Liquid Lemon: 60%; $0.14 per 100mL
• Aldi Tandil Antibacterial Lemon Fights Germs: 60%; $0.31 per 100mL
• Aldi Green Action Dishwashing Liquid Lemongrass and Ginger Antibacterial: 60%; $0.56 per 100mL

The post The best and worst dishwashing liquids from our tests appeared first on ����Vlog.

If you’re confident that you’re not making any common dishwashing mistakes and your dishwasher is doing its job, perhaps your detergent is to blame.

The amount of money you spend on dishwasher detergent over the life of your dishwasher is equal to the cost of the actual dishwasher, so it’s worthwhile finding a detergent that’s up to the task.

But with an overwhelming number of products available, all promising to deliver plates so clean you can, well, eat off them, how do you know which one offers the best value for money? 

And just as importantly, which type of dishwasher detergent should you buy?

“There’s a big difference between the effectiveness of different dishwashing detergent types,” says Matthew Steen, head of reviews and testing at ����Vlog.��

“And whichever you choose to use – tablet, gel, pod, sheet or powder – it’ll really show up in the wash.” 

Tablets vs powders: Which is better?

Tablets and powders make up the bulk of dishwasher detergents sold in Australia.

“While dishwasher tablets and pods tend to be more expensive, they invariably outperform powder in our dishwasher detergent tests,” says Matthew.

“The recommended products in our dishwasher detergent review are all either tablets or pods. And the lowest-ranked products are all powders, sheets and gels.”

There’s a simple reason why there’s such a big difference in performance.

Dishwasher pods and most tablets are an ‘all-in-one’ product that usually contain dishwasher salt, rinsing agent and detergent in one easy dose. They’re more concentrated than powder, sheet or gel detergents, and are designed to deliver the perfect amount for each full dishwasher load.��

Dishwashing powder, on the other hand, is generally less effective as it’s just, well, detergent with no salt or rinsing agent.

What about dishwasher gels?

Dishwasher liquids or gels are useful for some drawer-type dishwashers that can’t use tablets, and are convenient as you can dose as little or as much as you like in your detergent dispenser.��

And although they can be cheaper than some tablets, they’re generally not as effective as tablets or pods.��

They can also contain a higher quantity of surfactants than tablets or powder. (Surfactants are compounds commonly found in detergents that can be detrimental to the environment.)

We tested two gel products in our latest review, one from Finish and another from OzKleen, and the results were underwhelming. The Finish All in One Max Gel scored 58% while the OzKleen Dishwasher Power Gel scored a dismal 11%. Considering the OzKleen costs $18 you really are just washing your money down the drain with this product.

Are dishwasher sheets any good?

If you haven’t heard of them, dishwasher detergent sheets are pieces of dissolvable paper that are embedded with detergent.

They’re generally marketed as ‘eco’ products, producing a smaller carbon footprint in terms of packaging and transport, and often with claims like ‘chemical-free’ and ‘no nasties’.

While they might be good for the environment, they’re less than effective on your dishes: we tested four dishwasher sheets from Lucent Globe, Cleaner Days, Earth Choice and Earth Rescue and while they aren’t the lowest scoring, they still have a way to go to improve their performance.

Here’s how they scored:

• Lucent Globe Dishwasher Detergent Sheets – 49%
• Cleaner Days Dishwasher Detergent Sheets – 43%
• Earth Rescue Dishwasher Detergent Sheets – 39%
• Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Dishwasher Detergent Sheets – 34%

Lucent Globe’s sheets have continued to improve year on year – in 2023 they scored only 13% and jumped to 30% in 2024. A score of 49% in this latest test is another improvement for the product. Specifically they received an ‘excellent’ result for removing baked-on cheese and was ‘very good’ for rice starch and minced meat removal. The product struggled to remove egg yolk, wine and coffee. So, with further development, detergent sheets could be contenders, but for now our results suggest they ���پ�������need more work.

However, a good dishwasher is the key factor in how clean your dishes will be.

If you have a high-performing dishwasher, it’ll still deliver good results regardless of the detergent you use – so if your dishwasher performs well and eco-friendliness is a priority for you, then dishwasher sheets could be worth considering.

