Best and worst dishwasher detergents revealed

CHOICE tested 40 dishwasher detergents to find the best and worst performers. (Source: Getty)

The dishwasher detergents that will leave your crockery and cutlery sparkling clean and the ones that aren’t worth your hard-earned cash have been revealed.

Consumer group CHOICE tested 40 dishwasher detergents and rated their cleaning performance on stains like egg yolk, baked-on cheese, rice starch, red wine and bolognese sauce.

Here’s what they found.

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Best dishwasher detergents

Aldi Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets won the top spot. (Source: CHOICE)

Aldi topped the dishwasher testing this year and beat out premium brands costing almost 10 times as much.

“Aldi Logix Platinum 18 in 1 Dishwashing Tablets took first place in this year’s testing, with a score of 79 per cent. If you’re looking for value for money, this is an excellent option, costing only 19 cents per wash,” CHOICE director of reviews and testing, Matthew Steen, said.

The Aldi detergent beat out several products from Finish, which took out second place with its Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Ultimate Pro products with a score of 77 per cent.

Powerball Ultimate Plus Ultimate Pro products weren't far behind. (Source: CHOICE)

“Finish products always rank well in our testing but they’re on the expensive side. Their Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus product, which tied for second place, costs $1.87 per wash. We recommend switching to the Aldi Logix Platinum if you love a good bargain, as it only costs around a tenth of the price,” Steen said.

The Aldi dishwashing detergent rings in at $7.49 for a box of 40 tablets, while the Finish products are a whopping $28 for a 15 pack.

Other recommended detergents included:

• Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus All in 1 Baking Soda (76 per cent)

• Finish Powerball Ultimate Plus Material Care (76 per cent)

• Finish Powerball Ultimate Pro All in 1 Tabs (76 per cent)

• Earth Choice Dish Tablets Lemon Fragrance (75 per cent)

• Earth Choice Undo This Mess Dish Tablets (75 per cent)

Worst dishwasher detergents

The Lucent Globe Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergent Sheets was the worst performer. (Source: CHOICE)

Lucent Globe was found to have the worst dishwasher detergent on the market, with its Ultra Concentrated Dishwashing Detergent Sheets performing no better than water.

“The Lucent Globe product scored a very low 12 per cent, the same as plain water. We found plain water was actually more effective than the Lucent Globe sheets in removing red wine and egg yolk through a dishwasher cycle,” Steen said.

The sheets cost $29.99 for a pack of 80, plus postage, costing $0.37 per wash.

“Detergent sheets are a relatively new product touted as being biodegradable, plastic free, and gentle on sensitive skin. Unfortunately, Lucent Globe’s product did not stack up comparatively in its performance,” Steen said.

Other detergents that performed poorly included:

• Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Active Degreasers (45 per cent)

• Somat Excellence Duo Power Gel Lemon and Lime (49 per cent)

• Ecostore Dishwasher Powder Lemon (49 per cent)

• Woolworths Shine Dishwasher Powder Concentrate (50 per cent)

• Coles Ultra Concentrate Dishwasher Powder Lemon Fresh (50 per cent)

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