Need to know
- Our expert testers rated 40 dishwasher detergents to find which performed well, and which should be avoided
- A supermarket own-brand product topped our tests, beating premium brands that cost almost ten times as much
- Lucent Globe dishwasher sheets were the worst performing detergent in our tests
There's nothing quite as satisfying as finding out that one of the cheapest products on the market is also one of the best. And that's exactly what happened during our latest round of dishwasher detergent testing.
Aldi's Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets Lemon Fragrance cost just 19 cents per wash and received the highest score of 79% in our latest dishwasher detergent review.
The most expensive Finish Powerball product costs $1.87 a wash – almost 10 times the price of Aldi's Logix Platinum
The low-cost tablets beat out big brand Finish, whose Powerball Ultimate Plus All in 1 and Ultimate Pro All in 1 products tied for second place with 77%.
The most expensive Finish Powerball product costs $1.87 a wash – almost 10 times the price of Aldi's Logix Platinum. That's a huge price difference that savvy shoppers can take advantage of.
Our experts tested 40 products and rated their cleaning performance on food stains such as egg yolk, baked-on cheese, rice starch, red wine and bolognaise sauce.
CHOICE tip: You don't need to put your dishwasher tablets into the dispenser – just throw them into the bottom of the dishwasher before you start a cycle.
Best dishwasher detergents
Aldi's Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets were top of the tabs.
1st place: Aldi Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets Lemon Fragrance
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 79%
- Cost: 19c per wash
One of the cheapest tablets in our test, Aldi's Logix Platinum outperformed much more expensive products. It made short work of dried-on food stains, and easily wiped out especially tricky foods like egg yolk, baked-on cheese and minced meat.
"This goes to show that if you shop smart, you can get a great clean while saving money," says Matt Steen, CHOICE head of reviews and testing.
"However, Aldi's powder detergent scored just 54%, so make sure you don't grab the wrong one off the shelf."
At almost $2 per wash, these Finish Powerball tabs still couldn't top the cheaper Aldi product.
Equal 2nd: Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus All in 1 Lemon Sparkle
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 77%
- Price: $1.87 per wash
Not to be confused with the Ultimate Pro tablets below, these scored exactly the same as their almost-twin, but with one difference: they cost even more. It's just 24 cents difference per wash, but why pay more for exactly the same result?
Plus, they cost nearly ten times more than the higher scoring Aldi tablets.
If you'd like to save a little more money (and you're not an Aldi shopper), you could opt for the Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Material Care tablets instead, which cost $1.16 per wash and score just one percentage point lower at 76%. They're recommended by our experts, too.
Some other good options are Earth Choice's two dishwasher detergent products, which both cost just 42 cents per wash and score only one percentage point lower again (75%).
A slightly cheaper product that delivers the same results as the Ultimate Plus tabs.
Equal 2nd: Finish Powerball Ultimate Pro All in 1 Tabs Lemon Sparkle
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 77%
- Cost: $1.63 per wash
Coming in at more than eight times the price of the Aldi dishwasher tablets, unfortunately you won't get eight times better performance from these.
Still, 77% is a great score and these products did a fantastic job of cutting through cheese, egg yolk and minced meat. Plus they're cheaper than the Ultimate Plus tablets, so they're the better buy for the same results.
It's easy to get confused by all the Finish detergent names – they sound so similar! So make sure you check the unit price (and double check their CHOICE Expert Rating) before you pick up a pack to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Other recommended dishwasher detergents
If you don't have access to Aldi, Earth Choice Dish Tablets are an affordable alternative to the Finish products.
Here are the other dishwasher detergents recommended by our experts:
Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus All in 1 Baking Soda
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price: $1.68 per wash
Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Material Care
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price: $1.16 per wash
Finish Powerball Ultimate Pro All in 1 Tabs
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 76%
- Price: $1.50 per wash
Earth Choice Dish Tablets Lemon Fragrance
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Price: $0.42 per wash
Earth Choice Undo This Mess Dish Tablets
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 75%
- Price: $0.42 per wash
How important is choosing the right dishwasher detergent?
Yes, 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're using a good detergent but your dishes are still coming out dirty, your dishwasher could be the issue
"If your plates are only ever a little bit dirty and 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 of 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 the filter.
Globe Lucent Dishwashing Detergent Sheets. Environmentally friendly? Yes. Effective? Not really.
Dishwasher detergent sheets
A 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 the Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergent Sheets, which cost $29.99 for a pack of 80, plus postage.
So, how did they stack up against regular dishwasher detergents?
Not well, unfortunately. They received the same low score as plain water – 12%. Plain water was actually more effective at removing egg yolk and red wine, but they were pretty much on par for every other test.
Detergent sheets are a relatively new product, so with some development they may end up being great, but for now our experts say they need work
Plain water is also biodegradable, plastic-free, gentle on skin and low-allergenic.
It's also pretty much free, unlike Lucent detergent sheets, which will cost you 37 cents per wash (and perhaps a little more once you've paid for shipping).
Detergent sheets are a relatively new product, so with some development they may end up being great, but for now our experts suggest they 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.
Dishwasher gels didn't perform well in our testing, with some scoring as low as 45%.
Poorest performing dishwasher detergents
Earning a CHOICE Expert Rating of 50% or less, these dishwasher detergents listed below leave a lot to be desired.
Powders, gels and sheets are generally less effective than tablets, but these products are definitely at the bottom of the pile – and the big two supermarkets' own-brand products are both represented in this group.
While some of them are much cheaper than some of the tablets in our test, buying these products to save money is a false economy: you'll end up having to wash your dishes twice, unless you've got a great dishwasher.
These were the worst performers in our test, along with their CHOICE Expert Ratings:
- Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergents Sheets (12%)
- Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Active Degreasers (45%)
- Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Lemon and Lime (49%)
- Ecostore Dishwasher Powder Lemon (49%)
- Woolworths Shine Dishwasher Powder Concentrate (50%)
- Coles Ultra Concentrate Dishwasher Powder Lemon Fresh (50%)
Want to know how your dishwasher detergent fared in our tests? Check our expert dishwasher detergent review.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