Price doesn’t always equal performance

If you’ve been looking for ways to save on your grocery bills, you may have zeroed in on your expensive dishwasher tabs.

Considering that some top-performing dishwasher detergents can cost as much as a whopping $44 per packet (or $1.42 per wash), it seems like a good place to cut some costs.

But while switching to powder will save you at the till, it can be a false economy: you’ll have to re-wash any dishes that don’t come out clean, or even re-run the entire load.

The good news is our testing often finds that price doesn’t always equal performance, and you don’t have to switch to a poor-performing but cheaper powder to save money. There are plenty of cheaper dishwasher tablets that get great results in our testing.

Our experts tested 42 products and rated their cleaning performance on food stains such as egg yolk, baked-on cheese, rice starch, red wine and bolognaise sauce.

Three of the cheapest tablets in our test make our list of recommended products, with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of at least 75%.

• Coles Ultra Advanced Dishwasher Tablets: $0.15 per wash
• Aldi Logix Platinum Dishwasher Capsules: $0.25 per wash
• Woolworths Shine Optimum All in 1 Ultimate Clean Dishwashing Pods: $0.26 per wash

How to save money on dishwasher tablets

(…and get the best results from your dishwasher)

1. Buy in bulk and look for specials

Buy dishwasher tablets in larger bulk-sized packets, stock up when on special and scrutinise unit prices to ensure you are getting the cheapest price possible – always look at the price per item to compare. Keep in mind, however, that the shelf life of dishwasher tablets is around one to two years, so don’t stockpile tablets as their effectiveness may deteriorate over time.��

2. Regularly check our test results

Check ����Vlog dishwasher detergent reviews to find out which cheaper products perform well in our extensive laboratory testing. But remember, product formulations can change over time, so make sure you’re armed with our latest results.��

3. Be economical

Only run your dishwasher when it’s completely full, and make sure it’s stacked well so everything in it gets cleaned the first time around. Do it once, do it right!

4. Bypass the dispenser

Detergent dispensers are designed for powders. If you’re using tablets, just toss it straight into the bottom of your dishwasher tub – this maximises the time the tablet has to dissolve and do its thing.��

This tip is particularly worth trying if you find your tablets aren’t dissolving properly or if you’re using a faster cycle.

5. Pack like a pro

To get the best results from your dishwasher tablets and save you having to run another load when your plates aren’t cleaned properly, make sure you stack your dishwasher correctly – and don’t pre-rinse your dishes.��

Follow our expert tips on how to load your dishwasher properly.

6. Use rinse aid

If your all-in-one product doesn’t already contain rinse aid, add it separately. Rinse aid lowers the surface tension of the water, which means water won’t bead on your glassware and it’ll come out squeaky clean and dry. When buying rinse aid, the same money-saving rules apply – look at unit pricing, buy larger bottles, switch to home-brand alternatives or stock up when products are on special.��

7. Keep a clean machine

Regularly clean your dishwasher filter to ensure it performs at its best, and check out all our tips on how to clean your dishwasher.

The post What’s the best dishwasher detergent: Tablets, gel, sheets or powder?  appeared first on ����Vlog.

And that’s exactly what happened during our latest round of dishwasher detergent testing: expensive big-name brands took out the top spots, but dirt-cheap supermarket products were hot on their heels.

Our experts tested 42 products in our labs and rated their cleaning performance on food stains such as egg yolk, baked-on cheese, rice starch, red wine and bolognaise sauce.��

The best products power through even the most stubborn, dried-on food stains, while the worst will leave you scrubbing the bits that your detergent couldn’t handle – which kind of defeats the purpose of having a dishwasher in the first place.

Here are the products that’ll give you the best wash overall, the best clean for the least cash, and the washed-up duds that’ll leave you with crusty crockery.

The top three

These dishwasher detergents all tied for first place. If, like 90s R&B band TLC, you don’t want no scrubs, these are the products to load into your best friend’s ride.

Finish Powerball Ultimate All In 1 Tabs

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 80%
• Cost per wash: $1.18

Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus All in 1 Tabs

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 80%
• Cost per wash: $1.42

Miele UltraTabs All in 1

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 80%
• Cost per wash: $0.75

These tablets deliver top shelf performance – but at a top shelf price. The Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus tabs are the most expensive per wash of all the detergents in our review, and the others aren’t far behind.

