Seeking a Natural Dishwasher Detergent that Isn’t a Miserable Failure

Looking for a natural dishwasher detergent but don’t want to waste your money? You’re in the right place! 

The natural dishwasher detergent saga is as old as Kitchen Stewardship^® itself.

Update 2020: I used the individual dishwasher packs for a few years, because doggone it, they really are convenient. But the more I read about microplastics, the more I worried. Those plastic coverings seem like they disappear, but it’s not like salt dissolving into water.

That plastic just becomes incredibly tiny but never really goes away.

The chemicals inside continue to leach into the water for thousands of years, and most likely, we actually ingest the micro particles of plastic. It’s just not something I could contribute to anymore. Now we only use powder. 

RELATED: Plastic-Free Dish Soap from Molly’s Suds (video review)

Testing Natural Dishwasher Detergents 

When I first started, I tried a number of homemade dishwasher detergents back in 2009. It certainly wasn’t an exhaustive list, but I went through a number of the “easy” recipes on the web that mostly didn’t entail sourcing and buying any new-to-me ingredients.

They were a disaster.

Piles of rejected dishes, sometimes nearly the entire load, and multitudes of plastic lids covered in white film just about sent my husband to the looney bin.

No more homemade dishwasher detergent experiments for us!

I did list out all the myriad of homemade dishwasher detergent recipes readers have shared with me over the years, in case folks are still willing to try.

Our dishwasher at the time was rather new, by the way, and typically did an admirable job with even the dirtiest dishes (we don’t pre-rinse if we can help it).

I set out to find a “natural” brand that worked and went through a couple before finding one that worked but was expensive. Then I was actually foolish enough to try a slight change on one of the homemade detergents, again. Another blogger had said it worked great for her, but it was another story of disaster at our house, hand-washing a load of dishes, and snake eyes from the husband.

Don’t feel guilty finishing your current brand of dishwasher detergent! Stay out of the kitchen while it’s in use so you don’t breathe in the chemicals in the air. It might be easiest to wait to run it until your family retreats to their nightly relax spots. 

Just be mindful to open it when it’s done so you don’t have wet dishes sitting closed up overnight because that can lead to mold issues…

Biokleen

Finally, I got a chance to try another brand that was more frugal, and it had me singing alleluias all day long. Biokleen was my baby for about 18 months…and then it suddenly stopped working.

Our dishes all had white film on them again, our glassware never looked clean, and I started to question whether Biokleen had changed their formula. The company assured me that they hadn’t, and I heard from readers on both sides: some claimed it still worked great for them and told me to work on reducing “buildup” in my dishwasher, and others agreed that Biokleen had (new) not-cleaning-the-dishes issues.

Biokleen got me in trouble with my husband. He was going to unload the dishwasher until he learned what I’d done. “Why did you try that one again? I think if you’re going to experiment, you should unload the dishwasher.”

It’s only fair.

I unloaded to find less than acceptable utensils, shadows of ranch dressing dollops on glass plates, and, you know it, white film on all the plastic lids, of which there must have been at least 57. The glass drinking glasses had issues that gave us both shudders of deja vu.

“Remember, that’s how all our glasses used to look all the time. I hope this didn’t permanently affect our dishwasher!” poor hubby cried. I told him I’d test out a special new “clean your dishwasher technique” I picked up from an appliance repairman. What the poor guy has to put up with around here!

Bottom line: Biokleen is still the worst natural detergent I’ve tried. Now what do I do with the rest of the tub?

My rating: Don’t Bother with Biokleen 

I tried tackling buildup with some of the ideas in comments at this post, but nothing helped. Right around that time, we sold our house, so I was excited to get to start over with a new dishwasher.

Guess what? Biokleen still didn’t work satisfactorily. It was as much of a disaster in the new house as the old. Time to strike out anew! Update (3/2014): My mother also had splendid luck with Biokleen’s powder. She has softened well water and I’ve had fairly hard city water in both houses; she pre-rinses thoroughly and I refuse to. But I thought I should be fair to Biokleen and let you know that maybe it will work with some water! Although she did tell me that when people started having trouble (me) she still had an old one and switched to Ecover powder with great success rather than risk the new one, even though the company says they didn’t reformulate. I would love to hear YOUR experiences in the comments!

Rating Natural Dishwasher Detergents 

Through two dishwashers already in this house, here’s the scoop on the other “natural” dishwasher detergents we’ve tried, as well as the (surprising) results of EWG’s new household cleaners ratings list (ranked A through E, like grades in school).

I list the ingredients, too, which sound a lot less “natural” than many other things I read, but many of them are explained at EWG or here. I’m not sure if these detergents are really, truly natural and non-toxic, but I am certain they’re loads better than the conventional dishwasher detergent, which can be some of the most caustic cleaning agents you have and most harmful to the environment, too.

I did find that “short wash” wasn’t cutting it with the new dishwasher and the natural detergents. Sad to see that energy-saver as a thing of the past, but the “sensor” cycle is supposed to only run as much as it absolutely needs to, so I’m at least pleased with that.

