My Favorite Dishwasher Detergent (Surprise, It’s a Tablet!)
After years of hand-washing the dishes, I finally live in an apartment with a dishwasher. (Cue choirs of angels singing.) I tried a few dishwasher detergents, but none made me as pleased as the one I now buy in bulk. It’s eco-friendly, totally easy to use, and cleans the crustiest, un-rinsed dishes with aplomb.
I’m talking about Ecover’s Automatic Dishwashing Tablets. Here’s what I love about them.
1. They’re individual tablets.
Honestly, I feel like I could never get the measurement for powdered or liquid detergents right. I either used too much and got filmy dishes, or used too little and then they didn’t get clean! The tablet gets it just right. I love being able to just pop one in the soap dispenser.
2. They’re phosphate-free.
Ecover makes their detergent, like all their products, with plant-based, mineral ingredients that are biodegradable and phosphate-free. (They disclose all their ingredients on their website, too.)
3. They have practically no discernible scent.
I’ve used both the fragrance-free and the citrus-scented version, shown in the photos here. Obviously the fragrance-free version leaves behind no discernible scent, but I find the citrus version so mild that it hardly makes a difference to me which one I use. The most important thing is that I don’t smell the detergent on the dishes after a cycle (I don’t want that scent mixing with food aromas!), and I don’t here.
4. I can order them in bulk.
I can get six boxes with 25 tablets in each one for $30 on Amazon. Plus, they’re often eligible for the Subscribe & Save program, so I can save five percent off the order.
5. They work exceptionally well.
This is obviously the most important point. What good is a dishwasher detergent if it doesn’t clean? I’ve been really happy with the cleaning power of this little tablet. I’m not much for rinsing dishes before I put them in, so my dishwasher detergent has a lot of work to do. With only a couple exceptions that I think had more to do with my poor loading than with the detergent, all dishes, glasses, and pots, and pans have come out very clean — no additional scrubbing required! I’ve heard that filling the pre-wash dispenser with vinegar in combination with these tablets provides an even better clean. I haven’t tried that yet, but I’m going to.
Buy: Ecover Automatic Dishwashing Tablets, $30 for 150
Have you tried these Ecover tablets? What are your thoughts? And of course, if you have another dishwasher detergent you swear by, do tell!