But that doesn’t mean you need to dish out a fortune to get your crockery clean.��

The cheaper alternatives

Three supermarket-brand detergents also performed well and will give you a great wash without straining your wallet. The cheapest of these costs just 15 cents per wash – almost a tenth the price of the Powerball Ultimate Plus.

This is great news for shoppers: you can scrub dollars from your grocery bills without sacrificing cleaning power.

“This goes to show that if you shop smart, you can get a great clean while saving money,” says Matt Steen, ����Vlog head of reviews and testing.

Want to save dollars on doing the dishes? These dirt-cheap detergents are also recommended by our experts:

Coles Ultra Advanced Dishwasher tablets

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 76%
• Cost per wash: $0.15

Aldi Logix Platinum Dishwasher Capsules

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 75%
• Cost per wash: $0.25

Woolworths Shine Optimum All in 1 Ultimate Clean Dishwashing Pods

• ����Vlog Expert Rating: 75%
• Cost per wash: $0.26

Other winning washers

Coming in just a few points behind the top scorers, these dishwasher detergents are also definitely worth considering. They’re all recommended by our experts.

• Fairy Platinum Plus 30 Minute Miracle Dishwasher Capsules (����Vlog Expert Rating: 77%)
• Finish Powerball Quantum All In 1 Tabs (77%)
• Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Material Care All In 1 Tabs (77%)
• Coles Ultra Advanced Dishwasher tablets (76%)
• Eco Planet Automatic Dishwasher Tablets Tarata and Kaffir Lime (76%)
• Finish Powerball Ultimate 0% All In 1 Tabs (76%)
• Aldi Logix Platinum Dishwasher Capsules (75%)
• Koh Dishwashing tablets (75%)
• Woolworths Shine Optimum All in 1 Ultimate Clean Dishwashing Pods (75%)

How important is choosing the right dishwasher detergent?

Buying a good dishwasher detergent is important – and since detergent makes up a significant proportion of your dishwasher’s running costs, you’ll want to make sure you’re not spending too much on products that don’t work.

But detergents aren’t the be-all and end-all: your dishwasher matters too.

A high-performing dishwasher will do most of the grunt work of cleaning, so if the detergent you’re already using is affordable and does the job, then there’s no need to switch.

“If you have a good dishwasher, then you won’t necessarily need to buy the best performing detergent – you can opt for a cheaper product instead, or one that aligns with your ethical or environmental priorities,” says Matt.

However, if you’re using a good detergent but your dishes are still coming out dirty, your dishwasher could be the issue, or it might just be how you’re stacking it.

You could also try cleaning your dishwasher to make sure there aren’t any blockages.

Dishwasher detergent sheets

A relatively new entry to the market, dishwasher detergent sheets are touted as being biodegradable, plastic-free, gentle on sensitive skin and less allergenic than traditional dishwasher detergents.��

We tested four detergent sheet products alongside traditional dishwasher detergents.

So, how did they stack up? Not well, unfortunately.��

They were some of the lowest scoring products overall, with ����Vlog Expert Ratings ranging from 34% to 49%.

To their credit, one sheet detergent we tested in 2023 has improved significantly since then, where it scored just 12% – the same as plain water.

Detergent sheets are a relatively new product, so with some development they may end up being great, but for now our test results suggest they still need work.

However, as we’ve mentioned above, your dishwasher is the key factor in how clean your dishes will be, so if you have a great dishwasher and you love the idea of detergent sheets, then by all means give them a try.

The dishwasher detergents not to buy

Earning a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 43% or less, these dishwasher detergents listed below leave a lot to be desired (and definitely wouldn’t get no love from TLC).

While some of them are much cheaper than others in our test, buying them to save money is a false economy: you’ll end up having to wash your dishes twice, unless you’ve got a great dishwasher.��

The lowest scoring product scored just 11%. Considering that plain water scored 5%, TLC would recommend you don’t go chasing this water-fail and stick to the tablets and the capsules you’re used to.