Funny note: when we were shopping dishwashers, there was a Bosch company rep at the little store in our town. He gave his detergent recommendation, and when I asked about natural brands, he put on a permasmile, raised his eyebrows, and basically declined to comment – but his skeptic’s grin said it all. “No promises,” he said.

Seventh Generation Tablets

Seventh Generation Dishwash...Shop on Amazon

This was the first we tried because it was available and on sale at our local Meijer. It couldn’t get spoons with cod liver oil on them clean worth a darn, and even after we had our dishwasher professionally cleaned, all the bowls in the bottom rack were nasty, we had streaky glasses and very dirty spoons, especially anything with grease on it.

After getting a new dishwasher, we tried Seventh Generation again. It was passable, but it still had more rejected dishes than any of the others and is more expensive because of the tabs.

I actually called the company and told them I wasn’t happy, and they happily sent me a refund. Darn good customer service, I like that.

I’ve also tried the dishwasher gel as a sample, and I was unimpressed. Eh.

My rating: Don’t Bother

EWG rating: A, only for the “free and clear” unscented version

Ecover: Powdered Detergent

Ecover Zero Dishwasher Soap...Shop on Amazon

For budget reasons, I tend to prefer a powder over a tab. It’s not as easy, that’s for sure, but I like being able to use less and stretch the box.

Ecover has proven itself to be a good brand for both tablets (see below) and powder. The powder pours directly out of the box, no scoop, so there’s a lot of discrepancy on how much we use, especially with two adults running the dishwasher.

More often than not, we’re pleased with the results. There are a few rejects here and there, but nothing that makes us want to throw the box out the window…

Update 3/2014: I mentioned that my mom was also using Ecover regularly (in her 30-year-old dishwasher that she’s nursing along because she doesn’t want to deal with the eccentricities of new machines). 😉 She shared this with me: “[When I ran out of Ecover recently] I had to resort to Cascade. It etched a couple of glasses [which had been washed in the same way countless times with Ecover] and then the spotting was awful. Any rinse aid was long gone before using the Cascade. I have put white vinegar into my rinse dispenser to help with the spotting…which it has. No more etching of glasses with Ecover.” Interesting! Anyone out there have etching problems with conventional detergents? Are they too harsh?

My rating: First place

EWG rating: B for both scented and unscented

When I purchased mine to try, it wasn’t available on Amazon, but now it is!

Ecover: Tablets

Ecover Automatic Dishwasher...Shop on Amazon

Ecover’s tablets were a product sample directly from the company, and I’ve been extremely happy with them. They have probably about a 98% clean rate, which is pretty awesome considering the knockout Tetris games I play fitting as many dirty dishes in that thing as possible.

Tabs are kind of nice because they are premeasured – super quick, no guesswork, no training the husband on how to use them.

The convenience does come with a price, so you have to decide where your priorities lie.

My rating: Second place because of cost only

EWG rating: B (used to be a C; updated 3/2014)

Get them HERE at Amazon.

Grab Green Tablets

Grab Green Automatic Dishwa...Shop on Amazon

A reader recommended Grab Green as a natural brand that worked, and it was just too easy to add it to an Amazon order, so I did. The reviews there are pretty glowing, too.

The tabs work slightly differently than Ecover’s, which you have to unwrap. These guys go directly into the soap dispenser, plastic and all, so technically, it’s a wee bit easier.

As far as where the plastic goes…that’s a mystery I don’t want to know.

I found GrabGreen to be a great brand and get the job done. I’d put these tabs and Ecover’s on the same level, at the top of my “most effective” list, but not so frugal.

My rating: Tied for second place

EWG rating: B, only for unscented or red pear with magnolia; other two scents were a C

BUY on Amazon.

Other Natural Dishwasher Detergents to Try

Up & Up

I was very surprised to see Target’s brand “Up & Up” dish packs listed as one of the few receiving a “B” rating at EWG; the “A” list is even smaller and the C-E are in the triple digits each just for dishwasher detergents.

If you’ve got a local Target, it might be worth a try as I’m guessing it will be less expensive than some of those listed here.

Truly Free (formerly My Green Fills)

Truly Free doesn’t only have safer ingredients, but they aim to create packaging that’s environmentally friendly. Now that’s something I can get behind. 

They’ve got awesome bundle deals when you buy products together. I’ve got a special deal for you right here. (Use code KATIEKIMBALL for 30% off!)

Natural Rinse Aid

I use straight white vinegar in the “Jet Dry” compartment as the rinse aid. Whole New Mom posted that the vinegar may ruin the rubber parts, so I need to perhaps see what will happen if I don’t use it at all.

I’m not using Jet Dry – a chemical that’s supposed to stay on the things my family puts in their mouth? No, thank you, no research needed on that one. Not touching it.

I’m well known for honest, thorough product reviews…

 

…and you can always tell a real family has run these products through the gauntlet.

When I review a type of item, I try to review a LOT of different brands! From over a dozen reusable sandwich bags to over 120 natural mineral sunscreens, I’m your girl for straight-up info about natural, real foodie items you’re considering buying.

Click here to see more product reviews and you’ll also love my resources page, with REAL products that have passed my rigorous testing enough to be “regulars” in the Kimball household, plus some other comprehensive reviews. Updated at least once a year to boot the losers and add new gems!