Consumer advocacy group Choice has found that dishwashing tabs are the more effective form of dishwasher detergent compared with powders.
“The old dishwasher powder is just not impressing any more,” said Chris Barnes, a senior project officer at Choice.
In a product test consisting of 34 detergents, the top three products were tabs. Finish Powerball Ultimate 0% Tabs took out first place receiving a score of 77%.
Tied for second place with a score of 76% were Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Tabs and Earth Choice All-in-1 Dish Tablets.
Earth Choice was significantly cheaper compared with the two Finish products, costing $0.42 a wash. In comparison, the second-placing Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus was the most expensive detergent tested, costing $1.26 a wash.
The cheapest product in the test was also the worst-performing. While Housebrite Brite Dishwasher Powder costs $0.08 a wash, it scored 40%. The second-lowest performing detergent was the Earth Choice Dishwasher Powder Lemon Fresh with a score of 47% and a $0.21 cost a wash. Barnes said the “one big advantage” of powders was their price.
A spokesperson for Earth Choice said the company currently used local external manufacturers to produce its powders, as its factory only produced liquid products. Within the next 12 months it would begin manufacturing the product itself and it would be reformulated.
“We are extremely pleased with the result on our Earth Choice Dishwash Tablets given the cost per wash is significantly lower than other products with similar results,” the spokesperson said.
To test the different detergents Choice loaded a dishwasher with tiles soiled with stains such as egg yolk, rice starch, red wine and coffee. It used a light reflectance test to see how clean the tiles were after the wash.
According to Barnes, tablets were more effective than powders because they were formulated with more ingredients, such as rinse aids. Powders, on the other hand, were “more simplistic”. He added that there was also a more controlled dosage with tablets.
While the choice of detergent was important in loosening food, removing stains and breaking up grease particles, Barnes said it’s important to not rinse your dishes too thoroughly if you’re using a dishwasher. He said modern dishwashers do a pre-rinse check to gauge how intensely to wash a load. So if plates are rinsed, the dishwasher will think “I don’t have to wash as hard”, Barnes said.
“I think a lot of people are still saying, ‘oh, I better rinse the plates before I put them in there’. But really, what have you paid the dishwasher for … let it do its job.”