• Plain water (����Vlog Expert Rating: 5%)
• OzKleen Dishwasher Power Gel Detergent (11%)
• Simply Clean Dishwasher powder (32%)
• Earth Choice Ultra Concentrate Dishwashing Detergent Sheets (34%)
• Earth Rescue Dishwasher Detergent Sheets (39%)
• Earth Choice Dishwasher Powder Lemon Fresh (43%)
• Cleaner Days Dishwasher Detergent Sheets (43%)

The post The best and worst dishwasher detergents from our tests appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• Our expert testers
• How we choose which dishwasher detergents we test
• How does ����Vlog test dishwasher detergents
• Stain selection
• Our test lab

We test dishwasher detergents using a variety of stains on specially prepared plates to see how well each one performs, but there are a raft of claims that come along with detergents of all sorts.

We list claims in our dishwasher detergent reviews, but specify these are only claims – they seem a little light on actual evidence. So if you’re going to be swayed by the advertising, check out the test results first and make sure they’re able to do the basics: clean your crockery and cutlery.

Our expert testers

With over 30 years’ experience in dishwashers, we’re proud of our expert testers. They’ve seen all types of dishwasher detergents come through the labs, but one thing never changes – they need to find what gets your plates clean. We focus on the basics so that you can buy with confidence, knowing the dishwasher detergent you choose will work well.

How we choose which dishwasher detergents we test

Why do we choose one dishwasher detergent over another? There are a number of reasons for this, but our priority is to test what you’ll see in store. That means that sometimes we might not cover a brand that sells directly, and instead focus on the big names that you’ll most likely see in your supermarket. That means you can at least see it before you buy it and check whether you’re happy with it.��

How do we know what’s in retailers? We check current market figures to see what’s selling well. We’ll also include models that you’ve requested – if a lot of members want it, we’ll test it.

Once we know what you want to read about, we buy the dishwasher detergents for our test from a variety of retailers, then bring them in as is. This means we get what you’d get, so we can be sure the results are what you’ll find rather than potentially ‘tweaked’ for better performance.

How does ����Vlog test dishwasher detergents

Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t get ����Vlog employees to bring in their dirty dishes. We use a bank of four identical dishwashers and use pre-stained plates.��

These plates are prepared in the Netherlands and include stains that you tell us are the most common in your households.��

Why do we use pre-stained plates? Because if you want to compare dishwasher detergent performance fairly, you have to use the same conditions for all of them.

These stained plates are embedded with a specific amount of dirt, are identical, and made up of a very specific formula. These are used all over the world by large detergent makers, plus other consumer organisations and are considered a standard in testing detergents.��

Using these is a means to minimise the amount of variables so you can see which detergent comes out best when comparing them.

After we put the recommended dose of detergent in the dishwashers, we use a standard program (main wash: 60°C, post rinse: 70°C) to get our ����Vlog Expert Rating (this is the overall score that determines which products we recommend).��

We test each detergent four times, and then use a spectrophotometer to compare how clean our test plates are compared to to how dirty they were pre-wash.

Stain selection

This is the list of plate stains we use, as chosen by you, our members. They usually change every few years in response to surveys we send to out to members so that we can be sure our testing is best meeting people’s needs. The detergents that are better at removing the following stains will earn a higher ����Vlog Expert Rating:

• egg yolk
• rice starch
• baked on cheese
• red wine
• coffee
• minced meat.

All of these stains are weighted equally.

Our test lab

We maintain a lab that is up to date with the latest reference machines and calibrated measurement tools for our testers to bring you the right results.

The post How we test dishwasher detergents appeared first on ����Vlog.

On this page:

• How we choose which dishwashing liquids to test
• How we test dishwashing liquids
• Test criteria explained

How we choose which dishwashing liquids to test

We test dishwashing liquids from major brands available in supermarkets and smaller companies available online. Our aim is to test the most popular brands on the market and what you’re most likely to see in stores.

We conduct a preliminary check to find what we can buy instore and survey manufacturers to find out about their range of products before putting together a final list that goes to our buyers. They then head out to retailers and purchase each product, or in the case of smaller brands, shop online, just as a regular consumer would. We do this so we can be sure the products are the same as any consumer would find them and not tweaked in any way for better performance.

How we test dishwashing liquids

Scrub test

The plates we use in our test are pre-soiled with blends of different types of stains you’ll typically have to deal with at home – rice starch, bolognese and egg yolk.

