Dishwashers provide us with a helping hand in the kitchen, but they need the right detergents to leave dishes gleaming and residue-free.
Dishwasher tablets remove stubborn stains, baked-on food, and sticky sauces from plates and cutlery to leave your dishes sparkling. These small-yet-mighty tablets tackle a variety of stains and soften water to dissolve food without leaving any residue behind.
It should be noted, though, that a dishwasher is really only as good as the dishwasher tablets you use – not all tabs live up to the hype. Some aren’t powerful enough and result in you having to hand wash your pots and dishes afterwards.
Fortunately, we’ve discovered the best eco dishwasher tablets for optimal results. These use technology that scrubs away stuck-on residue and food from plates while leaving your glasses with a noticeable gleam.
Ecover as a brand believes in ‘putting clean values into practice’ and tests all its products to high environmental and human standards. Rather than using surfactants (a main ingredient in detergents which often come from petroleum-based sources) Ecover’s dishwasher tablets contain its own biodegradable plant-based formula.
The tablets stripped dishwasher contents of all food remnants during testing and performed particularly well on glasses, leaving them super shiny. Their citrus smell is fresh and at least 50 per cent naturally derived.
The only downside was that each tablet comes individually wrapped. Although these casings are PET 5 recyclable, it felt unnecessary. However, when it came to performance, even the dishwasher seemed cleaner, presumably thanks in part to the tablets having salt and rinse aid built in. If not for the wrappings and some remnants left during testing across multiple dishwasher models, these tablets would have got
Probably the only thing that works harder than you is your dishwasher so we formulated our tablets with a powerful cleaning action to remove even the toughest stains including tea, coffee and dried on food. With the added benefit of built in salt and rinse aid, even suitable for hard water areas, glassware will be left streak free and dishes sparkling. Time to put your feet up.
Formulated with a powerful cleaning action to remove tough stains including tea, coffee and dried on food
The All in 1 tablets have a built in salt and rinse aid to leave glassware streak free and dishes sparkling
Suitable for hard water areas
Phosphate free, kinder to the environment
With a lemon fresh scent
Market leading performance: As good as the leading brand in independent tests*
Our next entry is another of the best dishwasher tablets by a popular detergent brand, Fairy. The Fairy Platinum Dishwasher Tablets are specially made to tackle stubborn stains, the first time. Whether you’re dealing with tough grease stains, coffee stains, or other dried-on food, Fairy has got you.
The tablets are wrapper-free and will dissolve and start working as soon as they’re placed inside the dishwasher. What’s more, these power tablets are packed with dishwasher salts and rinse aids which make them effective and reliable even in hard water.
Fairy Platinum Dishwasher Tablets are also compatible with most dishwashers. In fact, these tablets are recommended as the best dishwasher tablets by major dishwasher manufacturers such as Whirlpool and Hotpoint.
This dishwasher detergent not only cleans your dishes but also protects your machine against grease and limescale build-up, leaving it smelling fresh all day long.
The Finish Quantum Ultra Dishwasher Tablets are a new triple chamber tablet from a well-known and trusted brand in the wonderful world of dishwasher tablets. The Finish Quantum Ultra tabs feature three powerful cleaning agents that can easily remove food that has been left to harden overnight.
The first is a powder that scrubs away dried-on food and grime. The second is a liquid cleanser that helps remove grease for a thorough clean. And lastly, the powerball adds a glossy shine to leave your dishes a sparkling squeaky clean.
Not only do these tables provide optimal cleaning power, they also prevent water spots while protecting your delicate glassware. These tablets also give a detailed clean and shine even in low-temperature settings, meaning you can save money using your eco-wash program and still get the same cleaning efficiency as when you use hot water.
For a powerful dishwasher tablet that does the job right the first time, the new Finish Quantum Ultimate Dishwasher tablets are a premium choice for your kitchen.
With some dishwasher tablets you have to pre-soak or wash dishes and pans first, but Fairy’s tablets have a built-in prewash system. The ultra-soluble pouch were the only ones we tested that came in a liquid and powder capsule, while we simply popped in the capsule with dirty plates, a greasy cake tin and glasses. The capsule, which created a lot of suds as it washed, cleaned plates really well – they were spotless. The cake tin’s grease, which we’d attempted to get off by soaking, but so far hadn’t achieved it, was gone. However, some glasses did have white spots on them. Some good results and the price is reasonable too.
These tablets use Finish’s ‘Powerball’ technology and promise to give a powerful clean every time. Finish describes these tablets as ‘supercharged’ – it’s no wonder they are endorsed by major dishwasher manufacturer brands Beko, Bosch, Neff, Samsung and Siemens.
These All in 1 tablets really prioritise convenience: they include salt and rinse aid, helping to prevent limescale build-up. They are ‘wrapper free’, making them particularly quick and easy to use. They are suitable for use even in hard water conditions.
The results are impressive: dishes are left with an amazing shine and without unsightly water spots. Users comment that kitchenware comes out smelling ‘lemon fresh’, without any residue. Crucially, they are also kind to your kitchenware, tackling tough stains whilst protecting fragile items such as glassware from corrosion.
Eco-Friendly Degreasing Action
Ecoleaf’s dishwashing tablets are a natural, all-in-one dishwashing option that is recommended for its powerful cleaning and degreasing action, sure to leave your dishes sparkling clean.
Not only are the ingredients naturally-derived from sustainable sources, the packaging is completely eco-friendly too. Coming in a cardboard box, each tablet comes wrapped in a biodegradable plant-based film that dissolves in the dishwasher.
Ecozones latest addition to the Dishwashing range is the All in One Dishwasher Tablets – Ultra. Releasing a powerful cleaning action leaving your dishes shiny & streak free while cutting through the toughest of grease and grime without leaving any toxic chemical residues behind. The Ultra Dishwasher Tablets 72 come in soluble wrapping, so no need to open up each one before placing in the dishwasher, simply use as per the instructions. These mighty tablets work wonders for short cycles and on low temperatures also.
Ecozone Ultra Dishwasher Tablets will leave your dishes shiny & streak free while cutting through the toughest of grease and grime.
Powerful cleaning, even at lower temperatures.
No nasty smells
There’s no odd aroma with these eco-friendly dishwasher tablets – just a lovely citrus scent – and they are suitable for use with septic tanks.
No more stains
Even tea stains in cups are removed with these dishwasher tablets, and that’s no mean feat!
Results
Some users rate this product as the best because it doesn’t leave any residue unlike some brands. Some buyers recommend running a rinse cycle first then using these tablets on a quick wash.
Good to know
The advice from Ecover is to use this alongside Ecover rinse aid, and normal dishwasher salt, then be sure to run your cycle on an eco mode.
To conclude, the answer to whether you need a dishwasher tablet will depend on your preferences. If you want a powerful, easy-to-use, effective, and convenient solution to all your dishwashing needs, this is it. But, if you value affordability, consider other forms of the best dishwasher detergent UK such as powders and gels. They are cheaper.
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