Product Review: The Great Dishwasher Detergent Challenge

A little over a year ago, I became the proud owner of a dishwasher for the first time since I lived with my parents. As anyone who regularly fights with their spouse over whose turn it is to do the dishes knows all too well, a dishwasher can help foster peace in a marriage. But I was soon to find that, in my determination to avoid phosphates and bleach, my dishes were going to need a good hand scrubbing anyway thanks to weak natural dish detergents. The fact that I need an unscented version thanks to my husband’s chemical sensitivities complicated matters even further.

Here are the dirty details about my experience with various brands, and the one that finally did what it’s supposed to do.

First up, Planet Automatic Dishwashing Detergent. I sometimes use other Planet products which, while never particularly impressive, did the job well enough. But, Planet dishwasher detergent was a huge disappointment. After every load, my dishes looked greasy and gross, requiring a second round in the sink. That’s a huge waste of water. I wanted to like it because of its many animal- and planet-friendly qualities, but it just plain didn’t work.

Seventh Generation Free & Clear Automatic Dishwashing Detergent is non-toxic, free of chlorine and phosphates and contains no dyes or artificial fragrances. Sadly, it didn’t work much better than Planet. I had to add washing soda for extra cleaning power, and even then my dishes just weren’t clean.

Bi-O-Kleen Automatic Dish Powder in Free and Clear specifically states that it’s kind to those with chemical sensitivities and allergies, and it’s also non-toxic and biodegradable. It was a definite improvement over the previous two, but unfortunately, it didn’t dissolve well, leaving little clumps of detergent all over my dishes and utensils, even when using vinegar as a rinsing agent. At this point, I was beginning to think my search for a natural dishwashing detergent was going to be fruitless.

Then, I happened upon Method Smarty Dish Detergent in Go Naked. 20 phosphate-free, bleach-free tablets come in a little plastic tub and one tablet is enough to actually – gasp – get an entire, fully packed dishwasher full of dishes sparkling clean. Sparkling! Best of all, a single tub lasts me over a month and costs me just $4.99 at Target. A clear winner.

So, don’t give up on natural dishwashing detergents even if you’ve been frustrated by them in the past. Method Smarty Dish definitely lives up to all that it claims.

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