The stained plates are soaked in a 1% solution of test detergent for 10 minutes before the tiles are placed in the scrubbing device. The plates are scrubbed a set number of times with a wet sponge.

Reflectance readings are taken before and after the cleaning process to determine the percentage of soil removed. Each product is tested four times, and the scores are averaged for consistency. The performance score is based on how clean each plate is after reading the result using a spectrophotometer.

Why we test this way

We originally started testing dishwashing liquids based on the industry standard which looked at how long their foam lasts, but soon realised that manufacturers were using cleaning agents (surfactants) that were better at creating foam rather than those that were better at removing grease. 

This shift was because consumers are under the impression that more foam equates with better performance. But is this really the case?

Rather than counting the bubbles in your washing up water, our current testing emphasises the scrub test scores, as this will actually show you how well the detergent removes grime from your dishes.

We no longer include a foam test in our dishwashing liquid test, because grime removal is ultimately the best indication of a top performing product – the bubbles might look nice, but they really don’t do much to get your plates clean.

Why we don’t test chemical composition for environmental claims

Testing detergent samples for chemical analysis is prohibitively expensive, and ����Vlog does not have a chemical lab onsite. We test criteria based on a balance of budget and performance, and most members tell us they’re more interested in how a dishwashing liquid performs rather than what it’s made of. However, if enough members ask us for detailed chemical analysis, we’ll forgo another test so that we can bring that to you.

Test criteria explained

The ����Vlog Expert Rating, our overall score, is based on the scrub test as this is the best measure of how well a detergent will clean your plates. Scores are rounded to the nearest 5% to account for a margin of error.

We recommend dishwashing liquids with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 80% or higher.

The post How we test dishwashing liquids appeared first on ����Vlog.

Sadly, our days of scrubbing still aren’t behind us. So to make the job easier, you need a dishwashing liquid that’s going to do the job.

But our recent dishwashing liquid review revealed three products that are only very, very slightly better than washing with just plain water – bringing a whole new meaning to the term “elbow grease”.

“While you can still get your dishes clean with a poor scoring dishwashing liquid, the top performers will get the job done much quicker and easier,” says ����Vlog whitegoods expert Ashley Iredale. “So if you value your time, choosing a good dishwashing liquid is very important.”

The worst dishwashing liquids

We pitted 41 dishwashing liquids against good old-fashioned water to see which ones delivered the ultimate clean.

We use 45°C water to wash plates soiled with spaghetti bolognese, egg yolk and rice starch – read more in How we test dishwashing liquids.

The results?

Plain water achieved a score of 25%, but these three products performed better only by a whisker.

Trix Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid

• ����Vlog expert rating: 28%
• Cost: $0.27/100mL

Costing just 27 cents per 100mL, this Trix product scored a measly 28% in our test – in this case, you get what you (don’t) pay for.

Read the full Trix Antibacterial Dishwashing Liquid review.��

Uniquely Natural Dishwashing Liquid

• ����Vlog expert rating: 29%
• Cost: $0.96/100mL

The Uniquely Natural product scored just one percentage point more than the Trix product, but costs a whopping 96 cents per 100mL.

Read the full Uniquely Natural Dishwashing Liquid review.��

Earth Choice Dishwash Liquid

• ����Vlog expert rating: 29%
• Cost: $0.20/100mL

Costing just 20 cents per 100mL, this dishwashing liquid might seem like a bargain, but you’ll have to scrub extra hard to get your dishes clean. It scored a dismal 27% in our scrub test.��

Read the full Earth Choice Dishwash Liquid review.��

Greenwashing… literally

We tested products with “green” or “eco” claims, but none of them scored particularly well. The top scoring eco product received a score of just 45%.

Some of the products with “green” credentials are expensive and generally perform quite poorly, so if you’re concerned about the environment, you’re better off just using hot water and elbow grease and saving your money.

Manufacturers are cleaning up their act

In our 2018 test, a disappointing seven products performed worse than plain water. This year, every product beat plain water – but only just, in the case of the Trix, Uniquely Natural and Earth Choice products.

“The good news is that manufacturers are lifting their game,” says Ashley. “We didn’t find any products that performed worse than water in this year’s test.”

The post Washed-up dishwashing liquids appeared first on ����Vlog.

What’s more valuable to you: time or money?

