Buyer's guide to dishwasher detergent

This is a free buyer's guide from Ethical Consumer, the UK's leading alternative consumer organisation. We research the social and environmental records of companies.

More detailed versions of this guide are available. See the links at the bottom of the page.

Best Buys as of Jan/Feb 2007

As our ratings are constantly updated, it is possible that company ratings on the ethiscore website may have changed since this report was written.

The brands Clear Spring and Astonish were both Best Buys. Wave Machine from Earth Friendly Products is also a Best Buy.

All three brands are vegan and not tested on animals.

Brand	Rating
Clear Spring dishwasher detergent [A,S]	16.5
Simply dishwasher detergent [S]	15.5
Wave Machine dishwasher gel [A,S]	15
Astonish dishwasher liquid and tablets [A]	14.5
Co-op brand dishwasher detergent	12
Ecover dishwasher tablets [S]	10.5
Finish dishwasher detergent	8
Palmolive dishwasher detergent	5.5
Fairy dishwasher detergent	0.5

The higher the rating the more ethical the brand. This whole scorecard was last updated from our database on 14 October 2009 but some individual company ratings may have changed since then. Up to the minute information can be seen by subscribers using Ethiscore.
Learn more about our ratings.

So fresh and so clean?

Lindsay Whalen does the washing-up.

Washing-up liquid is made of surfactants (i.e. detergents), but also tends to contain problem chemicals such as hormone-disrupting phthalates, phosphates, synthetic colourings and musks. Due to poor labelling standards, it is very difficult to ascertain which brands are using which chemicals. Greenpeace has criticised Procter & Gamble because it could not guarantee its Fairy brand did not contain harmful artificial musks.(1)
According to the green product manufacturers, the surfactants must be plant-based if the aquatic environment is not to be harmed. Vegetable-based surfactants will be quickest to biodegrade; all of the best buys are vegetable based. If surfactants are not plant-based, they will be derived from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource and may be harmful to aquatic life.
Soaking difficult pots and using an abrasive cloth will help you use less washing-up liquid. An alternative is herbal vinegar, but it is worth rinsing dishes well afterwards.

References 1 www.greenpeace.org.uk viewed on 23/10/06

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