If you’re budget-conscious, we’ve got some good news for you: by shopping smart you can still get squeaky-clean dishes, but for less than a third of the price.��

The top-scorer in our dishwashing liquid reviews is a premium product that costs more than $4 a bottle. But coming a close second behind it is an Aldi product that’ll set you back just over $1.50. Big price difference – small difference in performance.��

It all comes down to how much time and money you have to spend on washing the dishes.

Top two in a league of their own

Two products stood out above the rest in our dishwashing liquid test: Morning Fresh Ultra Concentrate Ultimate Dishwashing Liquid (with a ����Vlog Expert Rating of 81%) and Aldi’s Tandil Ultra Power Soak N’ Clean (72%).

They were miles ahead of the competition, with the next highest-scoring product coming in at just 49%.�� 

So we recommend both the Aldi and Morning Fresh products, but there’s a twist: the Aldi product is less than a third of the price of the Morning Fresh product: 35c/100mL compared with $1.23/100mL.

So what does the extra 88 cents buy you? Read on to find out.��

• Here’s the full Morning Fresh Ultra Concentrate Ultimate Dishwashing Liquid review.��
• This is the full Aldi Tandil Ultra Power Soak N’ Clean review.��

Clean winner? How the top two compare

In our testing, both liquids received excellent scores for their ability to remove grime from dirty dishes. Their ‘scrub test’ scores were:

• Morning Fresh: 82%
• Aldi: 75%

This basically means that you’d need to scrub just a little harder with the Aldi dishwashing liquid to get the same result as with the Morning Fresh liquid. Small price to pay for such a big saving, surely? 

“What’s your time worth?” asks ����Vlog household goods expert Ashley Iredale. “It might take you an extra minute per wash at most, but depending how heavy-handed you are with the detergent, it’ll save you up to about 25 cents per wash. By my (very rubbery) calculations, that works out at a saving of as much as $15 per hour in after-tax income.”

The main difference between the two products lies in their ‘foam test’ scores:

• Morning Fresh: 74%
• Aldi: 46%

This might seem like a big difference, but we actually don’t think it’s that big a deal (see below) and you probably won’t notice the discrepancy when it’s your turn to wash the dishes.��

Don’t fall for the foam myth

More foam means a better clean, right? Well, not so much, according to our experts. Foam is important, but it’s not the be-all and end-all.��

We use a scrub test and a foam test (see ‘How we test’ below) because they both play a part in getting your dishes clean. Foam (or ‘general detergency’ in technical terms) helps prevent food scraps from being redistributed on your plates once you’ve washed them, but it doesn’t actually remove the grime in the first place. The scrub test shows how well the detergent removes grime from your dishes – the most important aspect of dishwashing liquid.��

We originally started testing dishwashing liquids based on the industry standard that looked at how long their foam lasts. But we soon realised that manufacturers were using cleaning agents (surfactants) that were better at creating foam rather than those that were better at removing grease. (This was because many consumers assume that more foam means better cleaning performance.)

So our ����Vlog Expert Rating includes both the foam test and the scrub test, but we’ve given a far higher weighting to the scrub test (90%) as grime removal is ultimately the best indication of a top performing product.��

Want to know more about our dishwashing liquid testing? Here’s how we test dishwashing liquids.��

So which should you choose?

That depends on you.

If you’re short on time but not short of a dime, the Morning Fresh dishwashing liquid is an excellent purchase.��

But if money is tight (or you’d prefer to spend your hard-earned on something more fun than dishwashing liquid), then the Aldi alternative is a winner.��

Either way, you can’t go wrong!

How we test dishwashing liquids

We put dishwashing liquids through two tests: the scrub test and the foam test.��

The scrub test

The scrub test assesses how well the detergent removes different types of stains: rice starch, bolognese sauce and egg yolk. Stained plates are soaked in a 1% solution of the test detergent for 10 minutes before being scrubbed a set number of times with a wet sponge.��

We use a spectrophotometer (a fancy measuring device) to test exactly how clean the plate is after scrubbing. And we repeat this process four times and the scores are averaged for consistency.��

The foam test

We put 4mL of dishwashing liquid in 5L of warm water and wash pre-soiled plates at timed intervals. We count the number of plates cleaned until all the foam in the basin disappears.��

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